Ha! On time with this one.

Let's make that a habit.

The night before the storm. (2/2)

The huge corridors felt a little more empty than they usually did for Tatsumi as he walked back towards Esdese's living quarters. He had now regained his composure fully but a lingering feeling of loneliness still remained with him.

Not that he was alone. The humongous corridor was as wide as a street and there was plenty of people walking by and around him. Saluting him for his rank without getting much of a respons from him.

Now he actually longed for Esdese's company. He knew that she would easily wash away these feelings of loneliness with her unquenchable, albeit mischievous, love for him. In the past she had sworn that she was never gonna allow him to be lonely as he was the only human alive she wanted as her mate. Now he involuntarily just wanted to go and let her uphold that promise once again. Letting him forget about the world for a while.

And that longing for her filled him with self-loathing.

He had, in some parts, accepted her as his lover by now. Her. She who had hurt and destroyed so many of his friends. She who stood for so many of the things he wanted to put an end to.

Yet some parts of him had started to cherish all her other character traits so much that he at times forgot who his lover actually was. What she was.

At times he stopped to think of her as the perpetrator of sorrow and suffering that she was and only saw her as his caring, sadistic lover. And for that, Tatsumi felt that he deserved this loneliness.

Thankfully, he needed to remain in the position as her lover if everything was gonna work out in the months to come. That fact allowed him to not think about the moral implications of enjoying Esdese's company. For now.

"Tatsumi!" he heard a kind and familiar voice from behind him. He turned around to see Wave come walking up to him. "Hi, Wave" he ansvered in a tired voice.

Wave walked up to Tatsumi and put a hand on his shoulder. Looking genuinly concerned. "Are you ok, man? I heard that you were there when Esdese returned today."

"Who told you?" Tatsumi asked as he started to walk towards his destination again. Wave walking beside him.

"Bellany"

"My biggest fan." he said with a crooked smile.

"Yeah. She was over in one of the barracks, talking loudly about how you had seemed completely devastated about seeing Esdese do her job." Tatsumi gave him a sharp glance but Wave raised his hand defensively. "Her words, not mine."

"Can you think of a single time when she haven't tried to degrade me when there was a chance for her to do so?"

"Nope. Her stance on you is pretty well known, so most people take her rumors about you with a pinch of salt. But you were there, right?"

"Yeah. I was waiting for her return in the front row."

"Is everything okay, Tatsumi?" Wave said. Repeating his initial question with concern.

"Another criminal crushed by the empire, right?" Tatsumi answered with a sad smile. "Another villain meeting an horrible end."

"Cut the crap." Wave said. Sounding annoyed. "I've been your friend for a year and a half now, Tatsumi. I know you better than that. Did you know her?"

"Yeah." he answered in a empty voice.

"Are you okay?"

Tatsumi thought for a second and decided to tell Wave a part of the truth. He needed someone to confide in and his behaviour would seem more reasonable to Wave if he knew parts of the truth. So that he didn't start to make up his own theories about his behaviour.

"I don't know. She has helped me many times and I would actually have been dead if it wasn't for her. She might have been nothing more than a simple assassin but somehow I think she deserved better than this." he answered. Letting some of his sorrow come through in his voice.

Wave put his hand on Tatsumi's shoulder again.

"I just feel like she was unlucky in the end. Unlucky to have ended up here. Unlucky to have walked the road she walked. Unlucky to have ended up in this conflict. I just feel like she got dealt a bad hand from the start and then just tried to make the best of it."

"Like so many of us do." Wave said. He could now see just how sad his friend was. "Is there anything I can do to help you handle this, Tatsumi?"

You could help me destroy it all. "No" he said. "Some battles you simply have to fight alone."

"You sure?" Wave was very worried about his friend by now.

"Just don't tell anybody about my concerns." he said. Putting on a more nonchalant act."I have enough people spreading rumors about me without anyone knowing that I harbour concern for Night raid members."

"Of course." Wave thought about his promise to the prime minister. Tatsumi's relations and interactions with Night raid was certainly one of the things that he had been asked to report about. But he was unsure if it was necessary in this case. To his understanding, their deal was mainly about helping Esdese's love life work. He didn't know if this really was relevant. Then again, better to be safe than sorry.

"So I heard that my plan backfired by the way." he said in a joking tone. Trying to lighten the mood.

"So you did have your party? Sadly, it might be like you say. Since I wasn't with Esdese at the time." Tatsumi said. Happy to put his mind on diffrent matter.

