Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Akame ga Kill franchise and this fanfiction has not been written for profit!
A/N: Just as promised, the next chapter ladies and gentleman! This may very well be record time for me!
#1. As always, thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows. To the two recent guest reviews, your words are very kind and I'm gracious you each took the time to read and review my story! Unfortunately, I have no plans on having Tatsumi and Chelsea get together, although I easily could have that happen. As I mentioned in a previous author note, if not for Esdeath, that would certainly be my 'go-to pairing' so to speak! As far as Lubbock and Najenda, you'll just have to wait and see!
#2. Many of you will read this chapter, quickly making broad assumptions as to where I intend to take this story. I would advise against that! The overall plot has not changed. And that's all I'm gonna say! ;)
Without further ado . . .
Updated 1/18/17 - Fixed prose and grammatical errors.
Episode 21: Kill the Heart
If the village of Impertinens was merely halfway up the Shiranami Mountains, what was beyond it? More trees, more snow, more ice, steeper inclines, but no settlements, much less lodges. There were, however, Tatsumi and Esdeath. Both were walking alongside one another, in the midst of trudging their way further up the peak. Esdeath appeared to have a flier in her hands, no doubt taken off the village notice board.
"How disappointing", said the Ice Queen. "Not a single danger beast in sight."
"That's pretty much been the case around here for as long as I can remember."
"You've never seen danger beasts roam this mountain?"
Tatsumi shook his head while smiling reminiscently. "Back in the day, my friends and I would come up here and play. We were only kids back then, but Elder Choro didn't think it was a problem Heck, whenever the weather was like this, we would have three-way snowball fights."
"Interesting", Esdeath responded before inspecting the flier closely, presumably yet again. "And yet a few of your villages' lumbermen haven't been seen in days since venturing up here."
"True. What do you suppose we're dealing with?"
The Ice Queen rubbed her chin before giving an answer. "If it is in fact a danger beast we're dealing with, it's likely class one if it's bold enough to enter areas humans have long cleared out. It also must've been attracted here for some reason; the lack of competition on the food chain if I had to guess."
"If it's just a class one, it shouldn't be a problem."
"In terms of fighting it, of course. Mere child's play. Tracking it down, however, requires more finesse. Not a task someone unfamiliar with hunting should partake in."
"Hey!", Tatsumi, somewhat offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"
For one reason or another, the Incursio wielder reaction put a blushing smile on the general's face. "Oh? So then you do like hunting?"
Tatsumi was a little taken aback by Esdeath's sudden change in demeanor, but answered anyhow. "I guess I like it about as much as I like to cook. I know how to do it, but it's not something I ever go out of my way to do."
Just hearing his response caused her to let out a disappointed sigh. "So hunting is a no. That still leaves the other two."
"I'm surprised you didn't have the Jaegars come up here with us. With their help, we could probably find this danger beast in no time."
"I'd rather my time with you be spent without any distractions. That and they could use some rest and reprieve. They put on a tough front, but each of them are still grieving the death of my fifth man, Bols."
Hearing these sentiments expressed by this monster of a woman left Tatsumi a bit awe-struck for several moments. "You know, you can act pretty heartless at times, but deep down, you really care about your subordinates, don't you?"
"You're right. I do care about them."
He began to smile upon hearing this. "You have no idea how relieved I-"
But Esdeath wasn't finished speaking. "I care a great deal about the efficiency of anyone under my command."
His almost-smile quickly vanished, being replaced with a look of perplexity. "Huh?"
"Unlike most other species, human beings loath being controlled and crave independence. Many leaders make the mistake of constantly lording over their subordinates; commanding them in such a way as to earn their burning ire. This in turn results in soldiers with no sense of loyalty or devotion to whatever cause they're fighting for, making them far less likely to fight with everything they have or resist treacherous temptations. Even the prime minister doesn't appear to understand this."
"What makes your leadership different?"
"Simple. I treat my subordinates with respect. I make sure to acknowledge their needs, within reason of course. I feign interest in deeply caring about each and every one of them. In turn, they are all devoted to my cause, each fighting on the battlefield not because some fool of a prime minister, but because of their commitment to me. In essence, they believe their actions are entirely of their independent conscience, not realizing that they've been subtly manipulated."
Hearing this would surely have sounded clever and brilliant to the people who clapped at that play in Bestimmung, but it merely made Tatsumi shake his head and sigh out of exasperation. "I should've known."
"Don't tell me you're troubled by this."
"And just how am I supposed to feel about hearing how you manipulate your own allies?"
"You should feel impressed. It gets results."
He narrowed his eyes, recalling how highly General Liver had spoken of Esdeath before he died. "It's gets people killed because they believe they're fighting for your honor when they're really just tools to you."
"What difference does it make whether they are tools to me? They don't know that. I've effectively made an otherwise unpleasant profession very pleasant for many willing people. Their ignorance is to everyone's benefit, including their own."
"So what does that make me? Why should I believe I'm not just someone else you're trying to manipulate for your own ends?"
Hearing Tatsumi ask this question made the Ice Queen giggle for reasons unclear.
"What's so funny?"
"Trust me, I've given it a great deal of thought as of late; it's not as if I've never entertained such notions. It's just that if I were to do that . . . if I were to try to manipulate, torture or otherwise force you into returning my feelings, you would no longer be Tatsumi; the way I see it, you would just be a mindless puppet. And I will not settle for a mindless puppet. Ever. I will not settle for a forgery or a cheap imitation. Ever. My dearest Tatsumi, if I am to win your heart, I endeavor to win it legitimately or not at all."
"Whoa. Are you feeling all right?", the Incursio wielder responded, a puzzled expression on his face.
"I'm fine. We generals have been subject to so many assassination attempts that we've long trained our bodies to resist just about all manners toxins and physical ailments."
"No, that's not what I mean. It's just . . . I never really pictured you saying something like that. I thought you planned on changing me."
"Hmmph", she smirked. "You will change, but it will only be of your free will. That much I can promise you."
"There's also something else that's bugging me! I can't believe I'm even mentioning this, but you haven't tried to kiss me even once since you got here. That's usually a given any time I'm around you."
To which the Ice Queen blushed. "We can fix that right now if you'd like."
"No no no no", Tatsumi responded with a 'stay back' hand gesture and his usual nervousness "I think I'm good."
Esdeath sighed. "Well, if you must know, it's like I said. I have no plans on forcing you to return my feelings. That includes kissing."
"Really?"
She nodded her head. "It's awfully tempting, but I've decided against it. The next time we kiss, I want it to be of your own free will."
Tatsumi was given pause; he was astonished at the Ice Queen's proclamation. "She's actually serious."
With that, they continued traipsing up the mountain. As they moved forward, Esdeath winced her eyes at something in the snow. She knelled down, scooped it up off the ground and closely inspected it with her eyes and nostrils.
"Find something?", Tatsumi asked.
To which Esdeath nodded her head, turned towards the young assassin and held out her hand simultaneously; it was several threads of straw. "This."
