VG: Thanks! She didn't give him any time to rest. I will leave the rest up to your imagination xD

Also, :0

Chapter 14: Kill the Ebb

(The night after the operation, Night Raid HQ)

Mein awoke in a cold sweat, thrashing in her recovery bed. "NO!" she shrieked, sitting upright. A bandage, damp with blood and serous fluid fell off of her face.

Najenda, who was sleeping in the chair beside her bed, stirred. "Mein…" she said, groggily rubbing her temple, getting her bearings. "You're awake, then?"

She reached automatically for the cup at the table beside her and frowned as the cold tea touched her lips. "You silly old soldier…" she muttered to herself, putting it down with a grimace. "It must be close to morning now…" she mused, looking out the window into the darkness beyond.

Mein, still panting, averted her eyes. "Where is Tatsumi?" she asked weakly.

Najenda nodded somberly. "A critical mission…"

Najedna looked more closely at Mein, and saw her shaking. "Mein, are you okay?"

Mein looked at Najenda with dread. "You'll say it was just a dream, but…"

"But what?"

"He's in danger."

"I see…" Najenda answered. "We can send a detachment and meet them. They should be halfway home."

"What critical mission did you send him on?"

Najenda gave the cheshire smile of a superior accustomed to not giving her subordinates the full picture, but she softened. "With you recovering, we had to wet Serra's blade on something simple… something simple enough to where if she were to… falter in her loyalties, it wouldn't become a major issue."

Mein narrowed her eyes. Serra. Mein's mind flashed back to their initial meeting. "And if she does falter?"

Najenda gave another knowing smile. "Akame will cut her down. We've already discussed it."

This answer satisfied Mein.

"I'm going to get some tea," Najenda said, as she rose from her chair.

"How's my scar?" Mein asked. "Am I still the prettiest girl in Night Raid?"

Najenda pat the purple-haired riflewoman on the head. "A beauty mark. Don't worry, we'll be on the beach, kicking back, sipping 80-proof beast nectar on the rocks in no time."

"Aye Aye," Mein said with a grin.

Najenda paused, furrowing her brow. "Wait… you're 21 right?"

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(The next morning…)

The sun rose on a triumphant Esdeath. She pulled her hood off of her eyes to see the glow of the rising sun, but something was missing.

Tatsumi?

She looked around, first checking her shirt to make sure her tattoo wasn't exposed as a mischievous grin crossed her face. I'll let him see it… once I have his soul in the palm of my hand.

"Tatsumi?" she called out authoritatively. No answer.

She rose, brushing the dead leaves off of her legs, annoyed as she scanned in all directions, sweeping the area with her eyes. Gone? Where?

Methodically, she began to dress and straighten herself out. Finding him should be simple. I should have fucked him into submission… I just need to look him in the eyes… to be sure. You can see the defeat of a man in his eyes.

She saw a thin trail of smoke, probably a campfire, and made her way to it, assuming that was where Night Raid could be found.

She approached. Leona! The cat was laid out in the sun, wearing a pair of sunglasses, legs crossed on the grass. Esdeath walked past without a word. Then she found the fire. Akame! The stoic assassin was cooking meat at the fire.

"Breakfast," Akame said simply.

"Very nice! Uh… Where is Tatsumi?" Serra asked, putting so much work into sounding casual, that it came out sounding quite the opposite.

Akame looked to Esdeath out of the corner of her eyes for a long moment before responding. "He looked like he didn't sleep at all. He hunted this one for us and then he said something about finding someplace to train."

"Training huh? That's very diligent."

Akame nodded. "That he is." She looked back to the cooking meat. "Maybe he's just worried. About Mein. Might need to clear his head."

Esdeath hid her annoyance behind a smile. "Yes, Mein. Of course."

Leona giggled from where she lay. "I'll clear his head if you know what I mean."

Akame giggled.

Esdeath forced a "hmph" of a laugh.

I'll clear your head clear off your fucking body. And the day will be a lot sooner than you might think.

And then, Esdeath giggled for real. It was a delightful image.

Esdeath took enough meat off the bone to look natural, chewing it forcefully, and then she began to search again, in earnest. It wasn't long before she found a print of Tatsumi's shoe from around the campfire, and she followed it into the forest.

Of course, the whole thing felt a little strange, but she had to see him after all. Why didn't he understand that?

A few hundred yards into the forest and there was a disturbance in the leaves, beyond it… the prints vanished.

Esdeath narrowed her eyes, surveying the area. It will take more than this to shake me off your trail, Tatsumi!

It took Esdeath some effort before she found the bent small branches on the trees above, and even more effort to track them, but as the confident woman she was, her annoyance only drove her on.

Eventually the trail made its way back to the leaves below, and she followed it doggedly, until she heard the noises of his exertions.

She had enough time to listen to him to hear a number of his grunts. These grunts were almost angry. Trying to get something out of your system indeed.

As she approached, Esdeath took a deep breath, Whatever I do… I can't yell at him.

She strode directly to where he trained. She saw him, doubled over, drenched in sweat. He had shadows under his eyes. And he was giving heaving, labored breaths.

He grunted and gave one last slow situp using his armor for resistance. His abs bulged from the exertion and finally he collapsed.

Esdeath walked over him, looking down as he panted on the ground. "So that's how you get that chest so hard."

