Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Akame ga Kill franchise and this fanfiction has not been written for profit!

A/N: We've once again made our way to another new chapter! And wow, I got this out a lot faster than I thought. Lets see if I can get the next one out before the month ends!

#1. As always, thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews!

#2. Sorry I haven't been able to respond to them. Will do so the minute I post this chapter.

And awwwwwwaaaaay we go!

Updated on 1/21/17 - Fixed prose and grammatical errors

Episode 26: Kill the Aftermath

Two days had come and gone since the momentous battle at the Revolutionary Army's secret headquarters. Most of the citizens throughout the Grand Empire were not privy to the fact that this battle had occurred, much less that there had been a victor. On the other hand, it was a different story for those present in the imperial throne room early in the evening.

The three remaining Jaegars suddenly entered these chambers after their arrival was announced by one of the officers of the imperial court. The Prime Minister steadily observed the trio approaching, his attention equally invested in the roasted turkey leg he was gnawing his teeth on. The Emperor, on the other hand, looked exuberantly cheerful, the utmost intrigued in whatever the three had to report. Also present was Syura, who stood plainly on the side of the Emperor's throne opposite to his father's. He stood with his arms crossed, appearing more or less indifferent about the Jaegars' presence.

Upon traversing to an appropriate distance near the throne, all three Jaegars genuflected to the floor and bowed their heads, Run being positioned between Wave and Kurome. It was then that the blonde haired Jaegar said, "We have returned with joyous news, your majesty. The Revolutionary Army has been utterly annihilated."

"That is good news!", the young Emperor eagerly replied. "You may all rise and give me your full report on the battle!"

To which the three responded by rising to their feet. But just as they did this, the Prime Minister interjected, having noticed something peculiar. "Where is General Esdeath? If anyone should be giving the report, it should be her."

Wave spoke up in response "The commander is-"

But Run interrupted his comrade, nudging him with his elbow as he did. "The commander seems to be somewhat ill and exhausted. She returned to her chambers and delegated the task of giving the mission report to me."

"Hmm, I suppose 'utterly annihilating' the entire Revolutionary Army would prove exhausting even to someone of her caliber", noted the gluttonous old man, rubbing his beard in a ruminating fashion. "Carry on with the report."

Run reverently nodded his head before directing his attention back towards the Emperor. "Most of the mission went on without a hitch. We overpowered the Revolutionary Army with our superior numbers and available resources. When they predictably holed themselves up in their fortress, the commander flanked them from behind, assuring us our victory. I've also received word that the armies in Bestimmung, Reispan and Ali Jinnah are in the process of eliminating their remaining forces at the rendezvous points in each respective nation."

The Emperor's eyes appeared to be beaming with joy as he heard Run explain this. "That is excellent! You have done our country a great service by finally defeating the rebels. You deserve-"

"Not so fast, your majesty", Honest interrupted. "If I heard correctly, this Jaegar claims that 'most' of the mission went without a hitch. Perhaps he should tell us more about the alleged 'hitch' before you go out giving rewards."

Compliant with the concerns of his most trusted advisor, the Emperor simply nodded his head before turning his attention back to Run. "Well okay. I guess you should give us some more detail about the hitch part."

"Yes. Well, unfortunately, we did encounter . . . some difficulties. For starters, we ended up losing one of our teammates. Seryu Ubiquitous We assume Night Raid is responsible."

To which the Prime Minister raised an eyebrow "Don't you mean 'was' responsible?"

"I mean is", Run replied with a shake of his head. "Night Raid somehow managed to escape during the battle."

Honest narrowed his eyes. "Escaped did they? You had an entire army at your disposal. How did they do that?"

"We still aren't certain, but our entire fleet was destroyed in a pretty unusually large blast. In fact, all of remaining men are still stranded on that island. If not for Kurome's new, ahem-puppet, we would not have had a means of getting back so quickly ourselves.

The Prime Minister suddenly threw his turkey leg down against the floor, gritting his teeth as he did. "Destroyed an entire fleet?! Stranded all of our men?! This level of incompetence is inexcusable! And how in blazes did Night Raid accomplish these feats?!"

"We suspect they used an imperial arm."

"An imperial arm?" Hearing those last two words appeared to bring the gluttonous old man to a much calmer demeanor. "Hmm, an imperial arm that has the capacity to annihilate entire fleets in one blast. Yes . . . yes. Why . . . with that sort of power, we could start entertaining talk of expanding the Grand Empire. Just think of how little trouble we would have in annexing Ali Jinnah, Reispan and even Bestimmung. Yes, it occurs to me that we must capture each member of Night Raid as soon as possible and confiscate this imperial arm of theirs."

Run nodded his head. "But of course. We'll hunt them down and-"

"But that still doesn't let you off the hook. Syura tells me that you had gone ahead and used the cannons on the warships despite my explicit order that you refrain from doing so until he gives you the okay."

"Your son? I don't recall ever seeing him that night. We were forced to make do without him."

"Oh I was there", Syura chimed in, sporting a wicked grin as he did. "Father had ordered me to retrieve all of the Revolutionary Army's imperial arms while they were preoccupied with the battle. Imagine my surprise to discover that their vault had been destroyed in an explosion caused by several of the warships' canons. Imagine the pain and horror I suffered to see that even poor General Budo did not make it out of that explosion alive as a result of your inability to follow orders. Now because of you, we've not only lost a great man, but the treasure trove of imperial arms that were in the hands of the enemy."

Hearing this news about the fallen great general widened the naïve emperor's eyes. "Is this true? Is General Budo really dead?"

"I . . . wasn't aware of this", Run responded, equal surprise in his eyes.

To which Syura snickered, "Maybe if you weren't so careless, you would have recognized that you were putting the general's life in danger and you would have obeyed the orders you were given."

The Prime Minister turned his attention to the young Emperor. "Your majesty. We can't permit such insubordination. I believe a public execution is in order."

Both Wave and Kurome were visibly befuddled at the suggestion. So much so that the Grand Chariot wielder quickly spoke up on his companion's behalf. "Wait a minute, that's not fair, none of the warships ever-"

But Run nudged his teammate with his elbow once more, gesturing him not to say another word. "Your majesty, I take full responsibility for the loss of General Budo and the insubordination that led to his death and the loss of the imperial arms. That being said, I would disagree with the suggestion the Prime Minister offered you just now."

"Of course you would", the gluttonous old man chuckled.