"What's that?"
"Dried Vornan grass."
"Dried what?"
"A kind of hay that is surprisingly malleable to all environments. You won't find any on a mountain like this, but a little further south, in a warmer climate, it's a different story."
"Meaning someone . . . or rather something brought it here?"
"Correct. A danger beast to be exact. Female at that", she noted before sniffing the dried grass once more. "And if I had to guess, our culprit is none other than a class one cockatrice."
"You can determine all that based on a few straws of hay?", Tatsumi asked, somewhat awed by the Ice Queen's clairvoyance.
"Didn't I tell you?", she asked rhetorically. "Back before I joined the army, this was all I did. Regrettably, there's only so much I can get out of hunting danger beasts all the time."
"What about ultra class?", Tatsumi asked inquisitively.
"Ultra-class beasts are extremely rare and significantly powerful. But believe or not, a strong human opponent with incredible potential can be much more deadly."
"Incredible potential?"
"People are born into the world with different advantages. Many artists are born with a high aptitude for the fine arts. Many athletes are born with a high aptitude for athletics. Many politicians are born with a high aptitude for charisma. Me? I was born with an exceptionally high aptitude for combat. Through years of leveling up on the battle field, I've reached the pinnacle of what I'm capable of and have earned the title of being the strongest in the Grand Empire."
"She may be right", Tatsumi thought. At the very least, General Budo was a lot older than her and probably more experienced, but I can tell just by looking at her that she's on a whole other level."
"And yet even still, I find myself unsatisfied", Esdeath sighed. "Surely I'm not the only one in the world who was born like this. How marvelous it would be to finally find a truly worthy opponent. There's no more thrilling than being faced with a challenge you don't know you can overcome Don't you agree?"
Not being a battle maniac of course, Tatsumi merely shrugged his shoulders. "Not really."
Just hearing these words left a dumbstruck expression on the Ice Queen's face; she hadn't anticipated him to be so indifferent about the subject. "Really? Then why do you fight? Why do you train?"
"Why else? So I can protect my village and my friends."
"I see", said Esdeath as she once again let out a disappointed sigh. "So combat is off the list as well. That only leaves one more . . ."
The two continued their expedition, eventually drawing close to the mountain's peak as they did so. The weather there was much more bothersome than it was down below. The winds were stronger and there was so much snow flurry that visibility was very limited even though it was still the afternoon.
They eventually came to a stop as the Ice Queen pointed to a nearby precarious and isolated cliff-sided ledge not reachable by foot. Were an ordinary person making an attempt to get to the ledge, they'd have to leap to it at the risk of falling off the mountain entirely, landing on the ground thousands of feet below.
But that wasn't all. Closer examination of the ledge revealed a sizable nest made of the exact same hay material Esdeath had spotted earlier. And in that nest was a sleeping danger beast perhaps the size of a giraffe; it resembled a rooster from its head, to its wings to its upper body; it also possessed draconic like features, specifically it's wings, legs and tail.
"Well well well, if it isn't the cockatrice", Esdeath noted as she glanced in the beast's direction.
Getting a good look at this creature, Tatsumi nodded his head while walking as close as he could get to the ledge. "Good. It's asleep. If I time myself just right, I can jump over there and slay it at the same time. Or if you use your ice powers to make a bridge from here to there, we can kill it just as quickly without any trouble."
With his back turned, a mischievous smile enveloped on the Ice Queen's lips. It was as if an enticing thought had just occurred to her. Standing behind the object of her affections, she crouched down, gathered some of the snow off the ground and formed it into a ball. Then, just as she stood back up . . .
"Hey!", Tatsumi yelled after feeling a snowball pelt him on the back of the head. He swiftly turned around with an annoyed look in his eyes, only to see the Esdeath looking in another direction while whistling whimsically.
"Something wrong?", she said with a faux-innocent expression.
"Very funny", the Incursio wielder responded, his voice laced with thick sarcasm.
Just as Tatsumi turned his attention back to the sleeping danger beast nearby, he felt another snowball hit him on the back of the head. Upon feeling this, he turned around once more, only to see Esdeath in the exact same posture she was in previously. "Cut it out!", he said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about", she responded with a playful smirk.
He rolled his eyes, once again turning his attention back to the sleeping creature in an effort to determine what kind of leap he would need to pull off to get over there successfully while killing the cockatrice in one fell swoop. Such thoughts, however, were yet again interrupted with a snowball pelting him on the back of the head. "Okay, that's it!", he said before immediately turning around, crouching down and forming a snowball of his own.
Esdeath chuckled at the sight of his actions. "I'll have you know, Tatsumi. In addition to hunting and combat, the Partas clan hailed me as a snowball genius. You haven't the slightest chance."
He returned her chuckle with a chuckle of his own, simultaneously throwing a snowball towards the Ice Queen's head. "Yeah, we'll just see about that!"
Not only did she duck the incoming projectile, but she threw another snowball of her own at him while doing so, nailing him clean in the face. Tatsumi responded by scooping up additional snowballs and rapidly firing them at the Ice Queen. She nonetheless dodged each and every one, pelting him with a snowball of her own after each and every one of his attempts.
Having gotten hit in the face with perhaps 20+ different snowballs, Tatsumi took a brief moment to wipe the excess snow off his face. Esdeath, however, continued to taunt him, smirking as she did so. "Does this mean you give up?"
However, the Night Raid assassin didn't appear deterred or dismayed in the slightest. Just as soon as he finished wiping the snow off of his face, he smirked with the utmost confidence. "I'm just getting started!"
She looked at his expression, amused by his demeanor. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was enjoying himself."
Tatsumi gathered two additional snowballs off the ground, throwing one at Esdeath while leaping behind the cover of a nearby oak tree at the same time.
Like all the others, Esdeath displayed no trouble avoiding this latest snowball. Upon doing so, she casually and confidently approached the tree with yet another snowball in her hand. "Now correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say we were going to see about something?"
With a quick dash, she sprang up behind the oak tree with her hand clenched on her snowball. But to her surprise, Tatsumi wasn't crouched behind the tree as she suspected.
"This!", Tatsumi yelled while shaking the tree branches. He had apparently climbed higher into the tree while the Ice Queen wasn't looking. As he shook the branches, the snow that had been accumulated on them descended towards the ground, well on its way to falling upon the Ice Queen's head.
"Too slow!", she said with an ever-confident smirk on her lips. She effortlessly leaped out of the falling snow's path, but perhaps to her misfortune. For as she dodged, she noticed another snowball hurling towards her, no more than a foot away from hitting her face.
"Crafty", she thought, reflexively swaying her head to the side. However, at the very moment she moved to avoid the latest snowball, she noticed Tatsumi mere inches in the air above her, preparing to pounce.
And so he did, tackling the Ice Queen to the ground and also pinning both of her arms down while doing so. "Didn't see that coming, did you?", he asked, self-assuredly smiling and catching his breath.