"I thought we agreed that it was unwise to keep avoiding her."

"It wasn't voluntarily. I fell asleep outside of the castle without her knowing where I was."

"Oh... ,well if it is any consolation, I had a lot of fun." A cheeky grin found it's way to Wave's face.

"I'm happy that at least one of us gained something from it." Tatsumi said dryly.

He was about to go on about how the plan never had seemed to have been about his problem at all but he stopped himself when an all to familiar sense of pressure came down on him. She was there.

He turned his eyes forward and sure enough, at the far end of the enormous corridor Esdese was approaching them. Carrying Incursio in one of her hands. The crowd parting away in front of her. Soldiers standing at attention as they greeted her and noblemen saluting and bowing to her. She had an officer walking beside her. Reading something to her from a paper but she didn't seem to pay much attention to it.

Wave followed Tatsumi's gaze and saw the general. He started to put his hand in the air to try and get her attention but Tasumi stopped him.

"She has already seen us, Wave." She was too far away for them to be able to see where her eyes were looking but he could feel it. She had spotted him and she kept her gaze on him.

Tatsumi started his routine internallly. He focused in on a singular mental image. He forced away all his ill will and centered his emotions around all the things he liked about Esdese and the things she made happen. He took complete control of himself and fixated on the role as the ice queen's partner.

"Hey, I know that I said that I didn't want to try and distract her yesterday but I feel like I owe you one after last night. You want me to do something?" Wave asked. "If you need some time to prepare something I can probably improvise something I need her help with."

"It's fine, Wave. I met her this morning before she moved out. I think we're good."

After about three minutes they reached each other. Wave stood at attention and saluted her happily. Tatsumi followed his example a bit more leisurely. Esdese walked up and embraced Tatsumi without saying a word to the others. Leaving the officer scratching his head awkwardly while Wave tried to send the man a relaxing smile. He had gotten used to his commander's and Tatsumi's relationship a long time ago.

"Your hour was about to end so I came looking for you" She said as she pulled away from him slightly. A little bit louder than necessary, Tatsumi felt. Since the people who were walking by were slowing down just to see what was going on.

"Didn't even trust me enough to give me a whole hour, huh?" he said. His smile had a bitter tinge to it.

"Ohh, don't be like that." she said, returning his smile. She didn't move away from him much. Still staying well within his personal space without giving any sign of moving away. She pressed Incursio against his chest."I can give you another two or three minutes if you so desire."

"Nah, I'm fine." he answered and grabbed Incursio.

Wave was watching Esdese and Tatsumi closely. Trying to get a good understanding of the mood between those two. Attentive to any chance he had of making things go along smoother. Remembering the prime minister's words.

"General!" He said and saluted her again with a smile. "Congratulations to the success during your intel-gathering outside of the capital today." He immediately realized that this probably was the worst direction he could have lead the conversation in.

Esdese turned her head towards Wave and smiled her usual confident smile. Still keeping one arm wrapped around Tatsumi's head. "Thanks,Wave. I guess congratulations indeed are in order. I never expected that I would get to have so much fun on a mere tracking expedition."

Wave threw a worried glance at Tatsumi but the boy didn't seem to be fazed by it as far as he could see. He took his chance to lead the discussion away before it got any worse.

"I hope we didn't disturb your sleep with our party last night, commander."

"Well, I won't say that I was in a good mood last night" Tatsumi felt how the arm that was on his shoulder grabbed hold of his shirt. "..but your party did not play a big part in it." she said and adjusted her hair with the hand that was not on Tatsumi. "Besides, if I wanted you to stop then I would have made you stop. Don't worry about it."

"That is good to know, commander."

Esdese turned to the officer. Momentarily letting go of Tatsumi. "I will listen to the rest of the report tomorrow. For now you are relieved, go fetch yourself something to eat."

"Yes, general!" The man saluted Esdese and walked away. She turned to Wave.

"I have quite a lot of things I want to do with Tatsumi now, Wave." she said casually. Not at all ashamed of the obvious insinuations. "Go and watch over that little group of yours for a while. I'm sure that training them takes a lot of time. After that you can go on with your leisure time. I have no specific tasks for you."

"Yes, commander. Just as you say, I need all the time I can get with them. The life they have chosen won't be easy but they can still grow a lot more."

"I can admire the wish to see someone's potential fully reached." Esdese said and gave Tatsumi a glance.

"Thank you, general Esdese." Wave said with joyful enthusiasm.

