It's been a long time since Velvet last felt at ease. For nearly three centuries she was stuck on a thin line between life and death, unable to go to either side, yet standing firmly in both. She had to endure constant pain of the tortures her body was subjected to by the Hive while staring death in the eyes the whole time, watching as it waits for her to enter it's cold embrace. She honestly almost wished it would just come and take her to whatever awaited her. Almost, because no matter the pain she had to go through she always remained committed to one thing that she placed above everything else. Cassandra. A friend she never knew she needed. A lover she never knew she wanted. A wife she never got to have... Ever since she was pulled into the Hive, balancing the line between fully becoming a part of it and being discarded as trash, she could feel her, hear the numerous apologies thrown her way.
She loved her. And not even for a second did she forget about it. She waited and waited, hoping an opportunity would arise to free both of them. For years, nothing came, save the inhumane torments the Hive's queen wrecked upon her mind and body. She was just starting to realize her hope is fading away when she was suddenly made aware of a powerful presence being absorbed into the Hive. One similar to her – Lionele user. The woman was strong, far stronger then she was, both in will and body… She just needed a little push to keep going. And Velvet was more then happy to provide that. The woman was, after all, her one and only hope. In the end, it all paid off. Cassandra was relieved from Hive's hold, the Queen was defeated and she was finally able to step over the line, one way or the other.
Honestly though, she was not sure which way she would go. Both ways seemed promising. Death was sure to grant her eternal peace, but… As soon as she felt Cassandra's hand touch her cheek, the decision was made. She would live to see another day, to see her again… And now, she could do just that. It's been hours into the night when she woke up, lying in a bed that felt made of clouds… Though seeing that her head in on the ground level, surrounded by wounded soldiers, she quickly realized she's just in some kind of field tent. She was probably just lying on some clean sheet. That didn't matter though. What mattered, was who was lying next to her. Cassandra. Sleeping peacefully with all of her beauty on display, illuminated only by the faint candle lights placed around the tent. Were she able to make her body move, she would be quick to scoot over and snuggle closely to her. Just like that one couple she could see a bit further into the tent that a group of nurses was trying to separate. Though, maybe trying to have sex would be a bit too much…
Regardless, she wasn't able to move an inch. Not even hear any sound or feel most of her body. And so, she just… looked. For long minutes that slowly turned to hours. At some point someone noticed she's awake, started changing bandages her body was wrapped in and injected her with some stuff, but they never obstructed her view of Cassandra, for which she was grateful. She just wished she could touch her, even for a little bit.
A while after the people tending to her left, she started to slowly regain feeling in her body, for better or worse. She still couldn't move more then a finger, but just being able to feel like she's in her own body again more then made up for it. Unfortunately, she was also made aware of just how badly said body is hurt. It wasn't exactly painful, just...discomforting. Like not all of her was really… hers. She didn't understand why, but she could worry about that later, when she can do more then lie there motionlessly. More time passed and she was finally starting to feel tired. Her eyes were slowly closing on their own with little resistance from her side. Just before that happened though, she could swear Cassandra was getting closer to her. She could feel her arm moving, but she wasn't the one controlling it. She could see a hand, covered in white fur holding it, slowly placing her hand in Cassandra's who was now mere inches away from her. She didn't know who did that, but that was of no importance now. She only cared about Cassandra's warm body next to her and her light grip on her hand. With a small smile and tear leaving a wet trail on her cheek, she drifted away to sleep… For the first time in centuries, feeling truly at peace.
"Eh… Why can't I fall in love like that?" Leone muttered under her breath. First Tatsumi and Akame and then these two. Not to mention the sex addicts getting manhandled by nurses in the back of the tent. Really, one would think she of all people would have no problems finding herself a lover but it seems life isn't really interested in giving her that bit of pleasure. Not that she's really complaining, playing the big sister role is very much a full time job. Just knowing that thanks to her efforts others can be happy like these two centuries long lovers in front of her is enough to satisfy her. At least for now. She slowly rose back up from her sitting spot next at Velvet's side, fixing her cloak and hood on her body before turning around. One of the doctors serving in this makeshift hospital was behind her, looking at the two quietly snuggled together. "What's up doc?"