With his face so close to hers and their bodies pressed together, the Esdeath merely laid there blushing, not putting up any fight whatsoever. "To be honest, I did . . ."
After a few more moments of being in this position, the Night Raid assassin's eyes started to waver to the side. "Get it together, Tatsumi. You didn't come here to have fun. She's still your enemy."
Esdeath suddenly felt the boy's grip loosening, a sensation which brought her more rational side back to the forefront. "You should never let your guard down . . . even for a moment!"
Showing a great deal of wrestling prowess, she suddenly broke out of Tatsumi's hold, knocking him over and lying on his back at a 90 degree angle while hooking his right arm and pulling it back towards his body; she used a technique that most martial arts recognized as the 'fujiwara armbar.' Regardless of the name, it appeared to be an effective technique, as Tatsumi was already gritting his teeth in pain.
Surely moving his arm a few more inches would be enough to dislocate or even break it. But Esdeath did no such thing, despite her natural tendencies towards sadism. Rather, she merely released his arm from her grasp without any additional struggle, standing back on her feet afterwards. "Let's call our little game a draw. We can always continue later."
Tatsumi rose to his feet and brushed off the excess snow on his chest. "Yeah. Sure"
"For now, we can focus on dealing with that cockatrice. After what it did to your villagers, I'm sure you'd like nothing else but to give it a death slow and agonizing."
And yet the look on Tatsumi's face displayed complete disinterest in such an idea. "Nah, I'd rather just get it over with. The sooner that monster is dead, the sooner villagers are safe to enter and leave this area to their heart's content. Besides, I've never really been a fan of torture."
"Not a fan of torture? Damnit", Esdeath thought. "That's all three! Now what am I going to do?"
[. . . Let her have cake . . .]
Impertinens itself was a small and humble community surrounded by wooden gates, every single building being a log cabin of some sort. Though the craftsmen were in the process of expanding the village, every other building looked the same, with the exception of Elder Choro's cabin, which was taller and wider than any other residence in the area.
Despite the village's size, however, not every cabin was occupied. The Jaegars learned this firsthand after the village elder directed them to use one particular unoccupied log cabin for the remainder of their time there. It wasn't exactly a spacious cabin, but it did possess one living room, one kitchen, two bathrooms and two bedrooms. Having looked around the entire wooden residence, they all went back to the living room, briefly congregating with one another.
Wave uncomfortably looked around the room for a moment, as if waiting for someone to address what he thought to be the proverbial pink elephant in the room. Though after waiting several moments, he decided to speak up. "Alright . . . I'll say what everyone is thinking: Who gets to sleep where?"
Kurome rolled her eyes. "That is so not what everyone is thinking!"
"I have to concur with Kurome", Run noted rather bluntly.
Seryu appeared to be upbeat about the subject. "Back when I was part of the Imperial Police, Captain Ogre had a strict policy that demanded coed sleeping arrangements, so I'm fine anywhere."
Wave sighed, seeing yet another example of him being the most mundane member of the group. "Why do I even bother?"
Everyone in the room suddenly heard a noticeably audible stomach-rumbling sound. They all looked down on the ground in the same direction, realizing Seryu's pet, Koro, to be the source. "Whoopsie", she said. "I didn't even realize it, but it's well past your lunch time. Lets go see if we can rustle you up some grub!"
As Seryu and her biological imperial arm headed out the cabin, Run promptly began treading back towards one of the bedrooms, holding the book he had purchased earlier in his hands. "If anyone needs me, I'll be back here."
Wave turned his head in the former teacher's direction. "Oh c'mon! This is the closest thing we've had to a vacation and you're going to spend your time reading?"
"More or less", Run replied before shutting the door behind him.
"Guess that just leaves you and . . . me?" Wave looked around the room, only to notice that Kurome was halfway out the door. "Hey wait a minute, where are you going?"
"I saw some children around here eating chocolate cake. I'd like to get some myself."
"I'll join you!"
With that, the two stepped out the log cabin, endeavoring to find out where they might obtain such a tasty sweet. The walked alongside one another side by side, casually at that.
As they strolled their way through the village, Wave looked around, left and right, observing the children playing, the craftsmen building and the blacksmith pounding away at metal. A feeling was flowing throughout him. It was the feeling of nostalgia. "You know, even though the village I was raised in is on the coast, it's not that much different from this village from the looks of it."
This prompted Kurome to look around as well. Granted, she had a separate observation. "Nah. Doesn't your village have a lot of fisherman?"
"Well yeah, but what's that got to do with anything?"
"Fish smell."
"What?", he said with the utmost incredulity. "No, they don't!"
"They do."
"I've been around a lot of fish. That's just a myth!"
"Maybe you've gotten used to the smell."
"No way! Fish only smell bad when they're rotting, no different than any other animal!"
She giggled. "And yet fish are the only animals with the reputation for smelling fishy."
"Okay, you're just teasing me now!"
She continued to giggle. "A little."
"Listen, if there's one thing I know, it's fish and . . ."
Kurome, however, didn't let him get out another word, instead directing her attention to someone walking out of one of the cabins with a box of cake in their hands. "Hey, that must be the bakery!"
"Don't think we're done talking about this!", he muttered, undignified about what was clearly a passionate subject for him.
As they entered the shop, Kurome was awed by the wide selection of sweets she saw sitting in the shelves; ice cream, gumdrops, candy bars, pudding, pies and cake. Of the cake selections, the bakery had vanilla, strawberry, banana and . . .
"I'll have your chocolate cake!", the black eyed Jaegar said enthusiastically, her attention directed to the baker standing behind the store counter.
The baker nodded her head, removed one of several such cakes from the shelves. "That'll be 6 gold pieces!"
"Right, just let me get it . . . out of my pockets." She maneuvered her hands throughout every compartment on her outfit, awkwardly blushing as she came to the conclusion that she didn't have a single gold piece on her.
With a single glance, Wave instantly put two and two together and understood the situation perfectly; he laid six gold pieces on the store counter without any hesitation. Not concerned with who was paying, the baker simply handed Kurome the box of cake.
Just as soon as they both stepped foot out of the shop, Kurome looked up at her companion with uncharacteristically cheery eyes. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it", he said with a smile. "So what now?"
To which the black eyed Jaegar let out another soft giggle. "Now we eat."
"We?"
"You bought the cake, so it's only fair you get some as well."
"Well okay. Let's head back to the cabin and-"
But before Wave could utter another word, Kurome had leapt up into the air, landing upon the rooftop of a nearby cabin.
"Hey!", Wave yelled, reluctantly following suit. Though unlike his teammate, he took the more mundane means of of doings things and climbed up to the rooftop. And as he got up there, Kurome was patiently waiting for him.
"We could eat inside, you know?", Wave asked before sitting down next to her.
But Kurome shook her head. "You're the one who said this was a vacation. How often do you eat on a roof back in the Capital?"
"What? You eat on rooftops all the time!"
