Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Akame ga Kill franchise and this fanfiction has not been written for profit!
A/N: Thanks for the feedback boys and girls! I really appreciate it! Just a couple of things I'll address before we get started!
(1): I wouldn't mind doing a 20-30 chapter Akame ga Kill fic, but in this case, I just don't see the need. The anime had a strict 24-25 episode season limit. I'm simply trying to succeed where the anime (and the manga to a lesser extent) failed IMO. I already have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do in each chapter, though depending on how carried away I get (particularly around the climax), it'll probably be a few chapters longer than the 10 I've got planned. Some chapters will be a lotlonger than others, especially chapter 7 from the looks of it.
(2) I will be reading through the manga to get ideas, but I don't think I'd be doing the manga any justice in replicating all of its story arcs. If I go much beyond 10 chapters, this fic will probably would end up being on permanent hiatus since I'm not too certain about what my schedule will look like a few months from now. I aim to get this fic done within the foreseeable future like I did my Naruto fics.
(3)I left T.E. Bbz a pretty detailed PM. I thank him for his constructive criticism, but I don't really feel like reposting it here since it pretty much involved a point by point justification of my thought process. Besides, I think it'd be infinitely better if I threw in a few things in the next chapters just to reflect the gist of my response as well as make up for any flaws I've noticed in the story thus far.
(4) I'm releasing this chapter early, but don't expect future chapters to come out this quickly. My schedule is very uncertain.
(5) Remember, I'm only binding myself to everything pre-episode 14 of the anime. Anything post-episode is not canon for this fic and will be altered as I see fit. This applies to events, Imperial Arms and character developments. Anything post episode 14 is tabula rasa for me!
Anything else? Nothing? Great. Good. Excellent. Time to kill the second chapter!
Update: 9/1/16: Going back and editing each chapter one by one. Not changing the story, just improving the quality of the writing and making alterations I ended up making in later chapters (such as the way I transition from scene to scene as well as a moderation of overused adjectives).
Episode 15: Kill the Ride Together
What was a peaceful night had come and gone. The sun had risen. The birds were chirping. It was morning. As the sun's rays had been pouring down on his face, Tatsumi yawned and peeled his eyes open, only to see the sight of his well acquainted Ice Queen closely looking down upon him.
"Whoa whoa whoa, what are you doing?!" His general embarrassment around this woman's oblivious displays of affection had resurfaced in full force.
"When you're asleep, your eyes flutter in such a dreamy way. Kind of like butterflies." As always, the concept off boundaries appeared to be beyond her.
"Uh . . . thanks I guess."
"Last night was wonderful. I was thinking we could stay another day."
Tatsumi sat up from his sleeping position, nervously scratching the back of his head with a big grin on his face. "I'd love to . . . it's just I really should be getting back."
Much like a child, she pouted and sighed. "Oh well. It was nice while it lasted."
He engaged in a few morning stretches before accompanying the Ice Queen to the flying danger beast she had previously frozen. Curious as how Esdeath had planned to tame the creature, Tatsumi sat on a nearby rock, determined to observe every detail. Esdeath, licked her lips, swiftly unthawing the mighty beast without a moment's notice.
Just as soon as it was free from the ice, the danger beast lunged itself at the Ice Queen. Tatsumi prepared to unsheathe his short sword, only for Esdeath to motion him not to interfere. Before the monster could reach her, she formed an ice spear in her hand and rammed it through a non-vital area of the beast.
A devilish blood lusting grin grew wide on Esdeath's face at the sight of this. Not just at the blood she had spilled, but at the pain and anguish the creature was clearly suffering. Tatsumi barely managed to keep his composure, completely and utterly repulsed by what he was seeing. Over the course of the next hour or so, she engaged in all sorts of methods to inflict as much pain on the creature as possible without killing it or giving it an injury that would make it unsuitable for flight. These were the acts of someone who knew ins and outs of torture and relished in it.
Throughout this procedure, Tatsumi found himself comparing and contrasting the two Esdeaths he had come to know. The one he saw before him was more vile and sadistic than anyone he had ever encountered. Even if she did join the Revolutionary Army, would relying on someone like her make them any better than the Prime Minister they oppose? He wondered.