He slowly turned his gaze away from them, now looking her right in the eyes. "They… Don't have much time left..." He sighed deeply, way too used to this then he would have liked. "A year... maybe two at most… Based on what you've told me, it's honestly a miracle they even made it this far to be treated. Their bodies are slowly falling apart and there's nothing currant medicine can do for them but make sure they don't suffer any more then they already did. I'm sorry."
Leone shook her head. "Don't be. I'm sure that as long as they have each other, they'll be fine. Honestly, I don't think they would hope for any more then that, all things concerned… and who knows, maybe that mystical power of love will decide to act and give them a hand…" She took one more glance at the two and proceeded to turn away, slowly heading towards the exit out of the tent. She had a few more errands to run that night. As soon as she left the tent, she took a glance at the rubble covering the whole street from one end to another. Ruined houses dominated the landscape, and ruined lives lingered in the air. She could feel the resentful gazes directed at her from some of the houses. Not everyone was happy with the revolution, some people were fine with the status quo, and not just nobles. There were many who managed to make a life within the system despite the odds, and when the revolution came to break the foundation that life was built on, they weren't exactly interested in welcoming them with open arms. Many of them even refused to accept any help from the revolutionaries, still living in the ruins of their homes…
She couldn't really do anything about that though. You can't please everyone no mater what you do, and overthrowing the government was bound to earned some opposition, regardless of said government's actions.
Without a word, she moved down the street, slowly heading to a completely different part of the Capital. The ruins slowly started to give way to celebrations that still dominated the streets at night. She would be more then happy to grab some booze from one of the nearby stands and dance the night away, but she only smiled and waved at the few friends she spotted before continuing on. She could do that later. Eventually, she moved far away from the celebrations. The sounds of cheers and singing faded away into silence of the night yet again as she slowly made her way towards the largest building in the slums. One that despite it's size, never seemed out of place even in a poor district like this. It was Imperial Prison. It wasn't really built in the middle of the slums though. The slums are what came to be as a result of the prison. The Empire didn't really bother with helping the few people that were not sentenced to death and got out at some point. After doing their time, people were simply thrown out on the streets and as most had nowhere to go, they stayed, slowly turning the entire area into the poorest part of the capital.
Now that the revolution was won, the whole place came under revolutionaries control and with that came many changes. For once, the prison's garrison was replaced by the numerous rebels who were taken in by the Empire. It was deemed the best solution as they re the only ones who had an idea as to which prisoners could be released and which ones were there for an actual reason. "Leone." One of the guards posted at the entrance waved his hand to her, to which she responded in kind. "Are you here to see the slime ball you brought in?"
"Yeah, figured he started to miss me." The two bumped their fists together. The guard was actually a friend of hers, one of many people she stuck with in her young years. He was one of the rebels released from the prison, ending up inside after a rebel cell in the slums got discovered. "Hope you guys were keeping him company while I was gone. Can't have him thinking we forgot about him." The guard opened the gate and walked alongside her, motioning for some of the people inside to cover his post.
"Don't you worry about that. We made sure to put him in the cell with the friendliest of individuals in the whole facility. 'The Muds' really took a liking to him too." She almost fell over mid step upon hearing this. That news was surprising even to Leone, The Muds were one of the most notorious criminal groups in the whole Capital, known for committing countless brutal rapes across the whole city. What's interesting about them though, is their bizarre code of conduct. Namely, they only rape man. No woman, no children, only adult man. Occasionally animals too but that was a rarity in the sea of rapes they've committed. They've never really went out of their way to kill their victims, though that occasionally happened as well, preferably 'spreading seeds of love' as they liked to put it. Weird thing to claim about their actions as their victims were often traumatized enough to commit suicide. "It might be a bit of a problem to get him out of there, but it's nothing a bit of sleeping drugs can't fix."
