A Very Surprising Reunion.

1 week has passed since Akame finally accepted the help from her old classmates. She spent most of the week regaining her strength by eating more and training a lot. Dorothea was a great moral support to help Akame recover. But most of her other friends helped as well. Edelgard however had been absent for a while now. Dorothea assured Akame it was only because Edelgard was very busy with the war effort. But Akame had a feeling Edelgard was just actively avoiding her. Smart choice as Akame was still very angry at her for everything she did. But mostly because Edelgard was mostly responsible for Byleth's apparent death. So it was smart of Edelgard to avoid Akame, since Akame wasn't sure she would be able to hold herself back if she ever saw Edelgard again.

Right now, Akame was training with Ferdinand, while Dorothea was watching. He spun his training spear before jabbing it at Akame, who managed to deflect it with her training sword. She then moves in for a strike, but Ferdinand managed to block it and tried to counter with a jab from the other end of his spear. But Akame managed to avoid it and kicked his legs out from under him, making him fall on to his butt. When he looked up, Akame pointed her sword at him. Just inches away from his face.

Ferdinand was silent for a moment before he smiled "Well Akame, looks like you are finally back in top shape".

Akame smiled back as she removed her blade and helped him up "Not quite there yet. But I am a lot stronger now than I was a week ago. Thanks to all of you helping me, thank you".

"No thanks needed, Akame. We are friends, of course we will help you" Ferdinand said.

"Glad I can still trust some of my friends" Akame said silently.

Dorothea knew who Akame was talking about and quickly stepped in "Anyway, you are dripping sweat from the training. I think you need a bath to wash up".

"Yeah, you might be right. See you later Ferdinand" Akame said as she followed Dorothea and Ferdinand simply waved at them.

Later, both Akame and Dorothea were enjoying a nice relaxing bath together. Dorothea was even helping Akame by washing her back. Akame was leaning on the edge of the large tub while Dorothea used a cloth on her back. It was relaxing, and Akame always felt safe with Dorothea. Almost as safe as she felt with Byleth.

"Is this good enough, Akame?" Dorothea asked.

"Yeah, it's nice" Akame answered.

Dorothea hesitated for a moment before she spoke "So you still haven't talked to Edi yet?".

Akame's eyes darkened "We give each other a wide berth. Not sure I would be able to stop myself from trying to kill her if I ever see her again".

Dorothea sighed "Akame, you can't keep blaming her for everything that happened".

"I lost my sister because of her!" Akame growled out.

"Akame, what happened to Byleth isn't something you can place on Edelgard alone. Tell me, is Byleth someone who would run away from a battle? Or would she keep fighting, knowing full well she could die?" Dorothea asked.

Akame clenched her fists "But Edelgard is the one who started the war that took my sister from me! No matter how you look at it Dorothea, my sister is dead because of Edelgard!".

There was a tense silence before Dorothea sighed "Sit on the edge, we need to was your legs and feet. Don't argue Akame, just let me do it".

Akame didn't argue, and she rose out of the water before sitting down on the edge. Dorothea lifted one of her legs and began scrubbing it, along with Akame's foot. Good thing Akame's wasn't that ticklish, or the process would be a little more difficult. She could do it herself, but She didn't mind accepting help from Dorothea. Not like Dorothea is one who takes no for an answer anyway. She is like the older sister who insists on helping her younger sister, even with simple tasks.

"You will have to talk to her sooner or latter, Akame. There is a war going on now. And like it or not, you will have to pick a side" Dorothea said as she continued washing Akame's foot.

"This isn't my war. I have nothing to fight for" Akame argued.

"Akame, the war will force you to make a choice no matter how much you try to avoid it. Don't think for a moment I want you to join the war. Even I don't want anything to do with it. But I don't have a choice, and I believe in the future Edelgard wants to build. I'm sure you will too, in time" Dorothea said.

Akame looked away "How can I fight for someone I can't trust?".

Dorothea was about to say something, but a knock on the door was heard. She sighed before she grabbed a towel and put it around her body as she walked over to the door, but didn't open right away, in case there was a man on the other side.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"I am here with a message" Came the voice of a female guard.

Knowing there was no risk of a man seeing her or Akame, Dorothea opened the door "What is it?".

"Lady Edelgard wishes to speak to Akame. She said it was really urgent and can't wait" The guard answered.

Dorothea looked at Akame "Did you hear?".

"Yes I did. I will do my best, but I can't promise nothing will happen" Akame said as she dried herself of and began getting dressed.

Dorothea sighed. She really hoped everything worked out. Once Akame finished putting on clean clothes, she left to meet with Edelgard. Surprisingly, Edelgard was not in her throne room or any other place where she would be safe. Akame met her by a large tree outside the castle.

Edelgard looked at her when she heard her getting closer "I am surprised you came. But also relived".

"Say your piece, Edelgard. I do not wish to linger here" Akame said with a hard edge in her tone.

"I did not call you here so we could talk. I wanted to return something to you, something that was taken from you a long time ago" Edelgard said.

Akame was confused until her eyes became wide when she saw another girl show up. She has short black hair in a twintail style, though they weren't tied by anything, and black eyes. She had changed a bit since last time Akame saw her, but she still knew exactly who she was... she was someone Akame thought she would never see again.