But then there was another side of the Ice Queen. The one he had spent all day with. The one he spent the evening with. The one that was kind and sweet. The one who was often as innocent as a school girl. The more he thought about this Esdeath, the more he smiled to himself. He had no intention of saying it aloud of course, but evening he had spent with her was both pleasant and memorable. It had been some time since he had been able to relax without worrying about an upcoming assassination.
How could the two sides of this woman be so drastically different? To this, he did not know the answer. Though prior to their exchange in the hot springs, he never would've imagined her as being willing to make the gesture she did for his village. Perhaps there was hope for her ever still.
Two hours had gone by like nothing. True to Esdeath's estimation, the Danger Beast was tamed, fully subservient to her every whim. "All done, Tatsumi."
Astonished the Night Raid assassin was as he rose up from the rock he had been sitting on ". . . you really did tame him."
She smirked in self-approval. "Of course. I've had lots of practice."
He shuddered to think too much about this remark. "I don't doubt it."
Followed by Tatsumi, she hopped onto the creature's back. Even without issuing any sort of verbal command whatsoever, the danger beast immediately knew to fly high into the air and head north in the direction of the capital.
He sat behind the Ice Queen, but was curious nonetheless. "How are you controlling it?"
"I'm standing in such a way where if it doesn't fly north, it knows it will suffer the consequences."
His eyes widened. "You've learned how to make it do that in just two hours?"
She yet again smirked in self-approval. "I told you. I've had lots of practice."
"I wonder if this is how the danger beast Najenda was riding on was tamed."
She blushed as a thought occurred to her. "Tatsumi, we can go faster if you like . . . but you'll have to hold onto me tight if you want to avoid falling off."
The usual nervous beads of sweat ran down his face. "Uh . . . I think I'm good."
At that instant, the danger beast increased its speed, moving several times faster. Not just that, but it also began aggressively doing flips and twirls. Panicking uncontrollably, Tatsumi latched onto the only leverage he could find: Esdeath's waist. "Hey! I thought you had control!"
"You'll have to forgive it, Tatsumi. It's a clumsy beast. Just to be safe, you'll have to stay in that position for the rest of the trip."
He looked at her skeptically. "Right. How are you even standing?"
To which she smiled. "I've frozen my boots to the beast's back. It couldn't knock me off even if it wanted to."
The next several minutes were filled with silence. Something the Ice Queen usually didn't mind, but in Tatsumi's case, it was a clear indication that he was dwelling on something. "Something wrong?"
He looked surprise, befuddled at her uncanny perceptiveness. "It's just . . . why did you agree to help my village?"
"Because I love you. Isn't it obvious?"
"But when I asked you to join the Revolutionary Army, you refused."
In one instance, she went from her soft loving side to her stern calculating demeanor. "You're asking me to compromise my beliefs and side with the weak. That I cannot do. I told you before: You will not change me."
He looked frustrated at her answer "Does it really matter who is weak and who is strong?"
She sighed. "It does. But let's not talk about this now. I'd like our relationship to be nice and simple."
"You're an elite and infamous general of the Empire. I'm a country boy from a small village. Even on paper, our relationship is anything but simple."
Amused, the Ice Queen laughed aloud. "Maybe, but out here, I'm just a woman. You're just a man. It sounds pretty simple to me."
For a moment, he smirked in full appreciation of the irony before widening his eyes in surprise of his own comment. "Wait . . . what am I saying?! Since when do we even have a relationship?!"
[. . . A Seaside Skirmish . . .]
The flight continued at a rapid pace for quite some time until Tatsumi noticed smoke and fire on the sea below. He motioned Esdeath to lower the Danger Beast closer to the water, to which she readily complied. As they got closer, they heard screams of terror from various people. Evidently, a merchant's galleon was being boarded by pirates. The merchants aboard were doing their best to defend themselves, but were grossly outnumbered.
"We've got to help them!", Tatsumi cried.
Esdeath shook her head dismissively. "It doesn't look like it's worth the trouble. It's their own fault for being too weak and unprepared to sail the sea."
However, the Night Raid assassin was not about to idly sit by as people were in danger. Without hesitation, he leaped off the flying danger beast, skillfully landing on the top of the mast of the merchant's ship in such a way as to nullify the impact of his fall.
The Ice Queen stretched her hand out. "Tatsumi, wait!"