"I'll take your word for it..." She sure wasn't envious of the fat shit, but then again, who would be? Especially since this is just a warm-up. The real fun starts once his capture becomes public knowledge. Word is, they plan on nailing him on a cross in the execution site he was so proud of along with some of his closest benefactors. It will truly be a sight to see. Hopefully it happens before she leaves with Tatsumi and Akame. She sure as hell doesn't plan on wasting time considering the situation.
Within a few minutes of making their way across the prison blocks, Leone was finally led into the highest security ward, one meant for the riskiest of prisoners.
People in here were rarely kept alive for long unless for some experiments as was the case with 'The Muds'; they were all extremely dangerous criminals of the highest caliber. This was the sole place in the whole facility what continued to perform it's function even as the corruption sunk its claws into it, never becoming just another place where Honest threw his political rivals or a playground for Imperial Guards playing with the little power they have by throwing innocents behind bars.
Her friend led her down a pair of stairs and through a dark, cold corridor, with the only source of light being the few lamps hanging from the walls. There was one more guard standing outside of a set of iron doors, staring at them as they approached. Leone could already hear the laughter coming from behind that door. "They're fucking disgusting. Less then animals..." The voice coming from behind the full face helmet was clearly female. "I swear, if it was anyone else in there, I'd kill these fuckers where they stood." She lifted the visor, showing her face. Her friend did the same, coming closer to her.
"You want me to find someone to take your spot?"
"Nah, I'll be fine. Don't want to cause more chaos before we get the logistics handled." She took a glance at Leone. "She's the one who got him here?" Leone nodded, smiling proudly. "Well, come on, if you wanna see him you better do it before these fuckers tear him to shreds. And you better stay here. If they see another guy they might get more excited." He nodded as she grabbed her keys and unlocked the door she was guarding, revealing another hallway, this time much shorter, only long enough to place two cells on each side. The sounds she's been hearing up until now got far louder as a very disturbing smell reached her nose. A mix of blood, sweet and semen with a clear hint of shit and piss. Never a good mix. Leone could see the woman leading her visibly gag at the smell, covering her nose. She was quick to cover her face with the visor again, not wanting the prisoners to know her eyes were getting watery. Mere seconds later, Leone was faced with a sight like nothing she expected. Withing a large cell ten man surrounded Honest, each naked with bodies ranging from small and skinny to giant mountains of muscle that would tower even over Bulat.
Two of them were happily shoving themselves into the fat man's asshole while another two took turns with his mouth. Another one of them had his member inserted into Honest's eyehole which by now had more semen then blood oozing from it. Three more were pushing their dicks into his fat body through holes they drilled in it. The remaining two simply waited on the side, jerking off as they waited for their turn...
They didn't even acknowledge the fact that two people just appeared, just kept raping what was likely to be their last victim. Laughter and aroused moans sounded from their mouths as they drooled all over the place. One of the two that waited behind seemed to have run out of patience and decided to join the fun. He was the smallest of the bunch, easily sliding between others surrounding Honest and reaching his hand under the man's fat belly. After a short while, he pulled out his member from under the fat, smiling sickly as he started to push his little finger into the head, pouring blood as he widened the hole enough to insert his own small member into it. The others only laughed harder as Honest tried to break free.
The guard was right. These people didn't even deserve to be called animals, they were too low for that. They sure as hell deserved execution as soon as their turn arrives... However, when Leone took a glance into Honest's remaining eye, filled with fear and terror... she couldn't help but silently cheer them on.
In a different part of the capital, near the execution ground where celebrations were taking place and people danced watching bodies of the countless executed prisoners burning on a large pile, two man sat silently in a room, surrounded by piles of books and documents. They carefully red through them, taking notes and analyzing each with single-minded dedication. One was facing the biggest challenge in his medical career and the other searched for a way to save his lover. They pushed the noises from the outside aside, focusing completely on the task at hand. Finding a cure for the incurable poison. "Give me doctor Giorno's notes." Tatsumi got up from his chair and immediately passed the right tome to the doctor. As he had no experience in medicine whatsoever, Tatsumi focused on keeping track of the different volumes he brought in from the archive, searching for any connections between them and maintaining order in their notes.
