Chapter 7: Dead in your Arms
It was late in night, as Tatsumi was sat in front of the chimney, the flames were the only thing lighting the room. In his hand, a cup of beer.
'one or two months...'
"What a ton of bullshit..." Tatsumi cursed as the door opened behind him.
"What is bullshit?" Kurome asked as she went to sit next to him. She offered some cookies that he accepted with a smile.
"Nothing. Just something I remembered."
Kurome nodded as she took another bite of her cookie. "Stylish said something about you drinking?"
Tatsumi smirked "Yep! That I shouldn't. But... who cares anymore?" he lost his smirk, replaced by a sad smile.
"I do." Kurome said as she took the drink and placed it next to her, away from Tatsumi's reach. "How bad is it? The thing you have." she asked turning to him with a worried look.
Tatsumi sighed and closed his eyes "Bad. Doc gave me one or two months if I don't use my Teigu." He opened his eyes after some silence seeing the shocked face of Kurome.
"You... you can't die yet!" She exclaimed and Tatsumi smirked.
"Well... it seems I have no say on that. My days are counted." He said as he turned to see Kurome looking to the ground. He patted her head "Hey, don't be sad. You'll make me feel bad." He joked as Kurome jumped to hug him.
"I don't want you to die! You can't leave me! I don't want to lose any more people!" Kurome cried as Tatsumi hugged her.
"I'm sorry..." He said as he smiled "Hey, remember when we met?"
Kurome nodded "You were a jerk. You still are sometimes."
"And you tried to kill me." Tatsumi said and Kurome snorted.
"Why are you saying this?" She asked and Tatsumi shrugged.
"Don't know... guess that... I spend so much time with you that... I think I... y'know..." Kurome broke away to look him at the eye.
"I... don't know what you're saying." She said confused.
Tatsumi blushed "Well... I think I like you... more than a friend... like y'know an-you okay?" He said, because once Kurome processed her face became red as a tomato and somehow, steam came from her ears.
She broke the hug and walked away "I... need time to think." Tatsumi chuckled.
"Sure. Goodnight." he went back to his drink as the door closed. Not 2 minutes had passed when the door opened and Kurome walked back in with a smile. "Hey, that was fast." He said focusing again to the fire. "So... it was a yes or a-" He felt a needle entering his neck "Son of a bitch..." He said before passing out.
*Hours Later, Night Raid HQ*
"Y'know..." Tatsumi said as he was tied to a chair with chains, as the members of Night Raid surrounded him "If you wanted to talk, you could just asked. That needle really is annoying."
Najenda that was holding the ring with her fake arm looked at him "You brought this on yourself Tatsumi. Now, tell us where the Teigu Forge is and you are free to go."
"I don't know." Tatsumi said as Najenda narrowed her eyes "look, I really don't know. Bulat and Budo went there, while I fought Esdeath."
"Tatsumi." Ieyasu said "Please... I don't want to kill you."
Tatsumi smirked "Oh, that's cute. But don't sweat it. I am already a dead-man walking. So, if I die here, it would make little difference to my situation."
"Boss, he is just making fun out of us." Leone said and Najenda nodded.
"I know. I will think what we do with him." She said and slowly the members of Night Raid left him. The only ones staying there, were Ieyasu and Akame.
"You really don't know?" Ieyasu asked and Tatsumi nodded.
"Yep. I just know it is somewhere in the palace. Nothing more, nothing else."
"How we know you are telling the truth?" Akame asked and Tatsumi shrugged.
"I swear on Kurome. By the way, she says hi." Akame narrowed her eyes and left all together.
Ieyasu was looking at Tatsumi with a sad look and Tatsumi sighed "Don't give me the puppy eyes, you'll make me cry." He mocked and Ieyasu sighed.
"How can you fight for the empire. They are the-"
"Thing that is killing the country? I know. I am kind of forced." Ieyasu raised a brow.
"Forced? By who?"
"Esdeath. She somehow found out where our village is and... look, I am doing this for the greater good."
Ieyasu gritted his teeth "You always say the same thing to excuse anything you do! You really think that what the Old Man Ken said years ago still matter? To give your life over something you don't even know will be real!?"
Tatsumi raised a brow "What do you mean?"
"You really think that Esdeath will keep her word?!"
"I can only hope." Tatsumi said and looked at Ieyasu "So, what happened to Sayo?"
"She died. Some nobles tortured and killed her." Ieyasu said and Tatsumi sighed. "Those are the people you are fighting for."
"Look, I am not going to explain every one of my actions to you." Tatsumi said as he coughed a bit of blood surprising Ieyasu.
"You're worst now..." He said as he wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Yeah... I blame you." He joked making Ieyasu chuckle. A loud crash sound was heard and the scream of Sheele.