But he disregarded her words and swooped down straight into battle with his short sword unsheathed. Ever so swiftly, just as he pounced upon the deck, several of the pirates were cut down before they even became aware of his presence. Three additional pirates attempted to gang up on Tatsumi from behind, only to meet a similar fate as he slayed each of them before they could even touch him.
Suddenly, all eyes were on Tatsumi. The merchants and the pirate raiders ceased fighting, cautiously gazing in awe and confusion at the sight of this young man who had dropped out of the sky and easily decimated multiple rogues.
Tatsumi pointed his sword at the remaining pirates. "There's plenty more where that came from. If I were you, I'd get back on my ship and get lost."
Just as he said that, a middle aged black bearded man with a prosthetic hook for a left hand, an eye patch for a right eye, a peg for a right leg, dressed up in a red captain's coat and hat boarded the merchant's ship. "Oh we be getting back on our ship alright! Just as soon as we're done negotiating with these good and kind people for their supplies."
The Night Raid assasin quickly turned his attention to this new scoundrel, shifting himself into a combat stance. The pirate captain reached for the scabbard on his left side, removing a cutlass.
Tatsumi made the first move, leaping into the air and sweeping his short sword down upon his opponent. Despite his appearance however, this scoundrel was clearly no slouch to combat. Within no time, he parried Tatsumi's sword attack with the hook on his left arm.
"That's some sturdy material", Tatsumi thought, readily aware that an ordinary hook would have surely broken upon impact with such an attack.
The pirate captain stood firm with his hook still clashed with the assassin's blade. "I see ye eyeballing me weapon. Here, let me make ye better acquainted. Behold the might of my Imperial Arm, Adramelech !"
A visible current of electricity flowed throughout the pirate's captain's hook, instantly surging through Tatsumi's sword and finally his entire body, effectively electrocuting him. He winced in pain unlike any other as the volts traveled throughout his body.
Though the captain didn't miss a beat; he lifted his cutlass at what he saw an opportunity to end the battle immediately. "And now for the killing stroke!"
Tatsumi swiftly leaped back, barely averting getting cut down by this ruthless rogue. Upon regaining his balance, however, he felt a sharp pain on his chest. Rubbing his hand across it, he noticed a hint of blood, suggesting he was grazed by the pirate's cutlass. "Dammit, that was too close. Had I tried dodging that any later . . ."
The pirate captain drew ever near. "What's the matter, boy? Ye looked so confident when ye were roughing up me men a minute ago. Don't tell me ye balls haven't even dropped yet!"
He tightly clenched his short sword with his right hand. "Can't underestimate him."
The captain aimed his hook carefully at his adversary, firing a blast of lightning out of it.
A startled Tatsumi promptly swayed his head to the side, barely avoiding the blast. "He has ranged attacks too?!"
Tatsumi kept avoiding his opponent's lightning blast, closing the distance with each dodge, getting closer and closer as the sequence continued until he was within striking range. This time, he launched a series of thrusts towards the captain's right side, forcing him to constantly parry with his cutlass. The captain made efforts to strike with his imperial arm, but Tatsumi made sure to circle his opponent as he tried, constantly moving at all times and refusing to give him the opportunity.
"Aye. This brat's not bad. Focusing exclusively on me blind side. However . . ."
The Captain suddenly looked down and smashed his imperial arm onto the deck he was standing on. A sudden burst of electricity encircled him and erupted from all sides, hitting Tatsumi before he could even react. The blast carried with it such force that it was powerful enough to slam the young man's body into the ship's mast.
Tatsumi tasted blood in his mouth. He gritted his teeth and glanced down at his sword. "This would be so much easier if I just used Incursio!" He glanced up at the sky, observing Esdeath watching the scene from above. "But if she sees me transform, she'll immediately know I'm part of Night Raid."
The Ice Queen stood atop the tamed danger beast with her arms crossed. "Tatsumi! You can win. Just focus!"
"Focus?" he pondered. Suddenly, a previous battle of his came to mind. It was months ago when he faced off against that serial killer, Zank the Executioner. A deeply grotesque man, but a competent warrior nonetheless. Tatsumi had been on the verge of defeat when he faced him and surely would've died that night if not for Akame's assistance. Akame, a warrior so advanced as to be able to clear her mind completely during the heat of battle. If she could focus herself that much, perhaps he could do the same.