"None of his methods were successful, though he was mostly focusing on pinpointing the inner workings of the curse." He grabbed a few more tomes. "His work was mentioned by few other researchers. Here are their notes." The boy opened each book on the part referring to the subject. Doctor wordlessly started to read through them, writing down everything he deemed important. They've already been going at it for a while already and the lack of sleep was tarting to show on doctor's face, masked by the numerous cups of coffee he drunk.
"I might be onto something." He said after a while, rising from his chair. Tatsumi did the same, now fully focused on the doctor who passed him a piece of paper. "Go to the main medical camp and have the doctor in charge to give you these." Tatsumi took a quick glance at the piece of paper, quickly realizing what he plans to do. "And if possible, bring in some an additional pair of hands or two. I can handle things on my own with Perfector, but it never hurts to have some help." The boy nodded, hiding the note in his coat as he turned around and left the room, pulling a hood over his head. The doctor meanwhile sighed deeply as he approached his closet with medical supplies. Upon opening it, he started to pull things out of it, often having to reach all the way back for the rarely used substances. Having grabbed all he would need, he reached his hand into a pocket of his lab coat. He soon pulled his Teigu out of it, immediately putting the two gloves on his hands.
"Now then..." With a quick move of his hands, he mixed the substances he just gathered into one yellowish cocktail. Skillfully and precisely adding more and more chemicals into his creation he started to mix the liquid with a glass rod. Once that was done, he poured the liquid into a small boiler having ignited an oil candle underneath it. In a matter of minutes it started to boil and the gasses that were released were redirected into another container where they were cooled down and liquidized again. Doctor looked at the new liquid and gathered some into a syringe. He then turned back to his closet, this time taking out a vial with Akame's blood sample. It was almost completely black, unnatural no matter how you look at it. He poured a bit of it on a glass plate and placed it under a microscope.
Looking through the lens, he saw the exact same image he looked at many times already. Akame's own blood cells covered in the marks one would usually see on those struck down by Murasame, only now, thanks to the books brought by Tatsumi he knew the exact way how the curse operated. Normally, it would attack the victim's heart and cause the muscles to tense up, stopping the heart beat and subsequently the blood flow. In this case however, the curse acted differently. It still attacked the heart, but only in order to further spread onto blood cells and through them the whole body. As the blood cells delivered oxygen to various parts of the body they also carried a small dose of poison that temporarily killed and damaged whole sections of the body. It was especially bad for the brain, causing hallucinations and memory loss as a side effect. Over time it would all get worse and worse as more blood cells were getting infected, eventually stopping all body functions permanently.
The two most common, though ultimately fruitless countermeasures against this that were taken into action before are blood transfusion and heart transplant, both of which only managed to slow down the progression of the curse. An actual cure would have to stop the creation of infected blood cells and that's beyond what can be done at this point. Unless of course Tatsumi is right and the Beast he aims to kill carries an antidote. Still, the best he can do now, is to create a countermeasure that will seek out and kill off the infected cells before they do further damage.
With his eye still looking down the microscope, doctor added the liquid he created into the sample and observed the effects... which proved themselves satisfying enough for him to crack a smile. "I'm definitely onto something."
Tatsumi meanwhile had just made his way into the medical camp, entering inside after the guards at the entrance had a look at the note from the doctor. They even directed him to the man in charge without question. Guess the doc is known around here... It did make sense though. Tatsumi didn't know the man very well, but at the end of the day he was the one who used Perfector now. That was bound to get the attention of others in his profession. "Doctor." Tatsumi called out as he entered a small tent on the edge of the camp. Inside, he saw an elderly man, around his 70s, sitting behind a desk. He appeared to have been resting, though not quite sleeping yet.
"Hm? What is it young man?" He yawned as he started to get up from his chair, taking a cane into his hand.
"I'm sorry to intrude, sir. I was asked to come here with a request for medical supplies." He handed him the note he got. Doctor took it, but before reading it pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on.