"Kurome..." Akame said in shock.

The girl smiled at her "It's me sis".

Akame slowly walked up to her before reaching out her hands and touched Kurome's face. Those soft cheeks, cute eyes, and beautiful smile. There was no doubt about it. This was Kurome. Akame's long lost little sister.

"It... it is you... B-but how?" Akame asked, struggling to find the words.

"You can thank Edelgard for that" Kurome answered.

Akame looked at Edelgard, silently asking her for an explanation, which she gladly provided "The people that your parents sold you too was part of a dark group that were training children to become assassins. Jeralt and Byleth saved you before you could be transported to one of their training camps. But Kurome was not as lucky. She was forced through horrendous training, and was even used for twisted experiments. Similar to the ones I had to endure. My troops found her recently after they raided the camp she was trapped in. They brought her back and when I saw her, I realized she looked a lot like you. I wanted to tell you sooner, but she was so weak and I wanted you two to have a better reunion than that".

"You should've told me right away!... But... thank you... thank you so much" Akame said, tears in her eyes.

Edelgard smiled "Of course Akame. I will do everything I can to become worthy of your trust again. Until then, I will let you catch up with Kurome".

Akame watched Edelgard leave before she finally gave Kurome a strong hug. Kurome didn't hesitate to return the hug, as Akame broke down crying. She spent so many years believing that Kurome was dead. Having her in her arms again felt like a dream. But it wasn't a dream. Kurome was really here, and she was alive.

Later that day, Akame and Kurome had gone to a nearby lake, having removed their boots and was bathing their feet in the cold but fresh water. They used to do this when they were kids. Just sit by a lake and enjoy each other's company. They spent a whole hour just sitting together, holding each other close, neither of them wanting to let go. Kurome was leaning on Akame's chest, while Akame was gently rubbing Kurome's head, even breathing in Kurome's sent. She even smelled the same as she did all those years ago.

"All these years... I thought you were dead..." Akame finally spoke.

"I thought the same about you. I was told the group that had you were raided and everyone was killed. I believed you were killed too... Almost made me take my own life. Only reason I didn't was because I believed you would want me to stay strong and keep living" Kurome said.

"You are right about that... I was lucky. The people that freed me were mercenaries, and I was adopted by their leader and his daughter... They are the reason I am alive now" Akame said.

"Edelgard told me about them. Which I could've met them. Jeralt sounds like a much better father than ours ever was" Kurome said.

Akame nods "He was, and Byleth was a perfect older sister. She would've loved you... but now they are both gone... And Edelgard is responsible for Byleth's death".

"Akame please. Stop blaming Edelgard for everything. Remember if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be together again" Kurome reminded.

"I know! But she lied to me, used me... She broke my trust" Akame said.

Kurome takes Akame's hand "There is a differance between lying and keeping secrets, Akame. She explained everything to me as I was recovering. She didn't lie to you Akame, she just didn't tell you everything. But she trusted you with a lot of personal information. Are you going to deny that?".

Akame was silent after that, she really couldn't deny that. Despite her anger towards Edelgard, it was thanks to her that Akame got a very important person back. But how could she trust a person who made such a mess of her life?

"Akame, I admit that Edelgard is not perfect. But after hearing what she wants to achieve... I trully believe she is in the right. A world where nobility and crests no longer matter? A world where you a judged for who you are, and not your social status? That sounds like a world we would've needed. Maybe in a world like that, no one needs to be sold by their parents just because they don't have as much money as nobels" Kurome said.

"That world sounds like nothing like a fantasy to me now. Edelgard started a war to make her vision come true. Even if she somehow succeeds, the foundation of her world will be built on the coprses of all who stood against her. I've seen so much death already... I don't even want to think of how many needs to die before Edelgard reaches her goals" Akame said.

Kurome sits up and looks Akame in the eyes "Akame, sometimes if you want to build something new, you need to tear down something old. You experienced first hand how corrupt the Church was. They had everything they needed to put an end to all the discrimination and unfair living conditions. To erase the line between the commoners and nobels and help making sure everyone could live as equals. But they did nothing. They saw people suffering unfair treatment and did nothing to stop it. They lied and manipulated the people to make sure their power was never threatened. Their foundation was built on lies, and they blindly followed the words of a false Bishop".

Akame almost growled at the mention of Rhea. The woman she trusted like a mother, only to find out she had been using her and her sister the whole time. All just to further her own goals.

"Akame, you don't have to fight for Edelgard if you don't want to. But I will. And I hope you will fight alongside me" Kurome said.

Akame sighed "Alright, I will think about it. But Edelgard still needs to earn my trust again".

Kurome smiled and kissed Akame's cheek "Thank you sis... I love you".

"I love you too... little sister" Akame said with tears in her eyes. Those were words she never believed she would ever get to say again.

Regardless of what happens next. Akame got her little sister back. And that alone makes Akame much happier.

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Sorry for the long wait. Coming up with things to write for the 5 years between the start of the war and where the game picks up after the time skip, was a lot harder than I imagined.

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Tell me what you think.