Esdese smiled at Wave and gave him a slight nod to the left. Signaling for him to leave. Dismissing him wih the small gesture. Wave turned and walked off.

Esdese watched him for a second before turning around and starting to walk towards her own chambers. "Tatsumi."

"Yeah." Tatsumi answered. Giving his friend a last look before walking after her. Wave was doing strange signs with his hands that Tatsumi guessed meant good luck.

He walked up to her side. Walking with her through civilian areas were always a strange experience. Most of the civilians moved away fast at the sight of Esdese's uniform. Afraid that she was out on official business. Other more brave people stayed around, trying to look unpertubed. A few even shouted her name or encouraging words at times. She rarely payed it any mind. At some rare occasions she favoured some of the bystanders with a glance, or even rarer, a wave with her arm. Anyone even remotly involved with the military directly stood in attention as soon as she entered their vicinity.

Tatsumi walked beside her in a much more relaxed demeanor. After all this time, he still found some childish joy in being able to annoy the imperial military with how careless he could be around her. While they always tried to be as attentive and respectful to her as they could be. Fearing what a mistake in her presence might lead to. Esdese herself was only happy that Tatsumi acted so casual around her. He was the only person that she didn't want to fear her in any way.

He was ,however, a bit worried about her right now. He didn't know how pent-up she was. Leone might have taken the brunt of that force but he didn't know. He decided to start a more serious conversation.

"It seems like a certain little counsellor of yours has been running around spreading more rumors about me again."

Esdese gave him a look somewhere between annoyed and tired.

"Hey, I don't mean to come whining to you about all my little problems." he said and threw up his hands in a defensive gesture. "I just find it strange how you let her get away with it while you punish others for far smaller offences."

"I have told you before, Tatsumi. If she said anything of that in my presence she would regret it. But if I'm gonna crush everyone who talks ill about us two when we are not around then the military will suffer terrible losses. Besides, don't pay attention to the opinion of the ground you walk on, sweet thing. It will make you easier to hurt. "

"You know that I can't see it that way, Esdese."

"Then do something about it. Bellany is never gonna dare to hurt you."

"Are you actually telling me to go after your subordinate?"

"I will not tolerate insubordinations in my own ranks. Even if it is you, Tatsumi. Bellany is talented and loyal to me. As my subordinate, I will give her a certain level of protection. That doesn't mean she might not need to be disciplined now and then."

"And you are telling me to do that? I'm afraid I don't have a high enough rank to get away with it."

"Either you find a way to make her say these things in my presence or you make her stop through other means."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "So much for the protection of your subordinates."

"If she disappears or suddenly can't perform her duties because of some unfortunate "accident", then I will know where to start researching about it." She said and gave him a hard look. "And if I hear a word about you starting or initiating open conflicts or figths with any of my subordinates I will punish you in a way I see fit. But if I don't hear about it... Well, we won't speak any more of this." She said with a gesture with two of her fingers. Ending the discussion with a knowing smile on her face.

Tatsumi was once again reminded of how hard and cruel her ideals were. She had no emotional or moral problem with having Bellany face off against him. Even if the situation was unfair in nature. If Bellany would be discovered with planning or trying to hurt him she would probably face a rather horrible fate. If he himself were discovered trying to do the same thing to Bellany, his punishment would be of a very diffrent nature.

These kinds of inherent injustices didn't bother Esdese at all. Everyone had their own handicaps and limitations. Those who couldn't handle themselves were left behind. Anyone who was not able to keep up would be trampled. He was the only one which she offered complete protection to.

They had arrived at the huge doors that lead into her quarters. She opened one of them and walked in. Tatsumi followed in her footsteps by routine.

The rooms had already been lit with soft lights and candles. Esdese noncalantly threw her huge weapon to the side. It landed perfectly in it's designated place on one of the elegant weapon racks that adourned the walls of the entrance hall. Tatsumi placed Incursio in it's own reserved place.

"I'm going to take a shower. " Esdese said as she walked over to the bedroom. Twirling her cap on her index finger. He could see that she was in a good mood. He didn't know if that should bother him or relieve him.

"Alright, I will be in the study a minute. I need to write some things down before I forget them." he answered as he watched her back. She waved a hand dismissively over her shoulder. He couldn't help but notice that she was swaying her hips a bit more than usual. He felt how his body reacted to her. His heartbeats accelerating slightly.

She gave him a glance before she walked into the next room. When she saw him something more basic crept into her expression. Her smile became a little more bestial. As if a trap she had set had managed to catch it's prey. Tatsumi realized, that somehow, she knew that his body wanted her.