Hearing Esdeath speak, the pirate captain broke out into derisive laughter. "Look men, the brat brought his mommy to come help him fight his battles!"
But Tatsumi adeptly regained his footing, paying no mind to the captain's taunts. Instead, he shut his eyes, took a long and deep breath and then exhaled. Upon reopening his eyes, he looked more serious than he had been up until that point. Even the pirate captain could tell something was different as he immediately stopped laughing upon looking into the assassin's eyes.
"He'll come charging at me again. I know he will! He be having no choice at this point! Just as soon as he gets close, I'll smash my hook into the ground again and finish him off! Then I'll see what I can do about his lovely wench up there!"
Precisely as the captain predicted, Tatsumi rushed towards him once more. Just like last time, the captain fired multiple blasts of lightning out of his hook, Tatsumi once again dodging each and every one of them while closing the distance. As he drew in close enough towards striking range, his posture indicated that he was about to slash at the captain from his blind side.
"FOOL! IT'S OVER, BRAT!" Before the Night Raid assassin's blade could connect, the captain looked down, once again smashing his hook onto the deck, releasing another encircling burst of electricity. As the scoundrel anxiously raised his head however, what he saw before him wasn't his vanquished foe. Rather, he didn't see anything at all.
Esdeath smirked approvingly at the scene. "The only fool here is you."
Within a flash, Tatsumi came flying down from above. The Captain noticed his presence at the last second, but by then, it was too late. For as Tatsumi hit the ground, so too did the Captain's left arm.
"He only pretended he was going to attack while charging at me all so I'd leave meself wide open. Clever little brat."
Having clenched victory, Tatsumi lowered his guard and picked up the captain's severed appendage and inspected it closely. "Huh. So this is your Imperial Arm. In your case, literally."
Seeing such a cavalier attitude only only made the pirate captain snarl. "Ye haven't beaten me yet! I still have one good arm!"
Tatsumi was still examining the scoundrel's hook, paying very little attention to his opponent. "No. No you don't. Wait for it."
"Impudent little punk. Wait for what?!"
To which Tatsumi responded, simply glancing at the pirate's right arm, watching as it plopped off his body. "That."
Despite the immense pain he must've been in, all of it was greatly overshadowed by the pirate captain's rage. Tatsumi may have been a high caliber warrior, but publicly losing to someone who was, by all intents and purposes, a boy was still humiliating to say the least.
"To be honest, I've watched a friend of mine do that before", Tatsumi said, referring to the delayed dismemberments he had seen Akame perform in the past. "But this is the first time I've ever been able to do it so neatly."
"Talk big now, child, but I've long been prepared for this kind of sij-e-ation." He bit into one of the chest pockets on his captain's coat pocket.
Seeing this caught Tatsumi's attention, causing a troubled look to appear on his face. "Shit!"
Out from the scoundrel's pocket were several grenades, each attached to a string that had just been pulled. He bellowed with laughter. "Arrgh me boy. We be calling this duel a draw!"
Though at that very instant, Esdeath appeared right next to the pirate captain, whose body, grenades included, were now encased in solid ice. With one punch, she smashed the ice into little pieces.
She then turned around, her eyes now squared on the remaining pirates on board the merchant ship. Their eyes were filled to the brim with terror, none of them wishing to meet the same fate as their captain. Usually, the sight of such a state from her enemies was absolutely satisfying. But for some reason, the look on her face gave away no such emotion. Something Tatsumi found odd.
"Weissschnabel!" She folded her hands in a prayer like fashion, the tips of his pointed the pirates. A torrent of icicles instantly manifested themselves around her before each firing off towards and impaling the rogues. She then turned to face the pirates' own ship. "Hagelsprung!" With a mere snap of her fingers, a massive pillar of ice came crashing down upon it, sinking the ship in one fell swoop.
As always, Tatsumi stood by in awe at the Ice Queen's amazing feats. Though the fact that she had just saved his life didn't slip past them, something he was more than gracious about. "Thanks. That was close."
She calmly looked into his eyes. "Tatsumi."
"Hn?"