"Never while it was snowing outside!"
[. . . Always a party . . .]
More than a few hours had passed since Tatsumi and Esdeath's excursion into the upper mountains. Although the sun had set, the village was even livelier than it was during the day. Particularly at the village elder's sizable residence. Not only could lively music be heard playing from within, but many villagers could be seen gleefully walking inside.
Not Seryu, however, who was instead walking towards the cabin to the left of the one she and the other Jaegars were temporarily residing in. Holding Koro on his leash, she walked up to the front door and knocked upon it three times. Within a few seconds, the door opened and Tatsumi could be seen standing on the other side. He was dressed in a formal white sweater and black pants.
"Oh, it's her", he thought with his usual contempt towards this particular Jaegar.
"Tatsumi!", she said in a pleasant upbeat voice. "Have you seen the commander? As her chaperone, it's my job to make sure she isn't abducted by evil doers."
"Huh. I thought being her chaperone simply meant reminding her when to leave."
"As all the heroes say, justice always comes first!"
"Yeah, well I haven't seen her since we got back from hunting that cockatrice. She got a few drops of its blood on her clothes while killing it. Said she'd get that taken care of before meeting me at the celebration Elder Choro is hosting."
Seryu pounded her fist into the palm of her hand. "Of course! Wave and Kurome went there as well."
"Don't you plan on going?"
The crazed Jaeger shook her head. "If your village is susceptible to attacks from cockatrices, I'd better keep watch just in case!"
With that, Seryu ran towards the village gates, Koro at her side. Tatsumi furiously gritted his teeth at the sight of this. "That's for the best. I don't know how much longer I could have stayed in her presence without wanting to choke the life out of her."
He then took a deep breath and exhaled, calming himself down in the process. "Should probably make my way over there right about now."
Tatsumi proceeded to step outside of his cabin, closing the door behind him. He walked towards the village elder's residence, making it there in no time. As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by a multitude of admirers. Many of whom he had known his entire life. They asked him all sorts of questions regarding his journey to the capital, his relation to the imperial army as well as Esdeath, but the Tatsumi politely dismissed every such inquiry, giving his assurances that he'd be happy to answer them later.
He walked around the room with open curiosity, mentally noting that he had never really step foot in Elder Choro's cabin before. The actual party was taking place in a spacious area similar to a Viking meal hall. To the side of the hall was a modest band playing music. Some people were even dancing to it, though not to the elegant degree the Night Raid assassin had partaken in during his mission in Bestimmung. "After all those drills Chelsea put me through, you couldn't pay me to dance again."
"Hey there, Tatsumi!", said an approaching male voice.
The Incursio wielder turned around, nodding his head in a greeting fashion as he saw Wave and Kurome walking up to him. Wave had a glass of punch in his hand whereas Kurome had a chocolate milkshake in hers.
"Nice party", Wave said before taking a sip of his punch.
Tatsumi looked to Kurome and the beverage she had in her hands as well as the bendy straw poked into it. "Where did she get that?"
As expected of her, the black eyed Jaegar responded by possessively holding her milkshake beyond anyone's reach. "Get your own."
Wave reacted to this with a sigh. "I stopped asking that question a long time ago."
"Point taken", Tatsumi replied, chuckling at the blatant personality quirks Kurome shared with her older sister.
Wave scratched his head, a thought having just occurred to him. "Maybe I'm going crazy here, but it feels like I've been going to parties, feasts and social gatherings every other day as of late."
Tatsumi nodded his head. "Now that you mention it, I'm kind of getting that same feeling. Weird, right?"
"I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it", said a nearby approaching female voice. "Lots of things can happen at a party. Overplayed or not, they're an awfully convenient means of getting from point A to point B so to speak."
Recognizing this voice, Tatsumi turned to greet her, only to be astonished at her appearance. It was Esdeath, except she was looking a bit more feminine than usual. Gone was her imperial general apparel. Instead, she was sporting a radiant sleeveless yellow short dress that faded white around its ruffles. Around her waist was a black ribbon belt and around her shoulders were black shoulder frills. Her trademark general hat was also absent; she instead sported a thin black hairband.
"Whoa . . . commander", said Wave. "Where did you get that?"
To which the Ice Queen smiled appreciatively. "One of the villagers was gracious enough to tailor this for me on short notice. It seems even the slightest association with Tatsumi goes a long way here."
"Mrs. Shurui made that for you?", Tatsumi asked.
"Remarkably talented that one", Esdeath replied after nodding.
Before their conversation could continue, Elder Choro, dressed in formal attire, approached the group of four, his attention primarily focused on Tatsumi. "Ah, it's good to see the guest of honor has finally arrived. This celebration is being thrown on your behalf after all."
"Elder Choro", Tatsumi said, bowing his head and removing a small statue from his pocket. "I meant to return this to you earlier, but here it is."
The elder took the statue from Tatsumi's hands and scrutinized it closely, noting a scratch on the front of it "How did this happen?"
Tatsumi gave off a fairly embarrassed smile while scratching the back of his head. "When I first got into the capital, I got into a bit of a scrape with someone. During the fight, she tried to stab me in the chest. Luckily, I had been carrying that in my chest pocket. It kind of saved my life."
"That was not luck. It was our god protecting you", Elder Choro replied after shaking his head.
"Literally from the sound of it", Kurome added, giggling as she heard this comment.
"Tatsumi", Wave said, getting the other young man's attention. "Can I have a moment with you?"
"Sure", the Night Raid assassin answered.
"Make sure it's only a moment", Elder Choro requested. "I had planned on giving him a toast."
Both of the young men nodded their heads before stepping out into the hallway nearby. After looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, Wave began to speak. "Just what are you doing?!"
"What are you talking about?", Tatsumi responded, not having a clue as to what Wave was referring to.
"Look, I may not be a quote-unquote ladies' man like Run, but even I can see that you're blowing it here."
"I seriously have no idea what you're talking about."
"I'm talking about the commander. She doesn't usually wear stuff like that. She may be tough as nails, but she's still a woman at heart. It's pretty obvious that the only reason she's wearing that is because she wanted to look good in front of you."
Tatsumi looked a bit surprise at this explanation, noting it as yet another contrast between the two versions of Esdeath he had come to know. "You may be right, but what's that got to do with me blowing it?"
"You've yet to give her a compliment on how she looks in that dress!"
"You haven't exactly done so either!"
"Well duh! I'm not her boyfriend!"
"Neither am I."
A remark which Wave was a bit taken aback by, not having expected it. "Say what? But I don't understand."
"What's not to understand?"
"Everything! The commander getting requisitions for your village, you waiting here just as she asked, the two of you hunting together earlier. You haven't tried to run away or anything! I thought you two had buried the hatchet."
Tatsumi took a moment to consider how he should respond. "Right. He doesn't know that I haven't been in the village since I initially left to go to the capital. Nor does he know that I came here fearing what Esdeath might do if she found out the truth. Better just play along."
"Tatsumi?"