He squinted, gazing back up at her. "Hey Serra."

She was so happy to see him. "Hey…" She bent over, putting her hand on his cheek. "You've worked yourself hard enough, let's go get some food."

"Serra…" Tatsumi interjected.

Esdeath gulped, watching with a surreal sensation as Tatsumi pushed her hand, gently, but firmly off of his cheek. He struggled upright. "Can we slow down?"

Slow… down?

Esdeath's hand moved to her belly subconsciously. She kept her head as high as she could. She'd learned to hide her weakness a long time ago.

"Slow down … to where, Tatsumi?"

"Look… I'm responsible for what happened last night. Just like you, but… I didn't really have much time to think it through."

"So… you went here to think things through?" Esdeath asked neutrally.

"Yes and…" He scratched his head and looked away awkwardly, "Look. I have someone I care about."

Esdeath felt her heart sink in a way she'd never felt it sink before. She reminded herself to keep breathing. Her face stayed a mask.

"I hope you understand, Serra. I really do… like you. But…"

No. No but, Esdeath thought sharply behind her frozen smile.

"You said no one needed to know and I hope… you meant that. I don't want to hurt Mein. I know she acts kind of mean, but she's had a really tough life."

Esdeath held her smile, but something snapped in her brain. She blinked and her words floated effortlessly out from her lips.

"Is it some kind of contest?" she asked gently.

"Huh?"

"The hard lives? Is it a contest?" Her tone was a bit too light for the words she was speaking.

Tatsumi shook his head. "Look, I'm sure you had a… pretty tough life. I bet we all…"

Esdeath gave Tatsumi a distant look, as if gazing back through the catalog of every blade that had ever torn its way towards her, every life she'd snuffed out beneath her boots. "No one else would have survived it but me. Not one."

"No one?"

Esdeath smiled sadly. "Maybe you, but if you'd walked the path I walked, you wouldn't be so…"

Tatsumi had an uncomfortable look on his face. "I wouldn't be so what?"

She blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "... perfect." And then, she instantly regretted it.

Tatsumi smiled sadly. "Look, Serra. Mein and I have something special. If I continue this path with you, I'll be betraying her. And I promised I wouldn't. I may have broken that promise, but I'm not going to break it any farther. I need you to understand."

Did you not hear what I just said?

Esdeath looked at Tatsumi like he was completely out of his mind. "Didn't we have something? Didn't you feel that last night?"

"This morning, I couldn't feel half my body," he shot back.

Esdeath took a step forward, Tatsumi mirrored her with a step back, giving her a warning look. Esdeath felt an intrusive hunter's instinct fire up into her blood.

I could take you. I already half defeated your body last night. I could take you again. Be respectful. She wrestled it down as quickly as it arose in her.

She continued, deciding to wield her words as her weapons, "You felt it last night. I could give you a count of how many times."

Tatsumi shook his head. "You know the number of times, huh." He sighed. "That's the problem, Serra. That's not what love is. That's not what Mein and I have. Last night… I felt like you were trying to eat me alive. You were… scary."

Esdeath was shocked into silence and was forced to stand there trying to register what he'd said.

Tatsumi made his exit, walking past her with determination back towards the fire at the camp.

Leaning against the tree, playing with her own black hair was Esdeath's familiar friend, the Demon.

"He's getting away," she said, with music in her voice. "You know, you were on to something last night," she said appreciatively. "He's a man at the end of the day. You can always force the issue. His body can't say no to you. You saw him react. You felt it just as he did. You set him on fire."

Esdeath watched him slip behind rows of leaves, getting more obscure as he walked. "That's not everything," she said firmly. And now I know that.

Demon giggled. "Everything… Smeverything. Who cares? His mind is wrong. His… *ahem* is right. You had that part of him dancing to your tune."

Demon leaned in sweetly, "You could always cut his tendons. Use that Teigu. Blank his mind. Just ignore the part of him that's wrong… and use the part of him that's right."

"No. I said that my last pursuit would be love. That is not love. I'm not ready to admit defeat."

Demon rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do? Give him some flowers."

Esdeath stared directly into Demon, eyes hard and uncompromising. "Yes."

Demon laughed hysterically as Esdeath looked her eyes down upon her with contempt. "Laugh all you want, spirit. If your will was stronger than mine, you wouldn't even waste your time spouting your rubbish at me."

"Oh no, this is just courtesy. If you keep weakening at this rate, we are going to do things my way anyhow…" Esdeath pulled the bag from her back that held her rapier and breathed deep, feeling the weight of the blade in her hands.

"I wonder what his blood will taste like. Once I get a taste… I'm going to want it all…"

Esdeath unzipped the case that held her rapier, and pulled it forth, shining in the morning sun. She gave it a few practice sweeps, making a sharp whistle through the air as it streaked with speed unmatched.

Esdeath grinned. "Blood? Yes… why not have a little blood."

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(About 1 mile away, on a main Imperial road)

The Imperial column, soldiers about a hundred strong, crested the hill. So far, their march had gone without incident, which was strange, given this was supposed to be a high risk assignment.

Cresting the hill, the front-man cried out. "Someone in the road!"

A woman stood there, sword in hand, an evil look in her eye. She stood still, her free hand gesturing to them with her fingers in a come here motion.

The Imperial commander zeroed in on the strange woman.

"Is she… laughing?"