Before he knew it, she had slapped him with her right hand. He looked at her in confusion . . . words about to come out of his mouth . . . but stopped as he saw the ship's merchants walking up to him. Yet another conversation the pair would have to put off until later.
One of the merchants, probably no more than ten years older than Tatsumi, walked up to him to shake his hand. "Had you and your companion here not shown up when you did, it would've been the end of us. You have our eternal gratitude. If there is anything we can do to repay you, just name it"
Tatsumi had a modest look in his eyes. "Oh it was nothing. Just your safety is reward enough for . . ."
"A full coursed meal on the double", Esdeath bluntly interrupted. "That will suffice."
The merchant enthusiastically nodded his head. "Of course. That won't be a problem. In fact, we'll prepare a feast."
And so the merchants promptly prepared for their celebration, among many other tasks; they put out the fires the pirates had started, removed the excess debris, made repairs and dumped the lifeless pirate bodies overboard all while their chef went to great efforts to prepare a grand feast. Meanwhile, Tatsumi and Esdeath sat at a dining table brought up from the lower deck. The table itself was clothed and candlelit. As the two waited for their meal, several of the ships musicians opted to entertain them.
This sudden change in atmosphere was more than enough to put the Ice Queen in a more gleeful mood. "Can you believe it, Tatsumi? Our second date."
Drinking a glass of water at the time, he quickly spat it out. "A date?!"
She playfully nodded. "Much more authentic than our last one!"
The initial merchant to offer his thanks to the pair approached the table, alongside his daughter. The daughter most likely five years in age. "Your meal should be ready shortly. I just wanted to thank you again for what you did for us. We will never forget it."
And the little girl pulled her father's hand. "Daddy, she has such pretty hair. When I grow up, I want to have hair just like that!"
To which the Ice Queen smiled. "Why thank you."
The merchant then leaned in towards Tatsumi, whispering in his ear and planting something in his palm. "Pardon my intruding, but I noticed the tiff you were having with your lady friend earlier. It took me months to find one of these, but after what you did, I'm giving it to you. Here, this might help."
He looked down at his hand, noticing a dark blue rose. "Listen buddy, I think you've got the wrong idea. She's not my-"
But the little girl quickly kicked him in the shin before he could finish his sentence. "Daddy says you should always tell a lady sorry, no matter who is right or wrong."
Tatsumi recoiled back, grabbing his shin to comfort the blow. "Do they even know what I did?! I sure as heck don't!"
As the merchant and his daughter walked away, a chef and his assistants approached the dining table with an assortment of dishes. As they set the dishes down, the chef cleared his throat with a thick French accent. "Just as you requested madam, a full course meal. I hope everything is to your liking. On the right platters, a roasted turkey, battered swordfish, broiled goose, fried seal and an assortment of steaks. On the left platters, peppered cream spinach, fried rice, fried dumplings, roasted vegetables, veggie soufflé' and classic ratatouille. Bon appétit!"
Tatsumi's eyes wandered over each plate. "It all looks so delicious. This guy could probably even give Su a run for his money."
Esdeath couldn't even take the time to let her eyes wander. Rather, she swiftly grabbed a steak knife and plunged it into the roasted turkey. Then, without pause, she picked the entire cooked bird up and began devouring it at a highly vicious pace. Based on looks alone, twas far unbecoming of a lady of her stature. Just watching this made Tatsumi recoil . "Even with her food, she's merciless."
"Tatsumi", the Ice Queen mumbled, still chewing her food. "Life on the battlefield is unpredictable and unforgivable. No one knows when their last meal is. So eat as much as you can. A full stomach is the last advantage you want your enemies to have over you."
[. . . Strange Sensation . . .]
After the pair had finished eating, they hopped back onto their unquestionably obedient ride. A creature Esdeath had tamed well enough to have it hover patiently near the ship throughout this entire scene. Tatsumi gave his goodbyes, waving at the merchants and the rest of the galleon's crew as he flew off. It wasn't until late in the afternoon that the danger beast had finally made it to its master's intended designation, arriving relatively near the entrance to the capital.
As the two stepped back onto the ground, Esdeath glared at the creature with such venom. "Beat it. I don't need you anymore."
Quivering with fear, the beast flew off into the opposite direction, moving just as fast as it did to arrive at this location in the first place.
"Are you sure you don't need it?", Tatsumi asked, unsure of why someone would pass up on such a useful method of transportation.