"By all means, I welcome a public execution, but would advise that it be delayed for a period of one year. Word is already starting to spread of our victory against the Revolutionary Army. The public will be talking about this for some time. And through their talks and whispers, the public's faith in the strength and resolve of our glorious empire will be echoed throughout not just our nation, but Reispan, Bestimmung and Ali Jinnah as well. And the more praise you receive, your majesty, the less likely it is that anyone will ever consider supporting another insurgency. On the other hand, I can't say how well immediately executing one of the heroes who helped saved the empire from the clutches of the Revolutionary Army will go over with the public."

Hearing this made Honest laugh derisively. "His majesty is not interested with how well your execution will-"

But to the shock of everyone in the room besides Run, the Emperor interrupted his trusted adviser for the first time ever. "That's a great idea! We'll hold off on your execution. For now, the public should be focused on what you guys accomplished. We can even have a parade!"

The Prime Minister, looking quite perplexed, rested one of his hands on the young boy's shoulder and kindly looked him in the eyes. "But . . . your majesty, if not for this man's insubordination, General Budo would be dead."

For a brief instant, Run had a smug smirk on his face. An instant so brief, no one noticed. His smirk quickly evaporated only to be replaced with a look of genuine cheerfulness. "Your most trusted adviser is most correct, your highness, but I am simply suggesting that my punishment be delayed. I can always be executed at a later date, perhaps quietly if that would be more advantageous. Right now, the public's focus ought to be on your victory. And may I say that that parade idea of yours is truly magnificent! You could sit atop a giant papier-mâché float, waving your scepter at the crowd and Kurome, Wave and I could sit at the bottom. It's magnificently brilliant!"

And just like, a light blush appeared on the Emperor's cheeks. To hear such words be used to describe him was certainly something he was not used to. What's more, this was no doubt the first time someone had praised an idea he had come up with without Honest's help. "You really think it's brilliant?"

"Of course!", Run said, his face looking ever so cheerful.

Honest tried speaking up one more time; he made one more effort to persuade the Emperor, "B-b-but your majesty."

But it was no use; the Emperor had made up his mind and made a decision independent of his adviser for the first time since his reign. And he did so joyfully at that. "Lets go along with this idea! I can't wait to ride in the parade!"

Needless to say, the Prime Minister was less than pleased with what had just happened. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and glared at Run with such venom and hatred in his eyes. Ever the skilled actor, however, Run simply played dumb, continuing to cheerfully smile at the Emperor.

[. . . . Melancholy . . . .]

Fifteen miles to the west of the Capital was a thick forest that was very much uninhabited by humans. Class one danger beasts were known to thrive in this area, making it a poor place for travel and an equally poor place for run of the mill highway men to hide out at. The Night Raid assassins, however, were anything but run of the mill highway men.

Deep in the forest and late in the evening, Leone was sitting on a log next to a warm campfire. Akame was sitting on a log, opposite to her feral companion, with her left hand tightly clenching Murasame's sheath and her left thumb pressed tightly below the hilt's guard. Hearing someone approach from the bushes nearby, the Akame used her thumb to slightly unsheathe her blade. Leone narrowed her eyes and immediately stood up.

But the two assassins' concerns were quickly put to ease as it was none other than Lubbock who was approaching them. He was holding a brown paper grocery bag in his hands and a had a cloth sack bag tied to his back. "Take it easy", he said in an assuring tone. "It's just me."

The red eyed assassin placed her blade back in its sheath. "We can't be too careful. Not after all that's happened."

Leone nodded her head. "Yeah, don't try sneaking up on us like that."

To which tLubbock responded, "I didn't really have much of a choice. It would've been a lot easier for someone to follow me otherwise."

"Whatever. Whadd'ya got in there?", Leone, eyeing up the grocery bag her comrade had in his hands.

"10 turkey sandwiches, 10 bags of potato chips, 10 candy bars and one bottle of tequila!"

"Awe, just one?", Leone pouted. "Why 10 of everything else?!"

Lubbuck narrowed his eyebrows, looking somewhat annoyed. "There was a sale on everything else! Do you have any idea how much they charge per bottle?!"

Not paying her green haired comrade any mind, the feral assassin snatched the single alcoholic beverage out from the bag, popped the top off and began drinking straight out the bottle.

Which only seemed to annoy Lubbock even more. "Hey! That was supposed to be for all of us!"

But despite his protests, she simply kept gulping. Sensing the futility in pressing the matter, the green haired assassin sighed and directed his attention to Akame instead. His expression immediately went from annoyed to concerned. "How's everyone holding up?"

To which Akame responded, "Najenda is still attending to her father."

"I see. And what about Tatsumi?"

"He went to take a walk."

"He hasn't been too talkative since learning all of that happened."

"None of us have", Akame noted with a sorrowful sigh.

Leone suddenly put the bottle of tequila down next to the log she had been sitting on. She looked as if she had been overcome with a sudden surge of melancholy. "I always knew any one of us could die at any moment, but after losing Sheele and Bulat, I guess a small part of me figured that that was the full of extent of the hell we would be put through before finally saving this country. That we had finally paid our due for being assassins. But Su, Mein and Chelsea . . . it's too much. Way too much."

"Lubbock", said Akame. "We know what happened to Mein and Su, but you never did tell us what happened to Chelsea. Specifically, 'who' was responsible for her death?"

"I don't know. When I went down to the fortress' basement, I saw her body sitting up against a wall near the ransacked vault. I didn't have time to examine her body for wounds, but however she died, it wasn't messy. Had to be a clean kill and done in a way to make it difficult to identify the culprit."

"I see", Akame replied, her words shrouded in disappointment. "Then avenging her might be out of the question."

"I wouldn't be too sure", Lubbock said, reaching for the items in the cloth sack he had been carrying on his back. He pulled out a thick research notebook and a diary"

A hint of curiosity beamed in the red eyed assassin's eyes; the two items in Lubbock's hands had her full attention. "What's that?"

"Evidently, Chelsea left these stored away in my shop. I was in a hurry to get back to our hideout the other day and had given her my spare key so she could lock up behind me. She must've used the key to drop this stuff off before getting to the Revolutionary's Army's base somehow. I bet we're bound to get some answers if we look through these."

"This is going to sound weird coming from me", said Leone, her composure shifting to one of seriousness. "And I'd love nothing more to choke the life out of whoever did that to Chelsea, but . . . right now, we need to decide what's going to happen to Night Raid before we do anything else."

Lubbock shot the feral assassin an incredulous look. "What do you mean decide what's going to happen to Night Raid? There's still five of us ready to go forward with the mission. We can still-"

"No", Akame interrupted, nonchalantly shaking her head as she did. "Leone's right. Night Raid was created for the purpose of being a covert division of the Revolutionary Army. An army that, to our knowledge, no longer exist."

"That may be so", Lubbock agreed. "But we're assassins. We've more or less been operating alone up to this point."