"What the-!?" Ieyasu exclaimed as suddenly, Koro, busted through the wall making Ieyasu jump away.
"What the hell!? Koro?" Tatsumi asked not knowing this form of Koro. Koro nodded "So, if you are here, then that means that Seryu is here too..."
"Tatsumi!" Like in cue, Seryu entered the room as Koro fought Ieyasu and Leone and Seryu untied him. "Don't worry! This evildoers won't harm you!"
"You sure? Because we are surrounded." Tatsumi said and Seryu grinned.
"Don't worry. I found some help in the way." Mine aimed a shot at them but was blocked when Bulat landed on front, covered with Incursio making Tatsumi grin.
"Bro!"
Bulat nodded "Let's go! Crazy girl! Do that thing!" Seryu nodded as Koro, ate them and jumped away.
Once they were in a safe distance Tatsumi sighed "Thanks guys. I owe you big."
Seryu saluted "No problem Tatsumi! That's why teammates are for!"
Tatsumi nodded as he coughed more blood, making Bulat worried "Tatsumi! You are way worst since the last time I saw you."
"Don't worry Bro. We are still not done." Tatsumi said and Seryu raised a brow.
"What do you mean?"
"They have the key for the Teigu forge. If they find out where it is, and they will, we are done for." Tatsumi explained as Seryu nodded with eyes wide. "Bro, where is the forge? If we get there first, we can protect it until backup arrives. Also, how did you find me?"
"I found this girl who was tracking you, and as I knew where the HQ was, I took her there." Bulat explained and Seryu nodded with a smile.
"That's right!"
"Awesome... now, where is the forge?" Tatsumi asked.
"You need to see medical help first. You are sick and can't fight." Bulat said with a stern face and Tatsumi frowned.
"We need all the help to fight them off. Bro, take us there."
With hesitation, Bulat took them there. It wasn't inside the palace, it was under the city. They got in there and it was some sort of golden bed, with machines on top of it.
"It looks, weird." Seryu said as steps were heard.
Night Raid arrived.
Koro became big and Bulat put on his armor. All Night Raid, including Najenda, and two new members were there.
"How long till we get backup?" Bulat asked and Seryu frowned.
"5 minutes. We should be able to hang on."
Tatsumi walked next to them "Well, let's do this."
"You can't be serious! You'll die!" Seryu exclaimed and Tatsumi shrugged.
"Ready for it. Just tell Kurome, sorry for not wait for her answer. And Bro, check this out."
Lighting started to run across his body "Trump Card: God's Speed." After saying that, an electric blue aura surrounded him, and in a blink, he was on front of Leone and punched her, sending her away.
Mine pointed Pumpkin to him but Koro got on her way, making her dodge. Bulat started to fight Akame as Tatsumi went running at the speed of light to Najenda, only to be blocked by the blue haired guy with horns.
Tatsumi narrowed his eyes and went behind him trying to kick him, thing he did, making the huge man, stumble, but recovered quickly and swing a punch at him, but he ducked and uppercut him. He then jumped and kicked him throwing him back. Blood started to come from his nose and ears.
"You are strong." The blue haired man said as Tatsumi started to stumble and his vision started to become blurry.
"Thanks..." Tatsumi said as he coughed more blood. Tatsumi quickly dodged Akame trying to cut him and went next to Bulat that blocked a Leone punch, that send him back. Koro was shot again and cut by Lubbock's wires.
"How... long... till they arrive?" Tatsumi asked as he fell to his knees and the blue aura disappeared.
"Tatsumi!" Seryu and Bulat exclaimed as he continued to cough blood. Mine pointed Pumpkin to him but before she could shoot, Wave in armor appeared, breaking a wall, followed by the rest of the Jaegers.
Tatsumi smirked "Yay... we made it..." He said as he fell to his back.
"Tatsumi!" Kurome screamed as she ran to him. She held his head and Tatsumi smirked.
"Hey... Cookie Monster..."
"Don't worry! Stylsih will fix you and-and..." She said as tears started to fall from her eyes.
Tatsumi wiped the tears from her face with a shaky hand. "Hey... don't cry... I was already ready for this..."
"But I am not! You can't die! Don't die! Please!" She begged as Tatsumi caressed her face. The Jaegers and Night Raid were fighting already.
"Hey... before I go... what's your answer?" Tatsumi asked and Kurome sobbed.
"That I love you... so you can't die!" She said and Tatsumi chuckled.
"Love... that was fast... maybe... we could have a date... yeah... it sounds nice..." Tatsumi said as he started to close his eyes.
"Tatsumi? No. No! Tatsumi! Open your eyes you idiot! Tatsumi!" Kurome cried as she hugged him.
"We can save him. There is a way."
Next Chapter: Number 49