"Ah, I see." He hid the note in his pocket and started to make his way out of the tent. Tatsumi followed him, staying a few steps behind. "So my son is being lazy again and uses me to avoid proper procedures. Typical... Eh, the youth... Always rushing ahead at full speed. It wouldn't hurt to slow down and take a look around every once in a while."
"I get that sir, but the situation doesn't allow for waiting until someone decides to take care of the paperwork." The elderly doctor suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. "Sir?" He slowly turned around to face him and slowly lifted his cane above Tatsumi's head. He brought it down, but Tatsumi easily sidestepped, only lifting an eyebrow at the man in confusion. However, just as soon as he was about to ask about the reasons behind the action, he felt something hit the back of his head. "Ack!" He turned around, only now noticing that the cane he avoided has hit an old wooden table. One of the planks the table was made of was damaged, and as it was struck down with the cane became a catapult that sent a pencil that lied on it flying at his head.
"Slow and steady turtle wins the race. The fastest solution isn't always the best." He turned back around and continued to march forward as Tatsumi rubbed his head. "I have no doubt that the situation is dire, but that is also the case for many of those that are being treated here." They headed into the main tent where the wounded were being kept. He used his cane to push the curtains aside as he entered. "Look around. All of these people need help as well. Some more then others. If everyone did what my son does and simply took whatever they need whenever they need it, those that are in need of help the most would likely die before someone got the chance to properly take care of them. And even still, we can't possibly help everyone. Sometimes, letting go of one life can mean saving far more, however cruel it might seem..."
Tatsumi clenched his fist. "Are you saying I should just let her die!? Like hell I'm gonna-!" The man pushed the handle of his cane into his mouth, silencing him.
"Be quiet young man. These people are in pain as it is. Let them sleep and heal in silence." He pulled the cane out of the boy's mouth and washed it clean of drool with a tissue. "I'm not saying you should leave anyone to die. The equipment you're here for is not going to be used for now either way, we won't be performing any heart transplants anytime soon. You would get it whether or not the request would go through our quartermaster or not. All I'm trying to do, is make you realize that ignoring the bigger picture is likely to carry consequences you may not be ready for."
In the end, it took a few hours to assemble everything from the list. The doctor's father didn't stay to help though, he simply led Tatsumi to the camp's quartermaster and had him search for the equipment and update the necessary logs afterwards. The man himself went back to his tent where he mire then likely took a long nap; Tatsumi didn't check, fearing he'll end up waking him up. By the time he had everything loaded onto a small, hand-pulled cart, the sun was just about to start rising above the horizon. Some of it's rays already shone upon the clouds above and it was only a matter of time before he would be able to bask in their light as well. It even seemed like it was going to be one great sunrise to watch, the sky was almost completely clear, birds flew above the city… Shame Akame can't watch it with me… His face dropped as he continued to march ahead.
"Tatsumi." He heard a voice call to him. He immediately recognized it and stopped in his tracks, turning his head towards the speaker as he waited for them to catch up to him.
"Why are you up so early Boss?" Scratching his head, the boy asked, only earning a confused look from the woman, who also started scratching her head whilst looking at the rising sun questioningly. It wasn't long before he noticed her bloodshot eye with a dark bag under it and the smell of strong coffee in her breath. "Trouble sleeping?"
She now turned her gaze to him, still confused. "What are you talking about? The sun is setting now, isn't it? I just finished a meeting with other revolutionary leaders and was going to sleep..." Noticing Tatsumi's confusion about her statement, she took another, closer look at the sun, only now noticing that it was actually rising as oppose to setting like she believed. "Huh, it's rising now? Were we at it the whole night? Sure didn't feel like it..." After a moment of thought she shrugged and moved closer to Tatsumi. "Either way," She started as they begun to walk. "I finished routing the path with the maps you gave me." She handed him a folded piece of paper. Tatsumi took it and quickly took a look on the contents while Najenda lighted a cigarette. "The red line marks the optimal route with 'x' marks placed where you should get to by the end of each day before going to rest for the night."