"You've got the wrong idea. All of those things are true, but none of it means we're in a relationship. We're just good friends is all."
"Oh", Wave responded, the tone of his voice indicative of disappointment. "That's too bad. I don't blame you for wanting to run away from her before. She practically kidnapped you and forced you to be around her. That and she's kind of a psychopath – don't tell her I said that!"
"My lips are sealed."
"But, lately, she's been seeming a little more . . . human. I thought you might have had something to do with that."
A description Tatsumi didn't appear surprised about. Rather, he suddenly recalled all the moments he had shared with the Ice Queen throughout the day, especially their innocuous snowball fight.
Sensing that he had made a mistake in pulling Tatsumi to the side like this, Wave gestured his hands back towards the room the party was being held in. "Well, I've taken enough of your time. I'm sure your village elder has that toast ready for you. Shall we head back?"
Tatsumi nodded his head and they both reentered the room, everyone gazing their eyes upon the Night Raid assassin just as soon as he stepped inside. Esdeath, Kurome and all of the villagers present were standing cheerfully with cups in their hands. Whereas Tatsumi stood still at the room's entrance, Wave walked back towards his black eyed companion, grabbed a cup and standing right next to her.
Sensing that everything was finally in place, the village elder held a cup in his hand and began to speak, addressing the entire room. "Tonight I am here to speak to the fantastic qualities of a young man we've all known for many years. One who has always worked tirelessly to give all of us peace of mind; from warding off danger beasts to simpler tasks such as collecting firewood. Tatsumi has always been there for us. Months ago, when it looked like all hope was lost for our fair village, Tatsumi set off towards the capital so that he might earn enough money to help us in our time of need. Now, thanks to Tatsumi, Impertinens is not only saved, but it's better than ever! Never in my life have I seen someone more selfless, more honorable and more virtuous."
Unbeknownst to anyone else in the room, the mere mention of those last three descriptive words felt like a deadly poison to the young assassin. Almost instantly, those words set off thoughts he had been too preoccupied to dwell upon up until this point. That ingrained memory of his, the one with his spear plunged through the Bestimmung ambassador's back, dredged up yet again; this time more painfully than the last. It felt like a heavy weight on his heart, a weight he found himself trapped beneath; a weight he found himself unable to budge.
Klaus Hartmann: The virtuous man whose life Tatsumi had taken. Throughout the Night Raid assassin's mind flashed the various moments of the kindness the ambassador had shown him, contrasted with that final moment where he murdered the man in cold blood. The thought of now being praised as selfless, honorable and virtuous? It filled him with a sense of self-loathing.
"A toast to our very own, Tatsumi!", said Elder Choro as he and everyone else in the room motioned their cups towards the man of the hour. "May you always serve as an example to us all!"
With a frown on his face, Tatsumi looked around the room, unnerved at the praise he was receiving. "Sorry everyone . . . but I'd like to be alone."
Without saying anything else, Tatsumi made an abrupt exit, walking out of the village elder's residence entirely. Needless to say, a wave of confusion swept throughout the entire room; no one understood their hero's sudden change in demeanor.
[. . . Beyond logic and reason . . .]
Not much time had passed since Tatsumi's sudden departure. The lone Night Raid assassin had returned to his log cabin, having locked the front door before retreating into his bedroom. There, he sat in the silence at the foot end of his bed, contemplating the gravity of his latest assassination mission. He recalled a conversation he had on the very first day he had joined Night Raid.
"I love it!", Tatsumi had said, having heard Najenda's description of the purpose their assassin organization serves. "It's like you guys are taking out the trash. Killing off the bad guys one by one. You're a rogue team of assassins for the sake of justice!"
Leone and almost everyone else in the room had laughed at him. "Tatsumi, no matter how you describe it, we're still murderers"
"And there's no justice to be found in the way we do things", Sheele had added.
Even Bulat had chimed in."At any given moment, every one of us could be forced to atone for the blood that we've spilled."
Only now in the present did Tatsumi fully grasp the gravity of what his comrades had told him. For the first time, he fully understood how naïve he had been back then. And even further, he realized that he had continued to carry this naivety with him, only now it had resulted in the cold blooded death of someone he knew to be a good man. "Selfless? Honorable? Virtuous? I am none of these things! What was I thinking at that play? I'm no better than Erich!"
Within the very next moment, he heard someone walking through his front door. A sound he found strange, given that he had locked it. Perhaps if he weren't so dismayed with himself at the moment, he would've been more reactive; instead, Tatsumi merely remained on the foot of his bed as his bedroom door began to open.
He looked up towards the door as it opened, only to see the Ice Queen complacently standing behind it. "If you wanted to hide, Tatsumi, you ought to have adopted a better stratagem. Locking your front door is insufficient against someone who can easily pick locks."
"I wasn't trying to hide", he responded, turning his head down and gloomily gazing his eyes on the floor.
Esdeath's demeanor changed completely at the sight of this; she appeared to be visibly concerned. "I told them you were feeling ill, so you shouldn't have to worry about anyone else barging in. Tell me: What troubles you?"
"No offense, but you're the last person in the world who would understand."
"Try me."
Feeling that he didn't have much to lose, Tatsumi nonetheless carefully considered his next choice of words, not wishing to reveal too much information. "The other day, I . . . did something I know in my heart is wrong."
"So you're feeling guilty about it? What did you do?"
"I killed someone."
"You've never killed anyone before?"
"I have. I've killed many people in fact. It's just that this person . . . he's the first person I didn't honestly think deserved to die."
"Meaning you murdered him."
"That's a blunt way to put it . . . but I yes. I murdered him."
"You say you didn't honestly think he deserved it. Why did you kill this person?"
"I thought it was for the greater good."
"And yet here you are, grieving over what you've done."
"The more I think about it, the more I feel that maybe there was another way. Maybe if I had just talked to him, maybe . . ."
"He's dead. Wallowing in remorse isn't going to change that. He has no one but himself to blame for his death. He didn't die because of you, but because he was weak. That's all there is to it."
"No!", he growled. "Don't you get it? I'm not like you! I don't accept that! I will never accept that!"
Tatsumi's eyes were still gazed upon the floor. He sat there waiting to hear the general retort with her usual rant about survival of the fittest. What he didn't expect was silence. Abject silence.
Indeed, Esdeath didn't say anything. Rather, she kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, positioning herself behind Tatsumi. She then wrapped her arms around him from behind, pulling him into an embrace. Then, in a low toned voice, she said "You were right. I don't understand. Perhaps I never will. It doesn't mean I don't care."
Tatsumi made no efforts to get up, being reminded by that time Sheele comforted him over the loss Sayo and Ieyasu. He found the Ice Queen's touch . . . rather welcoming. Only this felt different somehow; it felt . . . better.
"You and I . . . we're different, Tatsumi. Heaven knows I've tried my hardest to find common ground with you. But the truth couldn't be any clearer: We're like night and day; the two of us are opposites in almost every way. And yet even still, you are never far from thoughts; always embedded within my heart. How strange it is this feeling called love."
