And here we finally have it. The big one.
When reconciliation meets separation.
Most of the soldiers had already evacuated the big room when Makeias finally found his way to it.
The few that were left in it were focusing on different tasks. Some were carrying wounded warriors out, towards the surface. Others were huddled together around people lying on the ground. And a few people sat against the wall in the room. Resting or taking care of their own wounds. No one paid any attention to the former general.
Not that Makeias minded. There was only one person he wanted to talk with right now. And he spotted him after a second.
However, when his eyes landed on Tom-Tom, the old man was sitting on his knees with his back to him. Heavily bent forward. With his hands across his chest. The big gray owl struggling to hold balance at its place on his shoulder. Makeias halted his breath at the sight. His old friend seemed to be greatly damaged. He immediately walked up to him. Almost running the short distance.
"Tom-Tom?" he asked loudly as he got closer to him. "Tom-Tom?" he asked again in a calmer tone as he reached out with a hand and grabbed the giant shoulder of the old man.
When he did, Tom-Tom straightened up slightly and turned around a little bit. Momentarily moving away the thing he had pressed against his chest. Allowing Makeias to see the body of the broken little girl. Her blood coloring most of the front of Tom-Tom's attire.
Makeias could tell with a single glance that the girl was dead. Her chest crushed.
"God fuCKING DA-" Makeias started but then clenched his teeth in order to stop himself from screaming out. He turned his face up towards the ceiling. Trying to get back control over himself.
Tom-Tom slowly returned Liza's body to his chest. Looking down at her. "I promised her parents that I would look after them. And now I have lost them both."
"We promised them. This wasn't only your responsibility, Tom-Tom. It never was." Makeias said through clenched teeth. Still struggling with getting himself under control He was the leader. He couldn't show his men how badly this hurt him. Even though he was sure that Tom-Tom knew.
"You don't understand, Makeias. She gave her life in order to save my own. She died so that I can live on."
"Night raid?" Makeias said and looked down at him again.
Tom-Tom nodded while not leaving Liza with his eyes. "Leone and that boy with the water teigu. Isamu?"
"Yeah, Isamu." Makeias said.
"They went in to finish me together. Liza took the blow in my place. Just before our groups separated."
Makeias looked at Tom-Tom and then at Liza. Had she known that she had probably saved his cause by rescuing Tom-Tom? Had she realized how important her sacrifice probably was? Had she known how important Tom-Tom was? He didn't know. And it was not something he could ask Tom-Tom about now.
"She didn't deserve this. She was only trying to cope with all the misery the world was giving her. And mostly failed to do so." Tom-Tom said lowly. His voice silent and still. He didn't have any more tears left in him. They had been exhausted long before his grief was.
"Don't blame yourself too much."
"It was my time to go. Not hers."
"You had no say in her participation in this. I did." Makeias said and put his hand over his eyes. Rubbing them with a deep groan.
"In the end, I prioritized my ambition over my promise to her parents." Makeias said. His voice more unsteady than he intended. "I let both his children get involved in my conflict. And now the consequences of my decisions are making themselves known."
Tom-Tom just silently bent forward again. Putting his forehead against the head of the dead child. "One life gone. Given up for a chance to save thousands of others. It was not an unreasonable trade. It's just the pain.. it.. It cuts so deep."
Makeias nodded even if Tom-Tom couldn't see it. "I never imagined that Liza was one who believed in the greater good."
"It was just one life that she cared about." Tom-Tom said. His voice breaking as he rubbed his head against hers. "Just one."
Makeias understood what he meant. He clenched his teeth again and put his hand on Tom-Tom's back. "We can still keep half our promise. Jack can still be saved."
"We don't know that for sure." Tom-Tom said silently.
"No. But it is not an impossible outcome."
Tom-Tom just silently nodded.
Makeias straightened up a bit and looked around the room. Trying to put some momentary distance between them and the pain. Just to get a moment to rest. "Where is Wave?"
"He ran away into the tunnels some moments before you arrived. He was gonna try to find you and Kurome."
"Huh..." Makeias said. His brows furrowing slightly. "I will go and look for him in a moment. Did we lose Kai's body down at the meeting?"