"And the black lines?"
"Those are possible shortcuts, but I suggest you take the safer routes if possible. Those places are pretty dangerous, you never know what might happen there. Tricky environment, dangerous animals, hostile locals… Only use those routes if you have no choice, you hear me." He nodded. "Good. Now, as for the passage through the sea, I arranged for a ship to be prepared by the time you get to the nearest port. The crew will be waiting there."
Tatsumi smiled lightly at her. "Thank you boss. It means a lot to me..."
"As in, she means a lot to you?" A slight blush formed on the boy's cheeks as he looked away, nervously scratching the back of his neck. Najenda chuckled at that. "Be good to that girl, alright? She really needs more love in her life, even if she doesn't believe she deserves it..." Tatsumi's mood was quick to change upon hearing that. He slowly turned to Najenda, staring at her in demand for further explanation. She noticed that and after getting rid of excess ash on her cigarette she exhaled a puff of smoke, she started. "Akame doesn't think very highly about herself. As a human... and as a woman. One of effects her childhood under Empire brought that still holds strong to this day. She was never encouraged to seek love or any kind of partnership, rather discouraged and made to believe her primary purpose as a living being is to kill and fight for a cause. To an extant, she still believes that to be the case… She doesn't exactly think of herself as pretty either."
Tatsumi quickly cut her off. "No way! She's beautiful!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, clenching his fist in determination as a pink blush spread across his cheeks. How could Akame see herself as anything less then that? He sure as hell couldn't think of a time when he thought she was anything less then stunning, especially since he got to briefly take a more detailed look with Spectator before it rejected him. The way she looked without clothes was...
With that thought his blush that started to grow more and more intense as Najenda begun to chuckle.
"Make sure to tell her that. Leone used to try getting her more in tune with her girl side, but I don't think she was satisfied with the results." With one final inhale, Najenda dropped her cigarette on the ground, crushing it under her boot as she passed over it. "Surprisingly many things about her have changed since you came into the picture, you know? She's never showed even a passing interest in anyone as far as I've known her..." She rubbed her chin in thought. "I wonder what she saw in you..." Tatsumi lost himself in though on that as well. What did she see in him? What did he do to earn her affection... The obvious thing his mind immediately ventured towards was his promise to not die and leave her alone, but didn't seem like all there is to it. It's certainly a part of it, but he was sure there was more to it then just that. There certainly was a lot more he liked about her other then how beautiful he thinks she is.
It wasn't long before Najenda reached her destination, a small tavern she rented a room in. She pulled out another cigarette and turned to face Tatsumi as she was lighting it up. "One more thing before I go..." The boy suddenly felt a pressure of a thousand glares as the general placed her hands over his shoulders, staring him right in the eyes. The world started to fade into gray with her puffing out a cloud of smoke right in his face as her eye pierced him right through. A loud swallow sounded through the street, loud enough to turn some eyes. "Tatsumi..." Her metallic hand dug into his shoulder. "I hope you are aware... what will happen if you even think of hurting my girl..."
Back in his office, the Teigu doctor rested with his face down on his desk. He fell asleep not long after finishing his creation, having achieved the exact results he needed. It was all coming together, his greatest medical achievement yet was just a few steps away... But he needed to be careful. Considering how delicate the situation was, even one wrong move could cost the girl's life. He couldn't let that happen. Not only because he would have an angry, super-powered, mutated teenage assassin to deal with, but mainly because he simply didn't want this girl to fade into darkness like that. There were not many people like him, those who knew of Night Raid's true role in the revolution. And the fate that awaited them.
They would be forgotten. Written off the history books, erased from the records… They would only ever be remembered as a legend of assassins who cut their way through the Capital under cover of night, if at all. Knowing that was… sad. There will never be a word spoken about their achievements, no monument will be risen in memory of their sacrifices, no tear will be shed once they're gone other then their own… If he could at the very least spare one of the last surviving members a painful death, he would do all he possibly could. "Doctor?" He heard the door cracking open. Slowly, he rose his head to see the visitor, rubbing his eyes as he stretched his arms. It was Tatsumi, back with all the tools he would be needing soon. "Did you have enough rest?"