Not quite knowing how to respond to what she was saying, Tatsumi remained paused in a daze. All thoughts of what he had done to the Bestimmung ambassador yet again slipped away. Instead, he found himself hanging on the Ice Queen's every word, contrasting her remarks with what Wave said earlier; what he said about her growing sense of humanity. But that wasn't all the young man was thinking about. He couldn't help but notice a peculiar feeling expanding within the fibers of his being. It was a warm, flitting, fluttering feeling in his stomach.
"No matter what happens from here on out, you will always be that boy at the coliseum that stole my heart with his innocent smile. And so you see Tatsumi, regardless of what you may think of me or whether you will ever accept me, I cannot bare to see you grieve."
Hearing these words made Tatsumi's eye's widen, as if there were some sort of internal struggle. All of the positive moments they had shared together, on the island, in the hotspring, on the air manta's back, on the merchant ship and higher up the mountains: They all flashed throughout his mind. "She's done so many horrible things. If not for her men, bro would still be here . . . and yet I think I'm . . ."
She continued to hold him in her embrace, the two sitting on the bed silence for another few minutes. The silence continued until Tatsumi finally spoke up. "Esdeath?"
"Yes?", she responded.
He began to blush, not believing what he was about to say. "Since you've gotten here . . . you haven't tried to kiss me."
Esdeath appeared to perplexed, uncertain of why he would mention something like that so randomly. "Didn't I already tell you? The next time we kiss, I want it to be of your own fr-mmmff."
Before she had even realized it, Tatsumi had removed himself from her embrace, turned around and planted his lips against hers. A move which genuinely surprised the Ice Queen. She was a master of psychology, but even her brilliant mind couldn't register what was transpiring; not for a single moment had she even suspected something like this might happen. There was no reason in this moment; there was no logic; there was no hesitation; there was only passion. And as the moment lingered on, her reaction quickly shifted from one of shock to welcoming and passionate acceptance.
With that, there were no more words exchanged between the two. For the remainder of that night, anything else that needed to be said was instead expressed . . . physically.
[. . . Kurome's desire . . .]
Not much time had passed. Wave and Kurome were walking towards Tatsumi's residence.
"How long do you plan on being here?", Kurome asked.
"Just long enough to see how Tatsumi's doing", Wave replied.
"Didn't you hear the commander? She said she'd take care of it."
"I know, but you saw Tatsumi back there. He looked really bummed out. I'm not sure the commander alone will be enough. I just want to check up on him; make sure he's all right."
As the two Jaegars continued to approach Tatsumi's cabin, they noticed the light from the bedroom window immediately go out; it had been the only light that appeared to be on within the entire cabin, but it was now off. They both continued to walking, approaching the front door. There, they immediately noticed that the door handle was covered in a thick sheet of ice. Wave scratched his head at the sight. "That's odd."
Kurome smirked. "Looks like someone doesn't want to be disturbed."
To which Wave nodded. "No kidding. Shall we head back to the party?"
"Nah, I've had my fill."
And so they walked back to their cabin, a short walk in light of it being next to Tatsumi's. As they made it back inside, they noticed that the fireplace was lit and that Run was sitting across it on the couch with his book in his hand. He briefly looked up towards his two comrades. "You guys back already?"
Wave shrugged his shoulders "What can I say; we're kind of burned out on dinner parties."
"I see. And where's the commander?"
"She's at Tatsumi's place."
"It's safe to say we won't be seeing her again until the morning", Kurome chimed in before heading into the kitchen.
Run gave a knowing smirk upon hearing that tid bit of information. "Interesting."
"Have you really been reading that all day?", Wave said, taking a seat at the couch next to his fellow Jaegar.
To which Run nodded. "I'm actually on my second read. It's even better the second time through."
"Never knew you were such a bookworm."
"You pretty much have to be if you want to teach a room full of students on a daily basis. Children can be unruly at times, but once you start catering to their imagination, it's much easier to bring out their potential to excel."
Wave nodded his head, though with a bittersweet smile. "Bol's daughter. Do you think that's how she got so good at the piano?"
"We've talked about this", Run sighed. "Stop blaming yourself; it wasn't your fault. He died a heroic death. Leave it be and move on."
"I'm sorry, but if I were to say that, I'd be lying to myself. I stopped Night Raid from killing the witch who put us in that situation in the first place. Had I not been so presumptive, had I just let them kill her, that little girl would still have her father. Don't you see? It was my fault. I . . ."
But before he could utter another word, Kurome reentered the room with the remaining pieces of the chocolate cake from earlier as well as some forks and napkins. She looked particularly cheerful. "There's still some left!"
Run proceeded to get up from the couch, smiling as if to pretend that nothing was wrong. "I think I'll retire for the night. Why don't you and Wave enjoy that together?"
"Goodnight!", Kurome said as Run left the room. She then took a seat next to Wave while setting the box of cake on the coffee table in front of them.
"I'm surprised you hadn't already eaten the rest", Wave noted, no doubt an attempt to change the subject.
The black eyed girl grabbed a slice of cake; the pieces were precut, making a knife unnecessary. "I did say I'd share. But if you don't want any, speak now or forever hold your peace!"
"No, I think I will have some", Wave responded, grabbing a slice of his own.
Amidst chewing on her slice, Kurome could not help but notice a small portrait of three young people sitting above the fireplace. "Why is there a picture with Tatsumi here and who are those two people with him?"
"I had talked to the village elder earlier. Believe it or not, this house used to belong to two siblings, both of whom were very close to Tatsumi."
"Used to?"
"Yeah. They had both apparently accompanied Tatsumi to the Capital a while back, but ended up getting killed by bandits I think."
"How sad. If the siblings both died, that means neither was able to protect the other."
To which Wave sighed. "I guess that's one way of looking at it.
"It's the only way."
"Is that how you see things with your sister?"
She nodded her head. "I will protect my sister no matter what."
The look on Wave's face was one of confusion and concern. "Kurome . . . you know that if you end up fighting your sister, one of you will die no matter what the outcome."
But to Wave's surprise, saying that only managed to spark a grin on the young girl's face. Not like the grins she had throughout the conversations earlier, but one that was dripping with . . . instability. "You've got it all wrong. With Yatsufasa, I can protect sis once and for all without either of us dying!"
"No. Listen Kurome, we will need to fight Akame and Night Raid sooner or later, but when it comes down to it, let me do it, alright? I'll face Akame."
"Just why would I let you do that? If you face her, there's a good chance either you or she will die. Whereas if I face her-"
"Just stop it, Kurome!", he spat. "Are you listening to yourself? Your puppets are not alive! If you fight Akame and win, you'll be killing your own sister. At least if I do it, you won't have to live with that!"