To which Leone answered, "But it was never going to be us alone that overthrew the capital. All we were doing was making it easier for the army to come in and restore order. Now the situation has changed. We don't have an army. And even worse, we have no idea what our leader is going to do."

Paying special attention that last sentence, Lubbock averted his gaze to the ground upon. "I see your point. Where is she right now?"

[. . . . Harsh . . . Cold . . . Reality . . . .]

Within the Jaegars' wing of the imperial palace, its remaining three members each sat at the main table in their dining room while eating a meal. Wave, having not sat in this room for quite some time, couldn't help but feel an unnerving feeling. Just glancing upon all of the empty chairs at the table, it was hard to imagine that the Jaegars used to have greater numbers.

Run, having the same realization, sighed. "Dr. Stylish, Bols and now Seryu. It's hard to believe that it's just us three now."

"I keep turning my head . . .", Wave said, his eyes full of nostalgia, ". . . finding myself thinking that Bols is going to walk in here with his little girl and ask us to taste some cupcakes her mother helped her make."

"Or that Seryu will feed Koro some table scraps", Kurome added.

Run started to chuckle, "Or that Dr. Stylish will be . . . Dr. Stylish."

To which both Wave and Kurome broke out into deafening laughter. Unable to control himself, Run swiftly joined his comrades in their merriment. Though after what seemed like a full minute, their laughter died down.

"We've lost a lot", Run noted, gradually having retained his composure. "But we've come very far. All that remains is finally defeating Night Raid. And with the commander, that's all but a foregone conclusion."

Hearing this sentiment, however, Wave couldn't help but ask a question, "Say, what are you going to do after we've beaten Night Raid?"

To which Run replied nonchalantly, "Do what I came to the capital to do in the first place. Fix the country."

But hearing this response left a somewhat perplexed look on Wave's face. "But what about all that stuff about letting yourself be publicly executed after a year?"

Run, of course, chuckled for a moment before answering. "That'll never happen."

"So then what was the point of all that talk of yours back there in the throne room?"

"Wave, you've told me you want to fix the Grand Empire from within, but have you ever actually thought of a way to accomplish this?"

The Grand Chariot wielder scratched the back of his head, momentarily averting his gaze from his blonde haired companion. "To tell you the truth . . . no. But that doesn't mean there isn't-"

"There is a way to do it. And I know exactly how. The heart of all the corruption in the Capital goes back to the Prime Minister and his influence over the Emperor. Take the Prime Minister out of the picture and the corruption will eliminate itself if the right steps are taken afterwards."

"So what are you suggesting we do?", Wave said, a rather serious look in his eyes. Thoughts of what he had done to the late Seryu Ubiquitious, the other night, immediately crossed his mind.

"Joining the Jaegars has given me ample opportunity to observe the Prime Minister firsthand as well as get in the Emperor's good graces. I have a pretty good idea of how they both think. Give me six months and I'll be the one advising the Emperor. The Prime Minister will lose all of his influence and fade away from the royal scene. He will be irrelevant."

"You really think you can pull that off?"

"Of course I can. I have three advantages. #1. The Emperor is a child. #2. I've been dealing with children for most of my life and understand them better than the Prime Minister ever could. #3. The Prime Minister was foolhardy enough to allow someone like me into the imperial court in the first place. That mistake will cost him every fragment of power he's ever gotten his grubby old hands on."

"Run, that's incredible! But don't you think the Prime Minister is going to be gunning for you while you're doing all of this?"

"There's no doubt he will. Fortunately, he isn't too hard to read or anticipate. It's his son that I haven't quite figured out yet."

"Yeah, why did his son tell those lies?", Wave asked, rubbing his chin. "The warships' cannons were never used to attack the fortress."

"His son must be up to something. Problem is that we don't know what. Even worse, as long as Syura remains part of the equation, he remains an unknown variable. There's no telling how he could be used to throw a wrench in our plans. It's imperative we find out as much as we can about him."

"Maybe the commander knows a little more about him. I'm sure if we asked her, she could-"

"Hold on, Wave!", Run interrupted in a rather serious tone. "Lets not get carried away here. If you want to see if the commander knows anything about the Prime Minister's son, be my guest. But, do not tell her anything of my plan. She isn't interested in rooting out the corruption in the Capital and could very well end up interpreting my plan as treason. For now, the less she knows, the better."

Kurome sternly narrowed her eyes towards her blonde haired companion, "You don't plan on committing treason, do you?"

To which Run responded, maintaining a confident smirk, "Of course not! I'll save the country without breaking a single law or spilling a single ounce of blood. I intend to defeat the Prime Minister with my wits and nothing more."

Hearing that, the black eyed girl's stern demeanor suddenly vanished, replaced by an innocent and cheerful one. "That's good! I'd hate to have to come after you like I do my sister!"

"Kurome, just to be safe", Wave said, turning towards the black eyed Jaegar and resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, ". . . don't tell anyone about what Run and I just discussed, okay?"

"It's a deal, provided we go get some chocolate ice cream ASAP! Your treat!", she said with a wide grin.

"You little conniver!", Wave thought, smiling halfheartedly.

"I could really go for some ice cream myself", Run added. "Go ahead and ask the commander about the Prime Minister's son. We'll meet you down at the parlor at 5th street."

With that, the three Jaegars got up from their dining chairs and exited the room. Kurome and Run headed downstairs, intent upon exiting the palace and heading into town. Wave, on the other hand, began making his way towards Esdeath's personal chambers.

Both the Ice Queen and the Jaergars' bedrooms were located in the same wing of the palace, but Esdeath's quarters' were the furthest down the hallway and no doubt the most extravagant given her standing and notoriety. The Grand Chariot wielder made his way towards a luxurious set of double doors. He was about to knock on them, only to find his thoughts wondering.

"Why did I kill Seryu? I hated her with a passion, but did she really deserve to die?"

He recalled what he had said to Tatsumi during their brief skirmish outside of the Revolutionary Army fortress. How he had lectured him about being a murderer. "Am I really any better at this point? Have I ever been better? The commander has undoubtedly displayed her fair share of cruelty, most of which was far worse, but I've never said, much less done a thing."

The lone Jaegar finally started to knock on the door, albeit a bit weakly. "Is it because I'm afraid of her? Am I just a coward?"

He knocked a total of three times, but heard no answer. He proceeded knock an additional three times, albeit harder, but still heard nothing. Finally, he turned one of the knobs on the double doors, surprised to see that they were not locked.

He opened the door and walked inside, immediately noticing that the lights were off and that a record player had been turned on. The device was currently playing a classical music piano piece. Although the lights were off, there was one source of light being emitted in the room and it was coming from the fireplace to the side.