"Two hours of sleep and a big cup of coffee is more then enough for me." He said, putting a water filled kettle on the stove. Tatsumi looked at him questioningly. He didn't want everything to fail because of something as trivial as lack of rest. "Don't worry, I've had a lot of rest while you and Leone were in the archive. And besides, I've done heart transplants in worse conditions even before I was able to use Perfector." As the water heated up, the doctor moved towards his worktable, motioning Tatsumi to follow him. "Do you see this?" He pointed at a yellowish liquid filling a small test-tube. "It's been distilling while I was asleep. With the notes you've found for me I managed to figure out a way to combat the curse, and this is the result of what I was doing while you were away. When this yellow liquid comes in contact with infected parts of body, it will at least temporarily return them to normal functioning and halt any progression of the curse."
Tatsumi sharply turned to him. "Then what are you waiting for, we need to-!" The boy reached his hand out to grab the medicine, but was stopped by the Doctor as he grabbed him by the wrist.
"Not so fast Tatsumi. Injecting it now would do little more then aggravate the disease to spread faster. It's already too deeply bound to her heart to do anything the way she is." He let go of the boy's hand. "That's why I wanted you to bring me this equipment. Before doing anything, I have to get rid of the very core of the infection and make sure it can be stopped from gaining foothold again."
Tatsumi looked back at the equipment he brought and sighed as he slowly turned to face the doctor. "I figured as much when you asked me to bring this stuff. Well, where do you plan to get a spare heart from? Those don't exactly grow on trees."
The doctor only smirked as he fixed his glasses. "Well, you're right about that. They don't grow on trees..." He stepped closer to Tatsumi, pressing a finger against his chest. "But they do grow in here." Again, Tatsumi stared at the man questioningly. Was he asking him to give his life to save Akame? He certainly would if it were to come to this, but preferably he would rather avoiding that outcome. "Tell me, have you noticed that recently you've become… larger?"
"Well, yeah? A bit here and there since I fused with Incursio, but it's not like I suddenly became like Bro was..."
"And do you wish to know why?" The boy rose his eyebrow, asking for further explanation. "When I was doing tests on you and miss Leone I came to a few conclusions that I didn't have a chance to mention to you before... It would seem that you grew a few… Extra parts… third lung, gills hidden under your skin, poison glands, second stomach… and a spare heart.
A quiet thud sounded in the room as Tatsumi placed a bowl of hot water on the table, right next to Akame's motionless body. The curtains were covering the windows, allowing only an overhead lamp to shed light on the girl's body as Tatsumi started to remove her clothes. In any other situation he'd probably be more… excited about the activity, but right now he had more important things to think about. Like how her veins were showing along her skin, almost forming a black hole where her heart was. He grabbed a clean piece of cloth and dipped it in the water he brought, slowly wiping the sweat from her body as he watched her chest rise and fall. Every now and then her breath would become sharper and her body would lightly shake under his touch.
Once he was done cleaning her before the operation, he felt her hand grab his own. Weakly, her fingers wrapped around his as if begging him to stay near. He did just that, taking her hand into his own and slowly running his fingers along her skin. "Don't worry Akame, everything will be fine… I promise..." His free hand moved to the side of her face as his lips pressed against her forehead. "I love you." She almost seemed to calm down as he gently stroke her face, still holding her hand tightly in his own. He really wished she could she could embrace him as well... He gave her one more kiss on the forehead and straightened himself back up, still not letting go of her hand. The door to the room opened soon later as doctor entered inside, dressed in clean white coat. Protector gloves covered his hands in which he carried a glass bottle of the yellow specific.
"It's time to begin Tatsumi." He swallowed loudly. The idea of having his heart pulled out of his chest was… not necessarily on his list of things he wants to do. Even if he has a spare. Which is not to say he was planning on as much as showing a single sign of hesitation, far from it in fact. He was more then determined to making sure Akame is saved and he was ready for whatever sacrifices he had to make for her. It didn't really mean he has to be enthusiastic about it though.