Eerily enough, Kurome started to cackle, quickly picking up her Imperial Arm and slightly unsheathing it in the process. "Not alive you say? Nonsense! Even as we speak, I hear the voices of every one of my puppets whispering in my ear, thanking me for protecting them. If they weren't alive, could they do that? Just wait, I'll be hearing Akame's whispering voice throughout my days. We'll finally be together again!"
The sight of this left Wave visibly troubled. He had never seen this side of Kurome before. The Kurome he knew was never so unhinged. Just what was wrong with her, he wondered. "Kurome . . ."
"Oh but don't worry, Wave! I'll protect you as well! I'll protect everyone I care about. As long as you're all with me, what happened to Bols will never happen to any of you! Won't that be wonderful?! WON"T IT?!" She let out a deranged laugh, troubling her companion to no end as he watched. Even more peculiar, however, was that despite her uncontrolled laughter, tears had begun rolling down her cheeks.
"Kurome . . .", he softly said before wrapping both of his arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. Her laughter softened as he did this, eventually coming to a pause.
[. . . Tatsumi's ruse . . .]
And so went an eventful night full of bonding and surprises. It was yet again morning however. Needless to say, this sort of morning was a first for Tatsumi. He opened his eyes at the crack of dawn, immediately wondering whether the events of last night were merely a dream. After all, what happened wasn't something he ever imagined himself doing. It all came so suddenly and impulsively.
Still laying there in his bed, he turned his head ever so slightly, curious to see whether he'd see someone else laying alongside him beneath the covers. Though alas, no one was there. In fact, that side of the bed was perfectly made up, neither the blanket nor the pillow in disarray.
He then casually got out of the bed and walked towards his closet. Wearing nothing but his boxers, he'd need to put something on soon given the cold weather. He grabbed his standard attire: His white, high collar jacket, his tan sweater vest, and a pair of black pants and combat boots.
Tatsumi was about to make his way to his bathroom, no doubt to take a shower and brush his teeth. That was when he heard sounds coming from his kitchen. Someone was clearly cooking something on the stove. Without thinking, he dropped his clothes and ran into the kitchen to see who was there, only to be utterly shocked at who it was.
"Morning Tatsumi!", cheerfully said the Ice Queen with a spatula in her hand. Interestingly enough, she was clad in nothing but one of Tatsumi's tan sweater vests' and a pair of loose fitting panties.
"So then last night actually happened?", he thought, not knowing what to make of this scene.
"Something my wrong, my love? You look like you've seen a ghost."
He shook his head. "Nothing wrong. It's just . . . hey, that's one of my sweaters!"
"Now I see why you like wearing this all the time. It's surprisingly comfortable."
"And your clothes aren't?"
"Not exactly.", she said with a complacent smirk. "My general attire is more about reminding others who is in control or who they should fear. Both very effective in the heat of battle."
"That's . . . good to know I guess. By the way, since when do you cook?"
"Oh this? To be honest, this will be the first meal I've ever prepared for someone else. During our last meeting, you cooked for me. I've decided it's only fair I return the favor."
"Your first meal?!", Tatsumi responded, clearly flabbergasted. "Maybe I should . . ."
"That won' be necessary", Esdeath interrupted. "You just go ahead and wash up. Breakfast will be ready when you return."
And Tatsumi did just that, walking back to his bathroom and preparing to clean himself up. After taking a brief hot shower and brushing his teeth, he proceeded to put on his clothes. Just as he was about to put on his white high collar jacket, he noticed something slip out of one of the pocket. It was a blue rose. Not just any blue rose, but the one of the merchants handed him on that ship he and Esdeath had saved from an uncanny band pirates. Tatsumi leaned down to pick it up. "I still have this?."
With that, he put on his jacket and headed back into the kitchen. There was a plate of eggs and bacon at the kitchen table . . . only the texture of the dish was a bit blacker than desired. Tatsumi cringed at his plate as he took a seat.
The Ice Queen, however, appeared to be cheerfully oblivious. "Enjoy!"
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Tatsumi proceeded to grab a fork and take a bite out of the eggs before him. Just as soon they touched his tongue, his taste buds informed him that what he was eating may as well have been charcoal. The assassin had nonetheless grown quite skilled at keeping his composure and thus gave away no sign of displeasure as he ate the eggs and the bacon. Rather, like a patronizing parent humoring a toddler who had just drawn a horrendous looking picture, he lied through his teeth. "Mmmmm. This is delicious! I don't think I've ever tasted anything better in my life!"
"Really? You think so? In that case, I'll have to remember to cook for you more often!"
"Me and my big mouth."
"You slept so peacefully last night."
"Did I?"
She nodded her head while blushing. "The way you drifted off with your arms around my waist was . . . pleasant."
Tatsumi averted his gaze, his eyes drifting to the side. He too began to blush. "Yeah . . . I guess it was."
Before they could continue talking, someone could be heard knocking the front door. As if knowing who was there already, Esdeath got up walked to said door and peaked it open, simultaneously removing the ice that had been covering the door handle. She opened the door just enough to reveal her head to the person outside. "What is it?", she said impatiently to the outside visitor.
It was Seryu standing on the other side. "Just as you requested commander, I've come to remind you that it's time to leave!"
Esdeath sighed in frustration. "Very well. Retrieve my uniform from the local tailor. Mrs. Shurui, if I recall correctly. Then inform the other Jaegars we'll be leaving within the next 20 minutes."
Seryu gave a quick and firm salute. "Will do!"
The Ice Queen walked back into the kitchen. "Tatsumi, it seems our time together has once again been cut short by my duties. But don't worry. If all goes as planned, this will be the last time that happens. Once I've dealt with Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army, you will have all of my undivided attention."
Having said that, she headed into the bathroom, no doubt intent upon taking a shower. Tatsumi, meanwhile, remained in his seat, dismayed by the general's words. "No . . . I can't let that happen. There must be some other way."
A few minutes passed and someone could be yet again heard knocking at the door. This time Tatsumi got up to answer it. Upon opening it, he saw Seryu on the other side, with Esdeath's general hat and uniform folded up in her hands. "Just as the commander requested, I have retrieved her uniform!"
"That was fast", Tatsumi noted as he took the Ice Queen's outfit out from the auburn haired Jaegar's hands.
"When it comes to speed, justice has no equal!", she responded, upbeat as ever. "Be sure to let the commander know we'll all be waiting by the village gate!"
Tatsumi nodded his head and closed the door. He then began walking towards the bathroom, inspecting Esdeath's general attire as he did. It had clearly been freshly ironed and dry cleaned. "Mrs. Shurui really knows her stuff. Not a single stain of that danger beast's blood." Then, at that very instant, an idea popped into the young man's head. "Wait . . . blood. Danger beast blood?! That's it! Why didn't I think of that before?! It solves everything!"
He ran up to the bathroom, impatiently knocking on it several times. In response to this, Esdeath opened the door, freshly showered, but wearing absolutely nothing. "Excellent, my outfit. And it looks as good as new. I might just have to conscript Mrs. Shurui into my employ."