It was upon looking in this direction that Wave noticed the Ice Queen sitting in a brown luxurious Queen Ann styling vinyl chair which was directly facing the fireplace. Esdeath wasn't wearing her general attire; she was wearing a dark brown floral shirt with laced sleeves as well as a matching dark brown pair of khaki pants. What's more, her long blue hair was tied up into a pony tail.

"I don't recall giving you permission to come in", the general callously said, notwithstanding the fact that her eyes seemed be focused on the pencil and sketchbook in her hands.

Wave suddenly felt a shiver surging up his spine. "Sorry! I didn't mean to . . . it was a mistake! I'll just turn around and go back out the way I came and-"

To which the Ice Queen sighed, her eyes still focused on her sketchbook. "State your business. Depending on how this conversation goes, I just might overlook your unwelcome intrusion just now."

"Yes ma'am", he uttered with a quick and reverent bow of his head. "When we made the report regarding our last mission to the Emperor earlier, the Prime Minister's son, Syura, claimed that Run used the warships to blast the fortress, contrary to the Prime Minister's orders. He also said that General Budo died in the explosion. But you know that's false! You cleared out the insides of the fortress yourself! There was no external or internal damage to the basement, much less any sign of General Budo."

"Fascinating. I had suspected that old geezer had perished. I wonder who did him in. I also wonder what the Prime Minister's son thinks he's playing at."

"Commander, you wouldn't happen to know a little more about Syura, would you?"

"I haven't made the effort to learn much. He's not really high on my priorities. He certainly appears to have his own ambitions. However, I did encounter him once before he started appearing alongside his father in the throne room."

"You encountered him before?"

"He was the one who sent Tatsumi and I to that uninhabited southern island I had told you all about a while back. I had since done some research in an effort to learn how he accomplished this feat and it turns out he did so through an imperial arm by the name of 'Dimensional Formation: Shambhala.' It's an imperial arm that grants its wielder the ability to teleport from one location to another."

"I don't understand. If you know he was the one who transported you and Tatsumi from Mt. Fake down to that southern island, why haven't you confronted him since then?"

Esdeath widened her eyes momentarily, clearly never having considered that question herself. Upon pondering for a few moments, a small and reluctant smile manifested itself on her lips. "Perhaps I was so fond of the time I spent down on that island that vengeance upon the one who sent me there in the first place never crossed my mind."

Wave was taken aback for a moment, not having expected to hear such an answer from his ruthless commander. It was during this moment that he noticed a familiar item on the end table adjacent to the chair the Ice Queen was sitting at; resting on it was that blue rose encased in ice that Tatsumi had given her. Despite the fireplace's heat, there was no hint of it melting. "After all that has happened . . . does this mean you still love him?"

"What a foolish question to ask, Wave", she responded, her words not matching her demeanor. She was still smiling, albeit reluctantly. "Of course I do."

"Then what do you intend to do now that you know he is a part of Night Raid?"

"You ask yet another foolish question. The answer to that one is just as simple", she said, immediately turning her eyes away from her sketchbook and directing them towards her subordinate. Only her smile had suddenly vanished. She looked serious. "I intend to kill him."

Wave swiftly jumped back, not having expected his commander to ever say such words about Tatsumi. To say he was absolutely shocked would be an understatement. "What?! But why?!"

"He is my enemy. Do I need any other reason?"

"You just said you still love him!"

"A fact which has no bearing on the cold and harsh reality that pertains to him."

"I know he's a part of Night Raid, but he cares about you as well. Maybe if you just-"

"Try talking to him? You mean like how he had 'tried' talking to me during our last encounter? Hmph. Somewhere in deepest part of his soul, he must've realized the truth. I will not change and neither will he. Tatsumi and I may have a world of differences, but the one thing we have in common first and foremost is that we are both defined by our ideals. I believe in survival of the fittest. He believes in coddling the weak. What feelings he may have towards me, if any, are irrelevant at this point. Suffice to say, Najenda was absolutely correct. Sooner or later, his ideals will force him to oppose me.. Neither of us will compromise, leaving us with only one possible outcome."

"So then you're really going to do it then?"

She averted her eyes back to the sketchbook in her hands. "Yes. I will see to it that he dies by my hands quick and painlessly. If anyone interferes, they will die as well."

[. . . . Bitter tears . . . .]

Even though it was night time, birds, deer and a host of other woodland creatures were fleeing one particular area of the forest Night Raid was residing in. Only upon observing the trail of dead danger beasts' bodies did the reason these animals were fleeing become clear. And it was a long trail indeed. Scores of danger beasts in fact. Were one to follow the trail, it would lead them to an open clearing where the stars and the moon were at their brightest.

Within the middle of an open field was Tatsumi who was donned in Incursio's armored state. Despite not having his spear equipped, he boldly stood in the center of a rabid pack of goblin like danger beasts. Each of them were no more than 5'0 in height, but nonetheless looked ferocious. They carried a wide assortment of weapons, from swords, to axes, to maces, to spears; they were well armed. And not only were they armed, but they were many. A total of fifty such creatures surrounded Tatsumi. And based on the look in each one's eyes, they all wanted a piece of him.

With no hint or warning whatsoever, they all rushed towards the young man simultaneously, clearly intent on overwhelming him with their superior numbers. Their mistake and their undoing, for the Incursio wielder readily took them to task. The next 120 seconds could be summarized in a single word: Brutality.

Based on the way the Night Raid assassin was fighting, it was clear he wasn't thinking about efficiency. He was throwing wide haymakers. He was tackling a number of the vermin. He was swinging his fists and legs around blindly. His moves were sloppy and unrestrained. But despite the way he was fighting, none of the vermin could lay a hand on them. For in addition to his sloppiness, his moves were also barbaric. He was gouging their eyes out, he was ripping their limbs off much like a child would dismember the legs on an insect, he was breaking their spines with his knees. This was without a doubt the most vicious display Tatsumi had ever shown.

As 120 seconds had come and gone, the young assassin's armor was covered in blood. With the way he had been fighting, he had practically bathed in it. He then noticed one goblin-like beast remaining and it, unlike its brethren, was attempting to make a run for it.

Tatsumi hurriedly bolted towards the beast, tackling it to the ground. He pinned the creatures arms to the ground with his knees and proceeded to rain down MMA 'ground and pound' style blows with his unrestrained fist, yelling and screaming like a bloodthirsty madman as he did. The first punch had certainly killed the monster, but Tatsumi kept going anyway, eventually beating his fist into what was nothing more than a bloody paste.