"No. Some of his soldiers carried it with them as the battle moved away from that room. They didn't understand that Akame's small cut had already killed him."
Makeias sighed and rubbed his forehead. Not only had he lost a great soldier and a friend with Kai. He had also lost his main military administrator. The man that most of his soldiers had the deepest connection to. He didn't even know who would replace him. "Where is the body?"
"They have carried him outside. They want to burn it as soon as possible. As is their tradition."
"The military honor." Makeias said lowly.
Tom-Tom looked up at him. "One of us should be there."
"We should both be there. But first I need to find Wave. They will have to wait until then."
"Don't you think Wave can handle himself?" Tom-Tom questioned.
"We all need support in our darker hours." Makeias said and reached out with his other hand to Tom-Tom. The one that had been holding the sword the entire time. He pointed the dark handle at Tom-Tom. "Here. Send it to the main encampment."
Tom-Tom expression emptied at the sight of the blade. He recognized the teigu. "The girl?"
Makeias looked at him for some seconds and then slowly shook his head.
Tom-Tom face darkened. His eyes once again watering up. "Damn it." he said in a low voice as he reached out and grabbed Yatsufusa. "What grim days these are. When all the young and hopeful perish. Leaving us old ones to bury them and fight on."
Makeias could do little more than nod as he let go of the hilt of the sword. Tom-Tom bringing it closer to his face with the one that wasn't holding Liza. "There is one more thing that you need to know." he said in his deep voice. His voice thick with pain. "Noctuaz synchronized with Liza before her death."
Makeias eyes widened. He looked at the teigu in the form of an owl that was sitting on Tom-Tom's shoulder. "Tell me that you are joking?!"
Tom-Tom slowly shook his head. "That is how she managed to dart back and save me. Even when my death should have been sealed."
"The gods are cruel." Makeias said and reached up and started to stroke the teigu with a hand. He took some deep and steadying breaths. Fighting to stay in control. "That means that Liza knew the full extent of what she was doing. It is a mercy to know that she knew exactly what was going to happen but still found it a worthy sacrifice. But it is a cruelty that we only now figured out that the teigu actually wasn't dysfunctional. If we could have made it work earlier, then all of this could have been avoided."
"It is not like we could have known. We tried constantly for four years." Tom-Tom said. "It is not likely that we will be able to make it work again. We don't have that time. So if we fail, the teigu will fall into someone else's hands."
Makeias looked Tom-Tom in the eyes and nodded. Understanding what his old friend meant. "Noctuaz power is unimaginable. No other force can stand against someone who can use its knowledge." he said and looked up at the owl as he stroked it. "It is because of tools like this that the world is what it is. Because some people suddenly get the power to completely crush and dominate those around them by mere happenstance."
The hand that was stroking the large bird suddenly grabbed a hard hold around its neck. "They must all be destroyed."
Noctuaz screeched in pain and flapped with its wings as Morbus seeped into it from the hand that was strangling it. It's gray feathers flying in every direction as it struggled for its life.
After a minute, Makeias threw the dead bird to the side. The teigu destroyed. He started to turn around.
"Should I have them destroy Yatsufusa?" Tom-Tom asked Makeias.
"No... Not yet. We might still need that." Makeias said in an empty voice. "I will meet up with you at Kai's funeral pyre. Don't let them start it without me. Now I need to find Wave."
Tom-Tom started to rise up. Cradling Liza in his arms. Makeias stopped for a little bit and looked at her. Tom-Tom noticed his gaze. "Where should we bury her?"
Makeias turned away from him. Not able to keep his voice steady as he spoke. "What does it matter, where in the ground we put her? All the life is gone from her. All we have left is a corpse. Where we put it is irrelevant."
Tom-Tom looked down at the blond child in his arms. "Let's put her where we put her parents. We should, at least, let her rest beside them since she missed them so." he said and then looked up at Makeias' back. "You and I should be doing it. We should face her parents as we return their child to them. We failed them. We should not try to escape from that guilt. They deserve better from us."
"Ohh believe me, Tom-Tom." Makeias said and started to walk away. "There is no escape from this."
Tom-Tom looked at him for some moments as he started to walk away before he spoke. "One more thing, Makeias."