If it had just been a physical reaction then that wouldn't have bothered him, Tatsumi reflected as he walked into the study. A big room filled with letters ,papers and bookshelves. The problem was that it wasn't only the physical side of him that wished for love and comfort. He felt so emotionally and mentally drained that the thought of just resting in a caring and loving embrace seemed heavenly. Not that he thought that Esdese were gonna let him rest anytime soon.

He sat down at one of the room's many desks.

Maybe she had managed to change him a bit after all, he thought once again. Or maybe it was just how he had adapted to his new lifestyle. Either way, he needed to be careful. He must not lose sight of his objective.

This was the desk he usually worked on but it was still littered with messages and letters for Esdese. Put there by the maids and postmen when there were no more room on the other desks. A single candle was burning at the edge of it.

He shoved the letters down from the desk and took a new paper from the stack of empty ones found in it's corner. The bigger part of the surface of the desk was covered in a short message. Engraved in the wood in large letters a long time ago. The pretty desk ruined.

You are mine

Esdese had left that message for him a long time ago. As soon as she realized that this was the desk that he was using. He smiled at it. Her obsession with possessing him could almost seem childish at times. If you took away the fact that this seemed to have been carved with a blade. She must have ordered the attendants to not replace his desk with a new one, since these kind of damages usually were fixed or replaced rather quickly.

He started to write a couple of letters with diffrent hidden meanings. He was not yet planning to send any of them to anyone. They just needed to be prepared so that he could send them away at a moments notice. Should the need for them arise. He already had many of these prepared but Leone was now in the dungeons and he needed to have new messages concerning that prepared. Should something unforeseen happen.

He had been sitting there for almost fifteen minutes when suddenly all lights in the rooms went out.

Tatsumi immediatly rose. His vision completly gone. Fearing an assassination attempt. Had someone actually managed to get past the imperial guard? Then, out of all important and weak targets in the castle, they had chosen to try their luck against Esdese herself. That seemed stupid by any definition ,Tatsumi thought.

He moved his hand over to the now extinguished candle on his desk. It was frozen.

Ahh,so thats is the game we are playing, he thought. He took two steps away from the table.

He knew this unfair game pretty well. Esdese was coming for him now. And she would be fast. Trying to gain an upperhand from the fact that her eyes adapted faster to the darkness than his. Actually, all of her senses were much stronger and more perceptive than his. So his disadvantage was quite big. But he had learned some strategies.

If he could just get to the door that lead out of her chambers he would win. That was the unspoken rule. He had never managed to get that far before though.

He left everything at the desk and quickly started to move to where he thought the door to the entrance hall was. Trying to keep completly quiet. Listening for the slightest of sounds. When he reached a wall he went down into a crouching position. Keeping his side to the wall so that he could keep his attention on the other sides.

He couldn't see or hear anything. But he knew how to hide his presence. As long as her vision hadn't fully returned, he could probably hide from her pretty well.

He started to move along the wall. Towards the door to the entrance hall. He considered hiding somewhere in the study until he had regained his sight a bit but decided against it. She knew he had started here. And the more of her sight she regained the more inevitable his defeat became.

He felt how one of his hands touched the frame of the door that lead out of the study. This would be the biggest challenge. If there was one place where she would ambush him, it would be here. She knew he had to pass through this doorway. She was most likely hiding in wait somewhere in the other room. Guarding the door. But he had an idea. An age old trick but it was still likely to succeed.

What Tatsumi could not see or detect was that Esdese was right in front of him. Less than thirty centimeters away. Completly naked from the shower. Staring him straight in the eyes.

She was in a crawling position but the only parts of her that touched the floor was her hands and the tips of her feets. She had raised her upper body a bit so that their eyes were on the same level. She watched in amusement as Tatsumi reached into his pocket and brought forth a small coin.

She had actually silently rushed into the study while Tatsumi still hadn't realized what was going on. He had lost this game before he knew that they had started. He would probably think that was unfair, Esdese thought, but to the winner goes the spoils. She slowly licked her lips and moved a few centimeters closer.

She didn't quite know why she hadn't taken him yet. She was more acting on her playful instincts than rational thought. She guessed that she wanted to see his reaction when he finally managed to see her and realized that he had already lost. She watched with interest as he raised his hand up and threw the small coin into the other room.