She nodded her head. "The Grand Empire has plenty of tamed danger beasts to do its bidding. If I took that one back, it'd just be another mouth to feed. However, I do need that Imperial Arm you absconded from that pathetic thug. Adramelech I believe. "
Tatsumi reluctantly reached into his coat pocket, removing the prosthetic hook he had taken from the pirate captain, the arm no longer being attached. "I was hoping she wouldn't notice."
As she took hold of it, Esdeath closely inspected the lightning-powered weapon from tip to bottom. "Marvelous. I'm sure I can find a subordinate that can put this to good use after I get back to the palace."
Hearing her mention the place she intended to head back to remind prompted several thoughts from Tatsumi. "The palace? Shit. I almost forgot. I need to get back to Night Raid. As long as she's watching me though, I won't be able to pull it off even with invisibility."
As he was thinking about his current predicament, the Ice Queen appeared to be preoccupied with something else. She carefully looked all around the immediate area.
Her strange behavior didn't go unnoticed however. "Esdeath, what are you doing?"
For one reason or another, she suddenly sighed in relief. "Good. No one sees us. Tatsumi, I need you to do something for me."
"What is it?"
"What is the name of your village?"
"It's a place near the northern regions called Impertinens."
"I see. Return their at once."
He was taken a little aback at where this conversation appeared to be heading. "What brought this on?"
"You no longer have a reason to be in the capital or join the Revolutionary Army. Your village is safe and will receive its gold within three days."
"Believe me Esdeath, I'm thankful, but it isn't just about . . .". He caught himself, immediately realizing that continuing that sentence wasn't in his best interest.
"Tatsumi?", she asked, curious about what he was trying to say.
He cleared his throat, making a different point instead. "What I mean to say is . . . I thought you wanted to take me back to the palace."
Hearing this made the Ice Queen's cheeks blush. Just the thought of Tatsumi wanting to go back with her made her heart race. "Don't get the wrong impression. I still intend to do that. Just not immediately. The thing is . . ."
Such hesitance. A lightbulb went off in Tatsumi's head. Suddenly, things started to make sense. "I take it this has something to do with what happened with the pirates earlier."
Esdeath averted her gaze, her eyes no longer meeting Tatsumi's directly. The expression on her face gave away a slight hint of sorrow. "I hadn't intended to interfere. But . . . watching you . . . watching you so close to death, I felt this strange sensation. It felt like my chest was tightening. I remember once feeling it as a little girl, but I don't understand what it was. Needless to say, I didn't like it."
"So that's why you hit me?"
She nodded her head. "I thought about it some more as we were flying back. It's not just going to end at the pirates. I still have the Revolutionary Army and Night Raid to contend with. I don't want to feel this sensation while fighting them nor let them think that they can use you as a trump card to get to me. So go back to your village. No one knows that I've found you and no one shall. Not until I'm done."
He gave her a thumbs up sign and a sincere smile. "Alright. I'll return to my village."
Before Tatsumi knew it, she wrapped both of her arms around him and held him close. "Just go back to your village. I'll come back for you as soon as I've eliminated all of my enemies."
He was somewhat surprised by this hug. Like the one he had given her in the hot spring, this one wasn't dripping with any lust or physical yearning; just affection in the purest sense. Not just that, but he even noticed himself returning the embrace, holding her just as close as she was holding him. The pair stayed like that for over a minute before parting. She walked away, waving her arm as if to say 'see you later.'
As she faded away into the distance, Tatsumi began to frown sorrowfully. In that instance alone, all of the assassinations he had taken part in, all the chaos he had seen the Empire wrought, Esdeath's own cruelty and the loss of each comrade up until that point flashed throughout his mind. "No . . . I'm sorry. But I won't return to my village just yet."
Continuity Police: Adramalech wasn't introduced pre-episode 14, so my liberties taken here are not violating my own rules! ;)
A/N: Woo! Another chapter out of the way. Now we've just got 8-9 to deal with I think . . . maybe! Can ExNarutoFan get it done?! Or will this fic be end up on hiatus for a bajillion years? Find out next time on "Akame ga Kill: Down a different Branch."
P.S. 1000 internets to anyone who can spot the Full Metal Alchemist reference in the chapter.