"Mhh?"
"I didn't bring it up since you seem to be fine, but as soon as you walked into this room, I noticed that you have sustained some horrific damages to your chest. I need to ask, are you okay? Your heart isn't even beating anymore."
"Well.." Makeias said and smiled sadly at Tom-Tom over his shoulder as he continued to walk. "..apparently I didn't need it anymore."
Esdese walked calmly into the large room. Her hands on her hips. Tatsumi could not see general Gallus anywhere so he guessed that Esdese had dismissed him.
Esdese's eyes traveled from the remains of the prime minister to the woman that was crying by the wall and finally landed on Tatsumi. And even if her expression had gotten a very bitter tinge to it at the sight of the prime minister, when her eyes landed on Tatsumi, it changed immediately.
He met her gaze directly. His eyes threatening and his expression determined. He was holding Incursio in one hand and half his face was covered in blood.
Esdese let out a sigh that sounded both happy, longing and excited at the same time. A smile that was hard to read formed on her face. "You are beautiful, Tatsumi."
Tatsumi couldn't stop himself from smiling back at her. His expression tired. Yet there was a little bit of sad joy in his smile. Killing the prime minister had left him hollow inside. Not really getting anything but emptiness from the act. But now his heart was exploding with conflicting emotions and needs.
"You have always been the looker between the two of us." he said and looked over her shoulder, then back at her eyes. "Gallus?"
"I sent him away. I don't want him to interrupt us. I don't want anything to disrupt my enjoyment of our last moment together." she said and drew her sword. Putting so much force into the movement that it made the wind blow against Tatsumi and Bellany.
Tatsumi looked at Esdese. Gallus being there or not didn't change anything. Both he and Esdese knew how this fight would end. They both knew who was the strongest one of them. They both knew that this fight would conclude with his death.
He smiled at her. "You know, I am happy that it is you and me in the end, Esdese."
Esdese's smile changed character slightly. "So am I, Tatsumi."
Tatsumi thought he could see something besides the dangerous happiness in Esdese's expression. A hint of something else showing through. Mostly overshadowed by her anticipation of the battle to come. She slowly started to walk towards him.
The Bellany doppelganger apparently saw this as her chance.
She rose up behind Tatsumi and started to run along the wall to Esdese's side of the room. As soon as she had passed Tatsumi she ran up towards Esdese.
"Great general! You can't believe how grateful I am that you are here!" she shouted in shaky relief. Almost sobbing. "He killed him, Esdese! He killed the prime minister! He betrayed-" was all she managed to say before Esdese's sword hit her stomach.
The attack was lazy and not really focused. Esdese mostly just brushing the annoyance away with a swing. Not really making a proper attack. The sharp blade cut the girl in two. Sending both halves of the young woman's body flying into the wall. Coloring it red with blood splatter as the remains hit the floor. Esdese's eyes did not leave Tatsumi's during the entire moment. She was getting rather close now.
"So you figured out that it wasn't the real one, huh?" Tatsumi said. Still smiling sadly at her.
"I was told that she had been put in prison for her transgressions. For withholding important information from me. Since she was here, it is clear that she has been working behind my back to deceive me. So whether or not it is the real one is irrelevant. Both would get the same treatment. And besides, not even once during her military career did Bellany forget to address a superior with the correct honorifics."
Tatsumi nodded. "Yeah. You can guess who that one worked for."
"Never mind that now, Tatsumi." Esdese dismissed. She raised her hand at him in an inviting gesture. "Come now. Equip Incursio. Give me all of your strength. Let me experience you in all your beauty and glory before I kill you. Let me have all that you are."
Tatsumi looked at her in silence. A part of him actually wanted to give in to her invitation. He was so tired of everything. He was so tired of the mind-games. He was so tired of the guilt and shame. He was so tired of the pain and suffering. A part of him liked the idea of giving this fight his all and then be relieved of it all. By the person that he loved so much.
He lifted up Incursio a bit and looked at it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He already knew his answer.
If he engaged in this fight now, then he wouldn't be giving this life his all. If he just went into this fight now, he would be accepting his death. He would be giving up. He would leave the empire to continue its cruel ways.