Tatsumi listened closely to the sound of the coin landing and rolling around in the other room. Trying to detect anything. When he didn't hear anything he started to move through the open door while remaining in a crouching position. Putting his hopes in that his distraction had worked. He moved past the door and put one of his sides against the wall when he had reached the other side. Esdese following just a few decimeters behind him. Enjoying the hunt to the fullest.

He was now in the entrance hall. It was very tempting to try and get to Incursio but he didn't want to escalate this further. Especially since the results would most likely be the same.

He had started to regain a bit of his sight but not much. He could make out the doors and the outlines of the furniture in the room. He couldn't see any movements though. She was probably sitting still in a corner somewhere, he thought. Waiting for the right moment to make her dash. He would wait here for a little longer to get some more vision before moving on. He crouched a bit lower.

Esdese grew a bit restless when he didn't move. She crawled a little bit closer. She could almost feel the adrenaline of the moment as she placed her mouth just some centimeters from his ear. She stayed there for some seconds to see if he would notice her. When he didn't, she blew lightly into his ear.

Tatsumi immediately bolted for the door. His body reacting faster than his thoughts when he realized what was going on. But Esdese had been ready for it and the lead he had on her was less than half a meter.

He managed to get three steps before one of her hands swept away the foot he was gonna land on. He immediately caught himself with his hands and prepared to use his momentum to make a somersault like movement and keep going. But before he managed to shift his body, she pressed him into the floor with her own. Forcing them both to come to a halt after sliding on the floor for a meter or two. Tatsumi had maybe gotten halfway through the room but now he was caught.

"You cheated! I don't even know when we started." He said loudly as he squirmed under her. He was so close to the door. Not yet willing to give up, he tried to get some friction with his feet so that he could push them both forward towards the door.

"What are you talking about Tatsumi?" Esdese said with a delighted voice. She had risen a little bit up from him. She planted her knee on his lower back and pushed it down. Pinning him to the floor. "We have never agreed on any rules."

"It's not a competition without some kind fairness." he yelled, secretly enjoying their banter. He tried to reach something to grab to drag himself away from her but he only scratched the floor. He still couldn't see much.

"Who ever said anything about a competition?" she said with a satisfied voice. Creeping her fingers in under the collar of his shirt "The hunter has caught her prey. All that remains now.."

Tatsumi could feel how her damp hair fell down on his neck as she bent down to his ear and whispered.

".. is the feast."

She began to rip his shirt apart from his neck downwards.

"Hey! I actually like these clothes." he complained halfheartedly. When the back of his shirt was completly torn in two she stared at his muscular back for a while. Running a single finger down it while she kept him down with her knee.

He could hear how heavy her breathing had gotten. And he knew it was not because this had been physically taxing on her.

After some seconds she couldn't resist anymore and pressed herself down against him. Putting her hands on top of his arms to hold him down. She started to lick his upper back,neck and shoulders in long, eager stokes. Biting him every now and then.

She had always been like this. She had been just as inexperienced as he was at these kind of things when she had first come on to him. However she had been the one to take the lead. Trusting in her instincts. And so it had gone on after that. So their lovemaking usually contained a lot of force, a lot of bites and a lot of licking from her part.

Only now did Tatsumi realize that she was naked. As he felt how her breasts pressed against his back. He could feel how his own body reacted to her.

"Hey. Let's move to the bed." he said silently. She bit down a bit harder on his shoulder and remained like that. "We don't even lock the doors because of our trust in the imperial guards. Anyone might come in through the front doors right now."

"Unless they are really good at sneaking, I would be able to tell if someone was coming, Tatsumi. Besides, I'm not ashamed of my body. Neither should you be of yours." she said. Putting her teeth back into him in an almost gentle, nestling motion. Clearly deeming the matter done with.

Tatsumi sighed and played the card he knew would work."There are some things I want to reserv only for you."

That made Esdese halt in her nibbling of his shoulder. She remained still for a moment. Then her hands left his arms and and planted themselves on the floor. She started to lift herself up from him.

Now! ,Tatsumi thought. He rolled around as quickly as he could and pushed away from her using the only thing in the room that he could reach; her. He pushed against her with both his hands, as hard as he could. Pushing her a little bit back and sending himself gliding away on the floor.

Esdese was taken aback a bit. Having believed that their little hunting game was over. She launched after him but he rolled around and threw his now ruined shirt in her face. Obscuring her vision.

He then threw himself towards the doors. He didn't quite believe it when his hand actually landed on the handle. He had won this time. Finally.