As he was about to rain down another blow with his right hand, he could feel another pair of hands catching his own by the wrist. "THAT'S ENOUGH, TATSUMI!"

The young man came to a sudden stop, panting hurriedly and heavily. He looked up to see who had stopped him. "Akame."

"What are you doing?!", she asked, appearing openly frantic and distressed.

He reverted Incursio back to its dormant short sword state, still inhaling and exhaling at the same heavy and rapid pace. "I don't know . . . this just . . . started happening."

Akame promptly pulled her companion's arm up and helped him stand back onto his feet. "You said you were going for a walk."

He shifted his head back towards the ground, "They're all dead. They're really gone, aren't they?"

To which Akame reluctantly nodded her head.

Even though his head was down, tear drops could be seen hitting the ground in front of him "Why does this keep happening?"

"It's unfortunate, but such is the life of an assassin."

More tears began to drop to the ground. "Then why them? Why did it have to be them?"

"Tatsumi?"

"If anyone deserves divine retribution, it's me."

"What are you saying?"

"I had the opportunity to lure Esdeath away that morning! Had she not been there, nobody would've died!"

"You can't really know that for sure."

"But I do. Don't you see? I'm the one who killed Mein. I'm the one who killed Su. I'm the one who killed Chelsea. Especially Chelsea. I did it. I promised her I would always watch her back. Yet look what I let happen."

"Quit blaming yourself for things that are beyond your control!"

"Are they really? When I murdered Klaus Hartmann, that wasn't beyond my control. I murdered the man in cold blood despite everything he'd done for me. And now it turns out I killed him for nothing. It was all part of Esdeath's plan."

"You didn't know that!"

"But I should have! I should have known it! I knew in my heart I was doing something wrong, but I did it anyway! I killed him! I killed an innocent man! And what's worse, I ran around at the same time looking for ways and making excuses to save someone like Esdeath. Can you believe that? If anyone should have died, it should've been m-!"

But before he could utter that last word, Akame proceeded to step in front of her companion and slap him across the face. Startled by the sudden sting on his cheeks, Tatsumi looked directly into the red eyed assassin's eyes only to see she was in tears as well.

It was upon seeing her tear stricken face that he was reminded of the previous occasion he saw her like this. It was back when Sheele had died and he had naively assumed that Akame was composed and used to her friends dying already. However, unlike last time, the look in her eyes was different. They were the look of betrayal.

Tatsumi immediately understood Akame's reaction and promptly rubbed away the tears descending out of his own eyes. "That's right . . . I promised you I wouldn't die. No matter how much I might wish otherwise at the moment, I'll keep that promise. You have my word."

[. . . . Intentions . . . .]

Wave had been walking around the streets of the Capital, ruminating on the conversation he had just had with the Ice Queen. For one reason or another, it gave him pause "It's strange. She says she still loves him, yet she didn't really seem all that shook about the idea of killing him. I just don't understand her thought process. Maybe she really is insane."

The Grand Chariot wielder subconsciously took note of the street he was on, peeling his eyes at the street sign on the street corner. His eyes widened as he noticed he was about to cross the intersection to 5th street. "Crap! I forgot all about treating them out to ice cream! Kurome is gonna be pissed!" He promptly began running to the left, hurriedly making his way to the ice cream parlor Run had mentioned.

After having run halfway past a city block however, he stopped. He averted his gaze to the one of the shops on his right. It was a toy store and something through its glass window caught his attention. It was Bols' widow and she was in the process of purchasing a teddy bear for her daughter. Seeing this prompted him to walk inside.

"Mommy mommy!", said the little girl, pulling her mother's dress while she stood in front of the shop's clerk. "Look! It's Mr. Wave!"

The mother promptly looked in the Jaegar's direction. A cheerful smile on her face enveloped just as soon as she noticed him. "Hello Wave! What brings you down here?"

"Just happened to be in the area. I thought I'd say hi. What brings you two out into town at this hour?"

To which the mother responded, "We're celebrating! Gracia here did so well at her recital the other day that she got accepted into the Manfred school of performing arts. She'll be attending first thing this fall!"

Hearing this put a delightful grin on the lone Jaegar's face. He proceeded to crouch down to the little girl's eye level and pat her on the head. "Congratulations! Your mommy must be so proud!"

To which Gracia eagerly nodded her head. "I've never seen her smile this much!"

"Say, I've got an idea!", Wave enthusiastically remarked. "My friends are at the ice cream parlor two blocks away. Why don't you and your mommy join us? We can all celebrate this occasion. My treat!"

"You mean it?", said the blond haired little girl, much anticipation in her eyes.

The Grand Chariot wielder cheerfully nodded his head while standing back up, "Sure do! That is, if your mommy is okay with it I mean."

Gracia averted her gaze to her mother with puppy dog eyes, to which the mother giggled. "How could I say no to a look like that? We'll go get some ice cream."

In that instance, the little girl was overcome with so much joy that she proceeded to start skipping out the shop with her new teddy bear in hand. "Yay!"

Wave and Bols' widow followed suit, albeit without the skipping and bounces for joy. "So . . . Mrs-"

"You don't have to be so formal!", said the mother, giggling once more. "Call me Elicia."

"Alright then, Elicia. I'm sorry I missed Gracia's recital. I had planned to go, but there was a mission and . . ."

"It's quite alright. But best sure to stop by sometime. Gracia would be thrilled. Perhaps you could come during General Esdeath's next visit."

Wave looked deeply surprised as he heard the mention of his leader's name. "The commander's next visit? She's stopped by your house before?"

To which Elicia nodded. "She stops by our house every now and then. Initially, she had been stopping by to get tips on romance from Bols, but now she comes by just to listen to Gracia play."

"You don't say", the lone Jaegar remarked, reflecting back on his recent visit into the Ice Queen's room. "Elicia, has Gracia ever played something like this?" He started humming the very song that had been playing on her record player.

"Yes, that's Moonlight Sonata! If I recall correctly, that was one of General Esdeath's favorites."

Hearing this answer prompted Wave to start rubbing his chin. "I wonder why she's listening to it now."

"Will General Esdeath be joining us at the ice cream parlor? Gracia would love to see her."

"No, not tonight. She's busy. Say, is it okay if I ask you something about the commander?"

"I don't see why not", Elicia blissfully responded.

"To tell you the truth, the commander doesn't exactly have a lot of friends. Sure, a lot of soldiers look up to her, but this is the first I've heard of anyone outside of the army, besides Tatsumi anyway, having good things to say about her. Why is that?"

She pondered for a moment, considering the Jaegar's question while curiously tapping the edge of her chin with her index finger. "I guess it has something to do with all the rumors surrounding her. When Bols first introduced me to her, just being around someone with her reputation sent shivers down by spine. But the more she visited our home, the more I started to doubt the rumors."