He had killed the prime minister, but he knew that if he left the empire in Esdese's hands, then a time of anarchy would soon come to the entire country. The puppet was strong enough to survive on her own. The prime minister had at least always struggled for stability. In order to remain in control over the nation. Esdese had never cared about stability or control when it came to politics. She was fine with just letting chaos rule. Allowing the strong to survive and the weak to perish.
Tatsumi knew that if he chose to fight her at this moment, then he would abandon the world to its own devices. Since he knew that he couldn't win this fight. He would just be going to his death. And while a part of him cherished that idea, the bigger part of him still resented it. He still had one more opponent he needed to defeat. And it was not one that he could defeat with violence. That was her element.
He might just be choosing to die without a fight by taking this decision, but that was fine by him. He had come this far. He needed to try.
"So this is it, huh? You will kill me here today. And then you will go on with your life." Tatsumi said and lowered Incursio. His eyes moving up to hers.
Esdese's smile lessened slightly. "We always said that I would be the last one standing."
"Yeah. I just didn't believe that our separation would come by your hand." he said lowly. Trying to steer the discussion away from the imminent fighting and back to the conflict between them. And to his relief, Esdese took the bait.
"It was you that ruined it, Tatsumi." she said as her eyes narrowed. "It was you that betrayed me. Not the other way around."
"It was never you that I meant to deceive. You were never my true enemy. The imperial court was."
"And who is it that I am sworn to protect?" she asked rhetorically. Her eyes piercing him. "You tricked me from the very start, Tatsumi."
"All my deceit was meant for the imperial court. Not you."
"What difference does it make? It was my protection that you used to survive while you attacked my allies."
"All the difference in the world." Tatsumi said silently. Echoing what Esdese had once said to him. "I never wanted it to end like this."
"Then why did you betray me?"
"I didn't betray you. Just the empire."
"I am a part of the empire." Esdese said. Anger slipping into her voice for the first time since the discussion began. "I gave you a place at my side but I will not bend my ways for you. I serve the imperial court, Tatsumi."
"No, you don't." Tatsumi said and lifted up the head he was still holding in his hand. "This is where your loyalty was placed. Wasn't it?"
He threw the head in her direction. It landed a meter in front of her. Esdese gave it a bitter gaze. But then she just closed her eyes and sighed in irritation. She shoved the head away with her sword. "His death is another failure of mine."
Tatsumi watched her reaction carefully. "He is gone now, Esdese. You have never allowed the dead to bother you before. So I don't see why you would hold any loyalty to a corpse."
Esdese's eyes moved up to his again. "Do you honestly think I would allow someone to get away after killing my ally. Just because he himself is no longer here."
"He died because he wasn't strong enough." Tatsumi said. His voice growing bitter. "Isn't that what you usually say? He died because he couldn't survive. Therefore, he should have died. There was nothing wrong with me killing him."
Esdese's eyes just drilled into him for some moments but then she slowly nodded. "He died because he was too weak. That doesn't mean that I can't have loyalties to those weaker than me. Nor that I will fail my duty to avenge them, as their ally."
"I am your ally." Tatsumi said silently.
"Was, Tatsumi. Was. You didn't pick the place by my side in the end." Esdese said coldly. Her expression bitter but determined.
That actually made Tatsumi smile again. "Don't you understand? He is dead. I killed him. The imperial court is in shambles. The emperor is long gone. The former rule of the empire is gone." he said and lifted his arms on his side. "There are no more sides to stand on anymore."
A malignant force started to emanate from Esdese. It's oppressive power filling the room. "As long as I am standing there are." she said in her authoritative voice. "I will not allow the empire that I have sworn loyalty to, to fall. As long as I live, so does it."
Tatsumi took a deep breath. His melancholic smile staying. He had known that she would say that. She would do everything in her power to keep the old horrible empire alive. She regarded that as her charge. Her loyalty.
"That is fine." he said silently. His voice almost a whisper. He took a step towards her and looked her in the eyes. "I have defeated my enemy. The rest is up to you."
Esdese looked at him with suspicion. "What do you mean by that?"
Tatsumi shrugged. "Just what I said. I don't want to fight you. I have defeated my enemy."