He started to turn around, triumphantly." I beat you this time, Esde-"

A huge piece of ice passed his head barely a centimeter from his left ear. Smashing into the doors behind him. Piercing the point where both the doors met. Making them impossible to open.

"Wow, that was a bit extreme." he said and looked at the damage."I know you don't-" He halted himself when he saw her eyes. Uh-oh, he thought. He could still barely see her in the darkness but her eyes almost seemed to shine.

She didn't exactly look angry. She looked almost shocked in some strange way.

When Esdese had swatted his destroyed shirt out of the way and seen Tatsumi reaching for the door handle something had snapped inside of her. Something instinctual had reacted extremly aggressively to feeling him shove her away and now she was seeing how he was about to leave her again.

After she had finally had him in her arms for the first time in a long while, he was now disappearing from her again? Just like yesterday. Was he never going to be more intimate with her again?

Something deep inside her snapped at that irrational train of thought and suddenly her need to possess him spiraled out of control.

From every little strand of brown hair to the last drop of his blood. She needed to possess it all. All of him belonged to her! He was not gonna escape again!

Tatsumi wondered what was going on for a moment. She usually just laughed or praised him when he managed to beat her at something. Then he suddenly remembered how pent-up she probably still was.

"You know that I was not gonna leave for real. Right?" he said with uncertainty. Taking a step towards her and reaching out with appeasing hands.

She took a careful step towards him. She moved as if she was hunting him again. Walking a bit crouched, ready to dash out at him if he started to move away from her. Moving slowly as if he was an animal she might scare away with any sudden movements.

"Esdese?" Tatsumi asked. Starting to feel really concerned. "Come on, you're worrrying me. Are you angry with me?"

She silently stared him straight in the eyes, unsmiling, as she took another slow, careful step forward. Her arms spread out on her sides. Ready to catch him. He could still barely see her contours in the darkness but what he could make out was certainly worrying.

My competetive side seems to have gotten the better of me, Tatsumi thought. Let's try some damage control.

Still keeping his arms out in front of him he slowly started to walk towards her. "Easy there, girl. Calm down."

He would chuckle if he wasn't so tense. He sounded like he was talking to a wild beast and she was acting as if he was a rare animal she was trying to catch. A good metaphor for their entire relationship, he thought.

She froze when he started to walk towards her. Staring at him as she lowered herself a little bit more.

When his foot touched the floor on his third step, she pounced at him. He could almost see her now but he didn't try to resist. She tackled him and forced his face into her chest. His own feet were dragged a bit along the floor as she stopped her momentum. She remained standing though. Slightly hunched over Tatsumi's limp form.

She stood there for a moment before she dashed off with Tatsumi still in her embrace. Moving through the rooms in leaps. Tatsumi could not determine their destination since his entire face was still being pressed against her breasts. He did however, hear how she opened a few doors by smashing into them with her shoulders.

Suddenly she threw him a bit up into the air. Tatsumi braced for a hard impact but landed comfortably on his back in their bed. He didn't even have time to react before she landed on top of him. Straddling his stomach.

He lifted his arms to protect his face. Not that he thought she was going to hit him. He did it just by instinct since he still couldn't see very well.

She grabbed his arms around the wrists and pulled them away from his face.

His vision was definitely clearer now but he still couldn't see much since she was looming over him right now. He could however feel her breath against his face. He guessed she was looking him in the eyes from just a few centimeters above him. He could feel how her breasts were grazing his own chest.

"Have you forgotten who your owner is, Tatsumi?". It was not a gentle voice. It was authorative but way more rough and husky than her usual commanding tone.

Tatsumi decided that this might be a chance for him to let a bit of her urge to dominate him get an outlet without things getting too painful.

"Have I?" He pushed his forehead up against hers and started to push her head back. At the same time he started to struggle against the hands that were holding his arms. Pushing upwards with all the strength he got.

He managed to push her back a little bit before she responded. She immediately pushed back his head with a snarl. Pressing his head down into the pillows with her own and keeping it there. Then she slowly started to press back with the hands that were holding his arms. Slowly forcing them up over his head.

"Have you?" she hissed lowly. Her breath blowing against his face. She didn't seem strained in any way. Tatsumi was not suprised. When it came to the ability to cause damage he was a little bit closer to her level but when it came to pure strength of the body, he had never been able to even compare to her. He already knew this. This was about reminding her of it.