"Rumors, eh? If she only knew . . ."

"Don't get me wrong. She has all the strength and rigidity I'd expect from a general of the Grand Empire. But somewhere beneath all of that lies the heart of a sensitive girl much like Gracie here."

"The commander? Sensitive?", Wave said, chuckling. "Sorry, but I just don't see it."

"If my husband had taught me anything in life, it's to never judge a book by its cover."

To which Wave gave a warm smile, recalling the first time he had met Bols and how he had jumped to conclusions about him. "Can't argue with you there."

Before the three even knew it, they were already outside the ice cream parlor. While Gracia and Elicia walked right inside, Wave stood in place momentarily, somewhat lost in thought. "No way someone like the commander is sensitive. But there is definitely more to her than meets the eye. That much, I can say for sure."

[. . . . So it goes . . . .]

Within the forest, a little under half a mile from where Leone, Kurome and Lubbock had set up camp at, there was a sizable waterfall running down to a secluded lake below. Directly behind the waterfall was a cavern that was about as spacious as the average barn. Najenda had been sitting in this area throughout the day, securing the campfire therein as well as tending to her father.

She opted not to remove the chains Lubbock had tied around him, unwilling to risk what his current mental state would compel him to do. "Calm down, father. It was only a nightmare. Esdeath is not here."

"No!", the religious leader frantically yelled, vigorously shaking his head. "Her powers are beyond this world, child! She is always nearby. Always listening. Always watching! You cannot stay here! She will find you and she will destroy you!"

"We've been safe and sound for two days! Esdeath does not know we're here!"

"You don't understand! This is all part of her game. She is there even when you don't think she is there! You must flee right now before it's too late!"

"Calm down, father! Peace begins at thy own mind! Let thy mind be at peace! Don't you remember that?"

"You must-"

Before the Lord could say another word, Najenda covered his mouth with a cloth soaked in what appeared to be an anesthetic liquid. Likely chloroform. Moments upon administering this drug, the Path of Peace leader slowly closed his eyes and gradually drifted off into a deep slumber.

"Forgive me, father", she said with sorrowful sigh. "I promise you I'll get the treatment you need."

A few moments passed and the Night Raid leader had heard the sound of footsteps at the cavern's entrance. She didn't bother turning around to see who it was though. Being the veteran warrior that she was, she no doubt already knew.

It was Lubbock and he was holding the cloth sack bag he had been carrying on his back as well as the two items Chelsea had left at his shop. Without saying anything, he walked further into the cavern's interior and bent down next the Path of Peace leader. The young man removed both a pillow and blanket from his bag; he rested the pillow under the Lord's head and placed the blanket over his unconscious body.

Najenda nonchalantly observed what her subordinate was doing, "Did you purchase that in the capital?"

"Yeah", he bluntly replied, removing two sandwiches wrapped in plastic and two potato chip bags from his bag. He placed one set near the Lord's head and tossed the other set in Najenda's lap.

"Are your face, Leone's face and Tatsumi's on the wanted posters yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm pretty sure they will be. I went ahead and retrieved everything of use out of my shop just in case."

"You didn't stop at our hideout, did you?"

"No. Too risky. There's no telling how many secrets Esdeath got out of your dad after torturing him. I'm surprised she never bothered asking him about who was in Night Raid. Would've tipped her off about Tatsumi much sooner."

"She probably figured it didn't matter. By her plans, we were all going to die on that island regardless."

"Yeah", Lubbock said, simultaneously pulling another item out of his bag "Speaking of which . . ." It was a loaded .38 caliber revolver. Not sparing a second thought, he handed it to his commander.

"What's this?", Najenda asked, skeptically examining the firearm she had just been given."

Lubbock stood up on his feet, a serious look in his eyes. "I said I would take responsibility for what happened and what I did back there."

She looked down upon the revolver, narrowing her eyebrows as she did. With a fuming look in her eye, she promptly removed all five bullets out of the bullet chamber and hurriedly threw the gun to the other side of the cavern. She then swiftly stood up on her feet and sent her left fist flying straight into her subordinate's right cheek. A blow that sent the young man staggering backwards.

Lubbock was about to fall on his back, but Najenda prevented this, latching her left hand around his right shoulder and catching him. However, this was by no means a sign of compassion. Rather, she proceeded to hurl her right knee into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him upon impact. She then turned around, grabbed Lubbock's right arm with her left hand alone and body slammed him into the cavern floor.

The green haired assassin lied there on the floor, writhing in pain. And Najenda observed him, feeling no remorse for what she had just done. "If you ever walk up to me and pull some crap like that again, you'll get much worse! Understand?!"

"Ugggghhhh . . . but . . . I disobeyed your orders . . . and made you abandon thousands of soldiers."

"So you did, but I'm NOT going to kill you. End of discussion. If there's anyone to blame, it's myself for thinking you'd follow my orders! But that's all buried and done with. Floundering in the past is not going to change the future."

Lubbock laid on the floor for roughly 30 seconds, but managed to get back on his feet. Najenda had already sat back down next to the campfire, unwrapping the plastic off of her sandwich and promptly taking a bite out of it. Seeing this, he once again sat down next to her. "So . . . what exactly is the 'future?'", he asked, doing his best to show no signs of the pain he had to be feeling from the beating he had just received.

"As of now, I have no clue", she mumbled, chewing on her sandwich simultaneously. "You didn't pick up anything to wash this down with?"

"I did . . . but Leone decided to be Leone."

"Typical."

"We were all talking though and there's one thing we've got to know. What happens to Night Raid from here on out?"

"Without the Revolutionary Army backing us, there technically is no Night Raid. So as of now, we're disbanded. But, in another five to ten years, if we could put together another resistance organization, then Night Raid can resurface."

Just the look on Lubbock's face alone; it was clear he was puzzled by his commander's answer. "Five to ten years? That's an awful lot of time."

"It is, but seldom are revolutions born overnight. Once the news of the Revolutionary Army's defeat spreads throughout the country, people will lose hope. Most people will lose interest in joining a resistance movement while knowing full well it could turn out like this. Time is the minimum requirement we'll need to retain the level of strength and support we had."

To which the green haired assassin gave a reluctant sigh. "You're right. It is too soon to be thinking about another full scale revolution. But what about tying up some loose ends?"

Najenda put her sandwich down, a hint of curiosity gleaming in her eye. "Loose ends such as?"

"Chelsea's", Lubbock replied, grabbing the diary and the research notebook. "She left these in my shop before she died."