"I am your enemy now, Tatsumi." Esdese stated. Her tone hard. But Tatsumi could feel something more in her tone. Something else. It gave him hope.
"If that is your wish, then yes." he said and met her gaze. His voice friendly and mellow. "Then I will die here today. If you want it to end here, then it will."
Esdese hesitated for a blink of an eye before she answered. But Tatsumi noticed it. "There is nothing left."
"If that is what you want, then that is how it will be." Tatsumi said.
This time, Esdese's answer took time. Tatsumi could see the hesitation in her eyes. Even if her expression didn't give way for it. He almost had her. Or so he hoped.
"If you want me back, then I am yours." he added in a quiet voice.
That made Esdese's eyes widen slightly. Her expression looking somewhat shocked. Once again her feelings were acting in other ways than she had anticipated. Her instincts struggling against her decision. Against her better judgment. It took her some moments to get control over her internal conflict. But after some moments, she just closed her eyes and smiled. Shaking her head lightly.
"Words mean little when it comes to you, Tatsumi. I have learned that now."
"It is just not my words, Esdese." he said lowly. " I wrote you a letter. I left it in-"
"I read it." Esdese interrupted him. "Words are still just words. Even if you put them on paper."
"The act of writing it should prove something to you. I wrote it, believing that we would never meet again. As the letter indicated."
"You wrote that you were attacked by assassins that came to kill you. You wrote that they had the keys to Incursio's lock. And that they then cut through the bars. And then tried to kill you."
Tatsumi nodded. "And I wrote that I still love you. I did that before I wrote my farewell, didn't I?"
Esdese seemed a little skeptical. "So you mean to say that they freed Incursio, took it and then cut through the bars to try and kill you. And then you fought them, took Incursio, at which point your assassins fled."
Tatsumi nodded again.
"That is quite far-fetched, Tatsumi."
"Whoever sent them have probably been in contact with those that made the lock in the first place. Since they had a copy of the key. Because I guess that you still have yours."
"Then why did they cut through the bars if they could just have easily had opened the door. The locks were made by the same person."
Tatsumi shrugged. "Don't know. But that is what happened. Or do you have some other plausible theory of your own."
Esdese just stared at him in silence. She didn't have any explanation for his escape yet. But if Tatsumi's story was correct, then there was only one person that could have sent the assassins. And the obvious culprit of this scenario that he had presented made her more hesitant to accept it. It suited Tatsumi a little too well.
The silent went on for some seconds.
"I love you."Tatsumi said after a little while. Completely honest. "That is not a lie."
Esdese kept staring at him for some moments after that. She thought that she could feel the sincerity in that statement. But she just didn't know anymore. "And I love you, Tatsumi. Now fight me. One last time."
Tatsumi looked down at Incursio. Turning it around slightly. The teigu was almost a part of his identity. But now the time had come to part with it. He squeezed it's handle one last time. Feeling immense gratitude towards the ancient weapon. Then he turned his eyes back to Esdese's. Her expression kindly inviting him to his death. Her anticipation for his final battle peaking.
"No." Tatsumi stated plainly and let go off Incursio. The blade rattling down as it hit the marble floor.
Esdese's smile immediately lessened. Her eyes moving down to the blade and then back to his face. "What?"
"I will not fight you." Tatsumi said with an empty voice.
Esdese's smile was completely gone. Her expression almost confused. "Why not?"
"Well.. basically because I don't want to." he said and smiled at her.
Esdese's expression filled up with anger at those words. "Would you honestly prefer to die on your knees? Without a fight."
"Yeah." Tatsumi said calmly and started to walk towards her. "We both know how the fight would end either way."
"Are you too weak to even stand up and fight?" Esdese tried to insult him.
But Tatsumi just kept his calm and sad smile as he steadily approached her. "You know that isn't the truth."
"Don't deny me this as well!" Esdese said loudly. Her voice was angry and commanding. But Tatsumi could hear the pleading in it. "Pick up your weapon!"
Tatsumi just slowly shook his head as he walked towards her.
"This is not how it should be!" Esdese growled at him as he got closer. "Your last moment should be a magnificent combat, Tatsumi. Don't make it end like this."