He started to struggle against her arms with everything he had. Esdese's grip seemed unbreakable though. Holding his arms still while a smile spread across her face as he grunted and snorted. Showing her teeth to him. Then she calmly continued to lift his arms over his head, deliberately slow. Demonstrating who was stronger while keeping her gaze at his face.

When she had pulled his hands to the wall above his head he was already very sweaty. "You seem very warm, Tatsumi." Esdese said in a sweet voice. "Do you want me to cool you down a bit?" Tatsumi's hands and wrists suddenly grew very cold as Esdese locked them to the wall in a block of ice. Summoned from nothing.

Tatsumi winced and wheezed at the sudden ice cold sensation. Esdeath drank in his reaction with an ecstatic expression. She grabbed his hair with one of her hands and pulled it back before bending down and licking him across the right side of the face, from below his chin to above his eyebrow.

"So even after I catch you, you still try to oppose me,huh?" Esdese said in a excited voice. Referring to how he managed to beat her in their hunting game.

"Oh, you have no idea." Tatsumi answered with a defiant smile. Referring to something completly diffrent.

"But now I have you. I won't be denied what is mine any longer." Esdese said. Smiling a not very gentle smile at him.

He opened his mouth to retort but all that came out was a gasp as she pressed her knee into his crotch lightly. Watching his face with amusement as his expression got a bit more strained. She could feel that he was already more than ready for her. She jumped back a little bit, so that she sat on his knees. She didn't even bother with unbuttoning his pants. She broke all the clasps on them as she simply tore his pants off him. She then tore off his underwear as well.

She smiled a compassionate smile at his now exposed and erect manhood. "At least some parts of you seem to be fully aware of where they should be."

The first time they had both been naked had been much harder for Tatsumi than it had been for Esdese. Partly because of a shyness he had and she didn't but also because of the embarrassment that Esdese seemed to know more about his body than he did. She had a lot more experience with dealing with male and female bodies than he ever had. Though not in a sense of intimacy and love. She had still been inexperienced in that regard.

She had however learned a lot of things about the human body during torture sessions. The fact that she knew more about how his private parts worked ,and how they reacted to things, than he did had been a blow to his self-perceived manliness. Even if she could also tell him exactly how all his parts looked if you opened them up in diffrent horrible ways.

He had rather quickly after that come to shed all that kind of childish pride. Realizing that not only did it hamper him but it was completly impossible to uphold it when Esdese was your partner.

Esdese climbed up and snuggled a bit against his face. Whispering in his ear in a gentle voice. "I'm gonna have you now, Tatsumi." It almost sounded like a warning.

She grabbed his manhood and put him in position. Then she sat down on him in a slow determined motion. Until he was completely swallowed up inside of her.

A simple "Gaah!" escaped Tatsumi's mouth as he was enveloped in the warm squeezing wetness of her womanhood. He knew that he was not gonna last long.

She slowly started to move on top of him. Increasing her pace bit by bit. One of her hands cupped his face. "Tatsumi." she said in a low rough voice."This is where you belong."

He was already reaching the limits of his endurance in this.

He hadn't even been close to a woman in the last three weeks, much less been intimate with one. And now he was enveloped in Esdese in all her carnal beauty. Her smell and warmth being ingrained into him again. Her caresses, kisses and squeezes were destroying all the resistance and control he could put up against his natural urges. In regards to his endurance in this specific field, he had been away from her for too long.

He clenched his teeth and hissed her name. He couldn't contain a moan from escaping his mouth as he spent himself inside her. Esdese noticed that he had reached his peak and slowed her movements down a bit. Rhytmically squeezing him in slow strokes. When his moment came to an end she bent down and kissed him on the forehead.

"I hope you don't think that you are done?" she whispered to him.

She started to move again, this time in more grinding motions. Esdese now only seeking pleasure for herself.

Tatsumi drew a sharp breath. He was much more sensitive now and had a hard time suppressing his moans and whimpers. Every single little sound he made seemed to urge Esdese on. Fueling her excitment. She put her fingers into the sides of his chest and digged the her nails into him.

She was close now. Her movements had become so forceful and intensive that Tatsumi felt like a ragdoll as he was pushed around under her. She just needed a little more to get over the edge. She moved one of her hands so that it's palm was pressed against the area under his armpit.

Tatsumi realized what she was gonna do. He lifted his head up. "Esdese, wait a mome-"

She cut him off mid-sentence by putting her other hand over his face and pushing his head back into the pillows. Keeping it down while she went on with her buisness, still moving back and forth on top of him. She drew from her teigu's power and started to freeze the blood under the palm of her hand. Making his blood vessels expand unaturally fast. Not enough to make his muscles tear but enough to make him feel like like they were. It required precision but as long at she only did it with the palm of her hand it was an easy task.