As if a lightbulb went off in her head, she hurriedly snatched both items out of Lubbock's hand and began flipping through them at an amazing speed. She spent a full five minutes skimming both pieces of text with the utmost interest and intrigue. Even as a child, she had always been leaps and bounds above her peers when it came to her studies, thus scanning these items with profound speed and retention was child's play to her.

While she was looking at the research notebook, one particular section grabbed her interest so much so that, after skimming, she spent a full ten minutes glancing her eyes over every word. Lubbock peaked his head closer to see what was getting so much of her attention only to notice a detailed schematic of Incursio, both its short sword and full body armor forms respectively, was displayed on the page his commander was eyeing closely. "What's that?", he asked.

With a confident smirk on her face, Najenda promptly closed the research notebook. "The solution to all of our problems. Go get Leone, Akame and Tatsumi pronto! I need to brief you all on Night Raid's true final mission!"

"Are you for real? But what happened to all that talk about needing to wait five to ten years before we could resurface?"

"Thanks to Chelsea, that timetable has been reduced down to five days. Five days is all we'll need be ready!"

[. . . . To Die or to Evolve, That is the Question . . . .]

It was early into the following morning; the crack of dawn to be precise. Najenda, Lubbock, Akame and Tatsumi had hiked up to the high cliff immediately overlooking both the waterfall and the lake below. There was a cool breeze of wind blowing on everyone's hair and clothes.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?", Lubbock asked, his eyes directed towards Tatsumi.

To which the Incursio wielder firmly nodded his head. "Positive."

Najenda had her eye resolutely gazed on Tatsumi, but with a much greater degree of seriousness in her eye than Lubbock. "You've had all night to think about this, Tatsumi. If you're having any seconds thoughts, now is the time to voice them."

But Tatsumi remained firm. "This might may our last chance at saving the country. If all it takes is my life to achieve this, then I will gladly do it without any hesitation!"

"Tatsumi . . .", said Akame, reflecting back on what he had said to her last night.

"I know, Akame. Though there is a good chance this will kill me, I don't plan on dying! I'll keep my promise!"

"There's not just a good chance, Tatsumi", the Night Raid commander remarked. "According to the research notebook Chelsea absconded from the Prime Minister's son, there isn't a single person who has used Incursio and survived this ritual. Granted, this notebook does date back to 1000 years ago, but even that far back, 97 different people capable of using that armor died attempting to do what you're about to do."

"But don't forget", Lubbock added. "Tatsumi beat old man Budo."

To which Najenda nodded her head. "Precisely, which is why I believe Tatsumi will be the exception to the rule thus far. Based on the description Chelsea provided us of his encounter, I hypothesize that he temporarily tapped into Incursio's true power. Or to put it differently, I believe he came close to accessing Incursio's 'perfect sync.'

No more than a moment later, nearby thuds could be heard emanating from the ground. So loud that Tatsumi, Akame and Lubbock turned to the direction the sounds were coming from to identify what was approaching. To their surprise, however, it was Leone and she, through the super human strength afforded to her by her imperial arm, was barely carrying a boulder the size of an elephant. Her legs were buckling as she hauled this large object and her facial expressions made it clear that she was using every muster of strength she had just to move this heavy earthen monstrosity.

The feral assassin set the massive boulder on the edge of the cliff before wiping away the sweat on her brow. "Don't you dare go dying on us, Tatsumi. Especially after the boss lady here made me haul this shit all the way up here. Damn near broke my back."

Najenda, however, didn't appear to share her blonde haired subordinate's concerns. "Thanks to Lionel's regenerative powers, you were able to regrow your stomach and liver in just a day. How much time would it take for you to heal a broken spine? A good night's sleep?"

Leone stood there fuming. "For your information, regrowing your internal organs hurts like HELL!"

"I bet. Nothing you can't drink off", Najenda retorted with casual disregard. "Now . . . if you would do the honors."

Leone nodded her head, a sudden aura of seriousness surrounding her as she did. She walked up to an otherwise oblivious Tatsumi. Then, with no hint or warning, she nailed him in the stomach with a thunderous right punch.

Not wearing his Incursio armor, Tatsumi immediately doubled over and fell to his knees. He readily gasped for air while coughing up blood. If two words could be used to describe his current state of being, it was pure agony.

"What'd you go doing that for?!", Lubbock snarled.

"It was the boss' idea", Leone replied, reluctantly averting her eyes from Tatsumi.

Hearing this, the green haired assassin immediately shifted his attention to his commander, albeit with confusion rather than hostility. "Miss Najenda, what are you doing? With her strength, she could've easily killed him."

"I decided to modify the plan a little bit. I told Leone to only use a fraction of her strength; just enough to induce internal bleeding."

"But why?!", Lubbock queried, still perplexed about his leader's judgment.

To which she answered, "It occurs to me that we must mirror the conditions Tatsumi had during his battle with Budo as much as possible. Based on Chelsea's report, Budo had all but killed Tatsumi at one point. Therefore, Tatsumi shall be all but dead before undergoing this ritual. Now all that remains is tying Tatsumi to that boulder right there and dropping it into the lake. Now Lubbock, if you would . . ."

With a reluctant nod of his head, Lubbock grabbed some chains they had brought with them for this occasion. He began walking towards Tatsumi, only for Akame to promptly stand in his way.

"Wait", said the red eyed assassin. "If we're going by Chelsea's report, there's still one other variable we're missing."

"Akame", Najenda said, appearing to have already deduced what she was implying. "The fact that Tatsumi reaching perfect sync could make us victorious is likely sufficient motivation enough."

"But what if it isn't sufficient motivation? Then Tatsumi will die and all of this will have been for nothing. Based on Chelsea's report, Chelsea herself was in danger. If we're going to mirror the conditions in her report as much as possible, then have Lubbock tie me to that boulder as well."

Hearing this, Tatsumi shot his red eyed companion a look of disapproval. "No! I refuse. Don't do this!"

But Akame nonetheless disregarded the Incursio wielder's words, removing her imperial arm and its sheath from the strap tied to her waist and setting them on the ground before her. "Tatsumi, just make sure you keep your promise and you won't have to worry about anything."

Najenda, appearing to have made up her mind, promptly directed her attention back to her green haired subordinate "Alright then. Tie them both to the boulder right now."

And so, full of unease and reluctance, Lubbock did just that; he wrapped the chains around the massive rock with both Tatsumi and Akame secured to the front.