"I am not making this end. You are." Tatsumi said calmly as he started to get really close.
"You were the one that started this." Esdese said and raised her sword. The tip of the blade pointing right at him.
"I was the one that escalated it, yes, but I was not the one who started it. Neither was I alone." Tatsumi said and stopped. The tip of Esdese's sword almost touching his throat.
"You made yourself into my enemy." Esdese said coldly.
"I have always been what I have been. I always had an enemy in the empire. An enemy that still wanted me dead, long after I had joined you."
"You struck first, Tatsumi."
"Ohh did I?" Tatsumi said. A bit of irritation creeping into his voice. "What about my two allies, huh? My friends from my hometown that got killed in the torture room of a noble. For no apparent reason at all."
"That was a civilian's action." Esdese said calmly. "Murder is punishable by law in imperial court. Otherwise, the nation would be in chaos."
"Okay then, next time I was attacked by that pathetic trio you kept as your subordinates. I did not strike the first blow there. But I did strike the last. As you well know."
Esdese's eyes narrowed at him. "You were accompanied by Night raid members at that time. At that time, we were on different sides."
"Ok, what about the times after I came over to you then? I never did anything to incur the wrath of Bellany."
"Bellany had reason to be suspicious about you."
"Enough to justify framing me?" he said and gestured to the remains of the would be Bellany that was lying against one of the walls. "I think you have realized that that is what has been going on."
"You framed other leaders within the empire. I have been given proof of that. Even if Bellany might have turned out to be a traitor, there is still proof of that beyond her."
"Yeah. Did you think that I would not fight back?"
"Are trying to convince me that you don't want the empire to fall? That is one of the few things that I am certain about when it comes to you. You have always hated it."
"I still hate the empire. I hated it long before we first met. But I tried to live with it after I accepted your offer. It was the imperial court that didn't accept my surrender." Tatsumi lied.
Esdese was silent as Tatsumi continued. Her sharp eyes meeting his own.
"And what about Izou? He tried to kill me as I was training. You were even there to see that one for yourself. And you know who that man worked for."
When she didn't answer, Tatsumi continued.
"I didn't start this. But as you can see," he said and gestured towards the blood and gore behind him. "I have finished it."
There was a long silence after that. Both of them staring at each other. After a little while, Esdese spoke again.
"But you haven't finished it, Tatsumi. I am still here."
The sad smile returned to Tatsumi's face. "My business is finished. You were not my enemy."
"You have killed the prime minister of the empire, Tatsumi. Do you honestly believe that I can just let you walk away from that? I am loyal. I have duties."
"Weren't you loyal to me as well." Tatsumi said silently and started to walk towards her. Moving his head to the side so that her blade only grazed his throat as he took those final steps towards her. Causing Esdese to take a deep breath. Her instincts and intentions in full combat.
"I have nothing left but this anymore." Tatsumi said truthfully. "I have no faction in the world that doesn't see me as an enemy. I have succeeded with what I was trying to accomplish. There is nothing left for me now. So..." he said as he walked closer to her. Her long sword was lightly cutting the side of his neck. Making a small drop of blood trail down it as he walked up to her.
He stopped when he was just a foot or two from her. "... since this world means little to me anymore, I might as well give what I have left to you."
"You just said that you won't fight me."
"I don't have any more fighting in me at the moment, Esdese. Not against you." Tatsumi said in an exhausted voice. "We can have as many sparring matches and play fights as you want later. But if it is just for the purpose of killing me, then I would rather just end this quickly. Here and now."
Esdese face was filled with conflict. Irritation being the most apparent one. It was clear that she was struggling with what to do. "I should have cut out your clever tongue the moment I claimed you for myself."
Tatsumi looked up at her. Their faces less than half a meter from each other. Esdese's blade still pressed against the side of his throat. "It is yours to do what you want with. Along with the rest of me. But..." he said and slowly closed his eyes. "..if you are going to kill me. Then I would prefer it if you did it now."
He felt strangely calm when he had closed his eyes. Not that he thought he would survive this. Yet he still felt complacent. He had managed to kill both the emperor and the prime minister and had also caused the death of great general Budo. No matter how you looked at it, ha had succeeded greatly. He had never believed that he would actually get this far.