Tatsumi blushed and modestly turned his head away. "T-t-towel! There are towels on the counter there!"
"So there are", she said, grabbing one of the towels. She proceeded to begin using it to dry her hair.
"Aren't you going to cover up?", he asked, his head still turned away.
She nonetheless found his timidity amusing, giggling about it without discretion. "You certainly weren't this conservative last night."
"That was different!"
The Ice Queen shrugged her shoulders and wrapped her towel around herself, covering everything from her chest to her upper thighs. "There. Happy?"
"There's something I want to ask you", he said, having turned his head back towards her.
Esdeath grabbed a brush out from one of the bathroom drawers and began to brush her hair. "Ask away."
"You want someone to push you to your limits. You want a worthy opponent, right?"
"Of course. That goes without saying, doesn't it?"
"If I told you where you could find one, what would you do?"
"That's simple.", she said ever so smugly. "I would immediately seek out this opponent so that we might do battle at once!"
"You would immediately do that? But what about your duties as a general?"
"My desire for a worthy adversary comes first and foremost. After all, that's why I joined the army in the first place."
"Then you're in luck. I know of an opponent that will give you the fight of your life!"
"Oh? Now you've piqued my curiosity. Tell me more."
"What do you know about the omega class danger beasts?"
"A mere fairytale. Despite the stories surrounding them, they don't actually exist. There have been no credible reported encounters with them throughout the entirety of Imperial history."
Tatsumi shook his head, a smirk appearing on his face as he did this. "They're real."
"And what makes you so sure?"
"Because I saw one myself with my own eyes when I was in Bestimmung a while back. It was the one they call Hastur."
"Hastur? Did you actually engage the creature?"
"No. It left the area before I could get any closer. I saw where it went though."
"Ha! Do you know what this means, Tatsumi?!" The look in her eyes was the very same look of a child on Christmas morning. "A real live Omega danger beast! They're said to make Ultra class look like bugs in comparison! At last, I'll have a true challenge! You must take me to this place where you saw the beast. You must!"
"Sure, I'll do that. But on one condition."
"Name it!", she said, barely able to contain her excitement.
"If I take you, I only want the two of us to go. No one else, including the Jaegars. They'll all stay in the Grand Empire while we're gone. Deal?"
"Deal. I wouldn't want anyone else to get in the way of the first proper challenge I've ever had anyway. I'll just inform the Jaegars to go on ahead without me. Meanwhile, you and I can head for Bestimmung immediately. My pet will get us there in no time!"
"Well . . .", he said, a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Maybe we should wait."
"Why?"
"I should let the rest of Night Raid know about this before we head out."
"Something wrong?"
"No, it's just that I'd rather take care of a few things before we go. How about this: Lets meet outside the Imperial palace a week from now. We can go then."
"I'd much rather go now but after a night like last night. . .", she said before leaning in close and flirtatiously whispering in his ear. "I suppose I can be a little more . . . accommodating from now on."
Tatsumi simply blushed, still unused to having these kinds of interactions with someone.
"Alright then, Tatsumi. One week it is. Outside the palace. That's where we'll meet."
He nodded his head, grinning from ear to ear. Though the Ice Queen didn't know what she was agreeing to, Tatsumi understood everything, overcome with a pleasant sense of relief. "It's finally over. With Esdeath out of the way, the Revolutionary Army can better plan an attack on the Capital. As soon as we get back, it won't matter what she thinks. She'll no longer have a prime minister to serve. He'll be long dead and the Revolutionary Army will have already won. What's more, we'll never have to fight!"
[. . . Premonition . . .]
Having finally gotten dressed back into her normal attire, the Ice Queen made her way to the village gates. There, her four Jaegars were waiting patiently. Tatsumi accompanied her, intent on seeing them all off.
Esdeath promptly removed a whistle from her coat pocket, blowing upon it after placing the mouthpiece on her lips. Whatever sounds the instrument produced were obviously so high pitched, that only something with highly acute hearing would be able to respond. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, her pet dragon swooped down onto the ground nearby, letting out a loud screech as it landed. And as soon as it did this, the Ice Queen proceeded to walk towards her pet, preparing to mount herself on its saddle.
"Wait", Tatsumi said, removing something from his coat pocket and handing it to Esdeath. It was the blue rose the Night Raid assassin had stumbled upon earlier.
"What's this?", she said, closely inspecting the item.
He once again averted his gaze, lightly blushing as he did so. "Look, I'm still no good at this sort of thing . . . but I want you to have it."
Esdeath returned his blush with a blush of her own, appearing quite touched at the gesture. She quickly encased the rose within a small block of ice before stashing it away in her coat pocket. "I'm not usually one for this sort of sentimental practice myself, but in this instance, I will treasure this . . . always."
To which Tatsumi happily nodded his head. "Guess I'll see you later then."
"Indeed", she said with a cheerful smile. "Until next time."
With that, Esdath hopped onto the back of her beast, promptly soaring off into the air without another moment's notice. Promptness which caused Run to shrug his shoulders, uncertain of what to make of his commander not having said a word to him or the other Jaegars. "I suppose that's our cue to leave."
Wave turned his attention to Tatsumi, teasingly grinning at him as he did so. "What was all that stuff last night about me having the wrong idea?"
Tatsumi of course, found himself unable to offer up any words in his defense. After all, what could he say after such a display of affection? Instead, he grinned as well, scratching the back of his head with embarrassment.
Waving his hand goodbye, Wave walked away, each of the other Jaegars following suit. Tatsumi simply stood there, gazing at the sight of this. Just the look on the Night Raid assassin's face revealed how pleased he was with how the events over the last 24 hours had played out. Perhaps things were finally looking up.
Tatsumi's demeanor didn't go unnoticed however. "I'm pleased to see you're back in good spirits", said the village elder as he approached him from the side. "Especially after last night."
"Let's just say things have changed since last night, Elder Choro."
"Perhaps moreso than you know."
Tatsumi suddenly shifted his gaze back to his village elder, a perplexed look on his face. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Last night, I had a vivid premonition. You walk a dangerous path. More than you realize. Be wary, Tatsumi, for there is one amongst that group you should fear moreso than anyone else. For one day, that one will go on to become your greatest enemy."
"I know she's dangerous, but Esdeath is-"
"Esdeath?", the village elder asked before shaking his head. "No, she wasn't the one in my premonition. It was the one they called . . . Wave."
A/N: And there you have it, folks! The long awaited romance chapter! Some of you were really looking forward to this, thus I hope I haven't left you disappointed! Just wait though! You'll soon understand the method to my madness!
At any rate, another chapter out of the way! By my calculations, we've got 7 more chapters left in this series. For anyone interested in the dress Esdeath was wearing at that party, go to FFN forum (see the link in my profile) and the click on the relevant link in the "Whims" topic.
Thoughts? Hate it? Love it? Meh? Feel free to favorite, follow or leave a review! Lemme know what you think of this eigth chapter in this Down a different branch AKG installment. Till next time! :D