This was far from the worst pain she had given to him. She had been far more generous in this area with him earlier but it was still not something to laugh about. Tatsumi closed his eyes and grit his teeth. He managed to at least muffle down his reaction a bit. It was still enough for Esdese though.

She let go of his side and placed her hand on his chest and pressed down as the pinnacle of her pleasure smashed into her. Her shoulders shivered in bliss as she let out a long, deep and throaty moan. As soon as the highest peak of it descended, she lay down on top of Tatsumi and put her mouth over his. She passionately forced her tongue into his mouth. Pressing his head down into the pillows again.

She grinded slowly and strongly against him for a little while longer. Slowing down until she finally came to a halt on top of him. She lifted her upper body up from him. Tatsumi breathed as if he had run a mile.

She rose up on her knees, disjoining herself from him. She remained standing with her arms at her sides for a few seconds. Staring at the ceiling while abosorbing the glory of the moment and the aftermath of the pleasure. Then she let herself fall down beside him with a light thump. The ice block holding Tatsumi's hands broke into splinters, as she did.

"Have you calmed down a bit?" he asked after a couple of seconds. His panting starting to slow down.

"Yeah" she answered with a dreamy sigh."At least a little bit."

"You actually got me a bit scared back there." he said. She giggled a little bit. Completly out of character with her usual demeanor.

"Then don't stay away from me for so long."

"No, seriously. I almost thought you were going to dismember and eat me." he said with a smile. "I have never seen you look so hungry before."

"Well, in a sense I was." she said. She reached out and grabbed him. Pulling him into her embrace. Placing her chin on the top of his head. "You know that I would never want to damage you in any serious way, Tatsumi."'

"Says the one who broke my arm a year ago." he said as he put an arm around her.

"You know that I didn't mean to do that. It was a simple training accident." Esdese said. Sounding a little sad. "And I didn't break it. I fractured it lightly. Bones put under heavy presssure will grow stronger over time."

"Well, I have grown stronger, at least." He yawned into her bosom. Feeling more sleepy by the second. It seemed like all the trials of the day were catching up with him. "All the teasing aside, I can honestly say that I have been looking forward to resting here again."

"Then rest." she said. Starting to slowly stroke his head with a hand.

He snuggled in a bit closer to her and then finally came to a rest. Feeling at peace. For the moment.

"Tatsumi."

"Mhh?" he answered. Already half asleep.

"You belong to me." she whsipered in his ear, holding him a little tighter.

"I love you too, Esdese."

"Aaahaa." She let out another long euphoric sigh. This was how things were supposed to be, she thought.

She would let him sleep for an hour or two before she woke him for another go. The sharpest edge of her need had been dulled but she was far from satisfied. She didn't want to use any drugs or teqhniques to make him more lively this time. Not tongiht. Tonight she just wanted to enjoy him as he was. So she would let him rest for a little while. She could feel how his heartbeats had slowed and how his breathing had gotten much steadier.

She put her head down to rest agains his. Slowly dozing off into a light sleep. Still relativly aware of her surroundings.

At about the same time, in the far western corner of the empire, imperial agents started sending out birds carrying letters and warnings of betrayal. Setting in motion a plan eighteen months in the making.

Author's note:

And "The night before the storm" is done!

It is the first entry to this story that only follows one character through the whole thing.

I think most things that this fanfic will be doing has been showed off now. We have had a bit of drama, a bit of violence, the moral difficulties of our main character is somewhat explained and we have had the first lemon of the story. Everything is set up. In the next chapter the main story line will begin.

The next chapter will be back to normal size. It will however take a little longer than than usual for me since I have quite a lot of things to do. Expect it to be released in about 10 days.

The revelation this chapter gave me is that a visual medium such as a manga can have a much easier time in changing it's mood without coming of as too schizofrenic. AGK utilizes this pretty well since it can still have more lighthearted moments mashed into what is otherwise, a rather grim story. It can be harder to do without visualisation. This chapter continued from one of the sadder moments we have had so far and then transitioned into lemon. That kind of transistion can be hard to get smooth but I tried to make it work out.

As always, thanks A LOT for reading this story. I am so proud of every follower/favorite and every review/comment this story has gotten. If you like what this ride has been so far then stay around. Things are just about to take off.

Have a great day and take care of each other.