The boy removed his shirt as he laid himself down on the table, right next to Akame. He had already cleaned himself before coming to do the same for Akame, so without any delay, doctor grabbed his arm and infected a dose of a drug meant to put him under along with a muscle relaxant. To both his and doctor's relief, within a few minutes he was already feeling his consciousness fading away along with any strength leaving his body. They had actually feared his body would prove outright immune to such procedures and this would all end in a live operation. Luckily that was not the case.
His body continued to slowly grow numb, but as time started to stretch for him as it passed by, the only thing that remained perfectly clear for him was the feeling of Akame's hand, tightly gripping his own... I love you... I really do... He thought again, finally fading away into unconsciousness.
The waking up was... instant. From his perspective, he might have never even fallen asleep. The very moment his consciousness disappeared, it started to return, slowly. Very slowly. At first it was just the awareness that he actually... exists? He wasn't quite sure about that until later. One by one he was becoming aware of various parts of his body, his arms, legs, the weird feeling of... emptiness in his chest... and a warm grip on his hand. As that sensation reached him, other senses started to return. At first his mind was so clouded he could barely even tell there was a world outside his body, but soon came in a barrage of information flooding in from every corner of his body.
He became aware of the sounds surrounding him, the dryness in his mouth, coldness of the air around him... And at the end of all that, his eyes started to open. He wasn't sure exactly how much time has passed, but once his sight came back enough for him to make out his surrounding, he could tell it was already night outside. Akame... The girls name and the realization of why he even got into that state came in like a wreaking ball.
Immediately, or at least as fast as his weakened body would allow, he turned his head to the side and he was greeted by a sight that filled the empty place in his chest with nothing more then pure joy and happiness. Akame's eyes were open, just barely but she was most definitely looking at him. His grip on her hand subtly tightened as he tried to push himself to smile... to no avail. She did though. Just a little bit, but it was the happiest smile he ever saw on her face.
Leone was... not pleased. Sure she was happy both Akame and Tatsumi are awake, at least somewhat, but... well, this was the third time she's seen a scene like that in a span of a few days. And by now it was like a slap in the face combined with a reminder of her own inability to get romantically involved with anyone.
Also she was more then probably a little bit drunk at the moment. That likely made her a bit more irritable.
She groaned, tapping her feet against the floor as she took a swing from a bottle in her hand. It was then that she heard someone enter the room. The doctor... now that she looked at him, she had to admit he was actually quite the eye candy... "What are you doing here? I told you not to bother them." He said, sternly looking down at her. "Get out before I- Are you drinking?"
"Uh... yeah. Met some buddies on my way here and kinda lost track of time... hehe..." She could barely stop herself from looking at him with a dreamy look in her eyes. Actually, scratch that. She couldn't be bothered to do that. He was just... so damn pretty... "Hey, you know... I've been... really lonely lately..." She arose from the chair she's been sitting on and turned to face him.
"I don't really care about whether you're feeling lonely or not. Would you be so kind as to leave so I can... Why are you looking at me like that?" She shot him a smirk before dashing right at him, disappearing from view for just a second only to hug him from behind. "W-What the- What are you doing!? Unhand me at once!" He tried to wrestle away form her grip, but it soon became clear it is a fruitless effort on his part.
"Your big sis is soooo lonely..." She licked his ear before whispering into it. "Would you take care of her~"
"I said, let me go you sexually frustrated alcoholic! Also, I'm older then you!"
In an instant, he was thrown across the building. He landed on his sofa and just as he was getting his composure back, Leone jumped on top of him having already tossed away the cloak she wore to cover her naked body. "Should I play the little sister then?" With one skillful move, she removed his shirt, revealing the skinny chest beneath. She started to rub herself against him, looking straight into his terrified eyes as she licked cold sweat off his skin. "Do you like it, onii-chan?"
Song of the day: Skillet - Awake and Alive