With that, the Night Raid commander began to walk around and move about in such a fashion as to command the attention of her four subordinates present, much like a defense attorney preparing to make a closing argument. "Imperial arms are weapons forged by combining three materials. An exceedingly rare metal, the blood and soul of an ultra class danger beast and a mysterious substance the research notebook describes as dark matter. By combining these materials, a single human may wield and harness the power of an ultra class danger beast. Not every human, however, can wield these weapons. To wield an imperial arm, a human's soul must be compatible with the soul of the ultra class danger beast. This is why despite having had a full army to back us, only the few of us in Night Raid were wielding imperial arms. This level of compatibility is described as quarter sync. As the name suggest, one's soul is 25% compatible with the soul of the ultra class danger beast. The level beyond this is described as half sync. Those capable of half sync are able to use what we call an imperial arm's 'trump card'. But then there's a level beyond half sync: Perfect sync. It is a state that goes beyond a mere trump card. This is a level in which one's soul is 100% compatible with the soul of the ultra-class danger beast. If this level is obtained, one will be able to tap into their imperial arm's true potential."

Still speaking and moving about in a charismatic fashion, Najenda averted her gaze towards Tatsumi. "Incursio's perfect sync is hypothesized to be accessible through placing it and its wielder into a situation in which it is forced to evolve both the mind and the body. Unfortunately, the research notebook indicates that of the numerous test subjects that have wielded Incursio in the past, none have ever achieved perfect sync with Incursio and all have died trying. But, unlike the prior test subjects, none have ever had an encounter quite the like the one you had with General Budo. It is because of this that I believe you have what it takes to achieve perfect sync with Incursio."

The Night Raid commander then turned her attention from Tatsumi to Akame. "If Night Raid's final mission is to be successful, it is imperative that Tatsumi reach perfect sync. With perfect sync, he can nullify the one and only obstacle that is sure to prevent this mission from being a success: General Esdeath. Amongst all of us, Tatsumi was the only one who wasn't affected by Esdeath's ability to freeze time. As of now, that makes him the only person on the face of the earth who has any means of matching her in combat. As long as Esdeath is not a factor, we can deal with everything else."

Still speaking passionately, she gazed upon Tatsumi, Akame, Leone and Lubbock simultaneously. "Even so, the risks I am imposing on you all by going forward with this plan are all too clear to me. I may only have one eye, but I am not blind to the truth. Last night, I asked each of you what your thoughts were on this plan and you all agreed to it. But that was before you knew of the two deviations that have been added. Tatsumi's internal bleeding and Akame dying as well if he fails. Knowing this, are you all still prepared to go forward with this? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Lubbock was the first to answer. "There's a big part of me that was hoping Tatsumi would say no to this. But knowing him, he'll just go try this ritual himself even if we all don't support it, so I'm going to say yes and put my faith in him instead."

Then came Leone. "Tatsumi has grown a lot since we first met in that tavern all those months ago. I don't want him to throw his life away, but know he and Akame have made up their minds about this. So I'll put my faith in him as well."

Akame was next. "Tatsumi promised me he wouldn't die. I believe he'll keep this promise and will even stake my life on this. My faith rests with him."

And last was Tatsumi, who maintained a heartfelt expression on his face despite the pain he was in ". . . I never knew you guys had so much faith and confidence in me."

"It's called respect, Tatsumi", Najenda remarked in response. "Given your triumphs up till now, you've certainly earned it. Unfortunately, their respect isn't what the next several minutes is going to boil down to. In that short time frame, you will be given two options and two options alone: Death or Evolution. Which will you choose?"

"I will evolve!", Tatsumi shouted with the utmost faith and conviction.

Najenda sternly looked the Incursio wielder in the eyes. "Then evolve!"

As if acting on cue, Leone promptly proceeded to push the large boulder off the cliff, sending both Tatsumi and Akame rapidly descending down into the lake below. Fortunately, the feral assassin has pushed the rock in such a way as to insure that the two would fall into the lake with their bodies facing the sky.

Within no more than three seconds, the sizable boulder had submerged fully into the lake and was rapidly plummeting to the bottom. As they sunk lower and lower, Tatsumi was desperately trying to break out of the chains wrapped around him. Though to his misfortune, he could not even make them budge. The hit he received from Leone earlier had greatly weakened him and his enhanced strength was nonexistent without Incursio being in its armored state. The latter was perhaps literally out of arm's reached, as Incursio was in its short-sword form and sheathed to the coffee haired assassin's back.

Still sinking towards to the bottom of the lake at a rapid speed, he held his breath to the best of his ability while turning his head to see how Akame was doing. She too was holding her breath, though to a much greater degree of success than he was given that she had not already sustained an injury prior to being chained up.

What started off as a couple of seconds quickly translated into a full minute and a half, still no sign of the chains loosening or anything out of the ordinary happening. He was convulsing around and about, but his efforts were meaningless. "No, not again!", he frantically thought, shifting and rustling as hard as he could. He anxiously turned his head to Akame, noting that she was still holding her breath. Even so, if things were to continue as they were, they'd both surely drown.

With an additional 30 seconds, Tatsumi felt his consciousness slipping. He was barely still holding his breath, but the internal bleeding was a different matter altogether. He was about to reach a point where it wouldn't matter whether he got free of the chains or not. He was clearly on the verge of passing out. "Am I really going to let another friend die? No, I refuse! It won't happen! It can't happen!"

Despite the coffee haired assassin's mental bravado, his eyes started to fade, his mouth and nostrils began to open and water began inside. "Not . . . again." And just like that, everything faded to black.

[. . . . Through the Looking Glass. . . .]

It was the middle of the night and Tatsumi had been sleeping tranquilly in a familiar and luxurious bedroom. There was also a fierce thunderstorm brewing outside. A flash of lightning suddenly appeared, lighting up the entire room for a single second. Like all flashes of lightning, this flash was later followed by the brash and mighty sound of thunder.

The coffee haired assassin immediately sprang up in response, sitting upwards on the bed as he did. Wearing no shirt, he was panting at a rapid pace, revealing the look of someone who had just had a terrible nightmare.

"Must've been quite the nightmare to send you springing up like that", a familiar voice said amidst yawning. Someone had been sleeping right next to young man. But who?

Tatsumi turned his head to identify who it was that was sleeping next to him, only to be surprised as this person proceeded to sit up in an upright position as well."

It was none other than Esdeath and she was wearing a loose black nightie. And on the Ice Queen's face was a sincere yet intrigued smile. "So tell me: What's on your mind?"

A/N: Alright folks, we're finally heading into the home stretch for this fic. I won't spoil anything for the next chapter, but it's probably gonna contain the most pivotal in this fic, so make sure to tune in! Regardless, we're down to our final four chapters after this.

Love it? Hate it? Meh? Lemme know what you think! As always, I appreciate your thoughts, both constructive and positive! Trolling too, provided you're at least clever about it! ;) As always, thanks for reading!