And he also had a creeping suspicion that it might be better for things to end here. He had noted that he himself had grown into quite a dark person during his time with her. He had become jaded to suffering. He had started to enjoy Esdese way too much. And he was still uncertain if he would ever be able to stop her. For even if much of what he had just told her had been lies, a large part of it wasn't. And that scared him. He feared what he might become if things would go back to normal. He had started to doubt himself.
So it was with a calm acceptance that Tatsumi chose to meet his fate.
Esdese's knee hit him straight in his stomach. Lifting his entire body up into the air with the hit. He would have thrown up everything in his stomach if it wasn't empty already. But before he had even landed, the hilt of her sword hit him in the back. Making him fly down into the hard floor with his face first. The collision making him dizzy.
The rest is up to you, Akame, he thought as Esdese's strong hand came down and grabbed his shoulder. Swinging him around violently. So that he was lying on his back.
He kept his eyes closed. Waiting for the final blow to come. Trying to focus on the calm acceptance in his mind. Fighting the adrenaline the pain was giving him.
But the blow never came.
After some extremely long heartbeats, he suddenly heard the loud metal rattling beside him. He didn't have time to think about what it was before Esdese's strong hands came down and grabbed his head on the sides. A hard grip on his jaw and cheekbones as she violently lifted his head up.
And then he finally felt her warm and soft lips land upon his own.
At first, he didn't react. His eyes remaining close. Not really comprehending what was happening. Then with an emotional whimper, he responded. His arms immediately moving up and wrapping themselves around her slender and strong body. Lifting himself up from the floor as he pressed his body against hers.
The interaction made Esdese very silently groan into his mouth. Her hands moved down from his head and down around his back. Grabbing him. Her hands moving back and forth across his body. Grabbing him over and over again on different spots. As if she was unsure if it was really him.
When Tatsumi opened his eyes and looked into hers, she immediately moved her mouth over to his ear and squeezed their bodies together with a tremendous force. Making Tatsumi shout out a simple "Aah!" from the pain. As her insanely strong arms pressed him against her powerful body. She pressed their bodies together so strongly that Tatsumi started to believe that she had just decided to kill him that way.
But after some moments, she loosened up. Causing Tatsumi to gasp for air. One of her hands came up and started to ruffle his hair violently as his breathing calmed down a little. Then it grabbed a hard hold on it. Causing Tatsumi some more pain.
"I should crush every bone in your body." she hissed into his ear.
"Please don't." he whispered back.
The hand holding his hair forced his head backward. His face suddenly looking up at the ceiling as Esdese's nose reexplored his exposed throat and neck. Drawing deep breaths of him. He was kinda warm and sweaty from his fight with Dorothea but Esdese didn't care in the slightest. It was his smell and she had missed it so. Her face rubbing against his neck with such vigor that her cap fell off.
"I should keep you in my torture chambers until you can do nothing but say my name." she mumbled into the skin of his throat. Her voice a bit warmer. Her breath tickling him.
"I'm sorry." Tatsumi wheezed out.
She let go of his hair and her hands worked their way in under his shirt and moved up on his warm and muscular back.
"Finally." Esdese hissed in an almost triumphant tone through a teethed smile. Her nails carved long marks on his back. Deep enough to make blood trail down from them and make Tatsumi gasp. "You are finally mine again." Esdese sounded like she was talking to herself more than him.
Tatsumi was about to respond but her hands suddenly grew ice cold. Forcing him to fight back his voice. Muffling his first reaction to scream out.
"I should freeze you into solid ice and then keep you as a statue in my chambers." she said. Her voice not making it clear if she was joking or not.
"I think you would prefer to have my warm body waiting for you in bed." Tatsumi said between gasps.
Esdese was silent for some moments as her cold hands moved their way across his back, towards his neck. Getting his blood on them as they moved across the wounds. But then her hands became warmer again. "Yeah..." she admitted.
Tatsumi took some deep breaths as his body calmed down from the kick the coldness gave it. He moved his face up to hers and rubbed his chin against hers. Showing affection through a more primal way. Esdese answered immediately. Pressing back. Their heads stroking each other with such vigor that they created heat.
It took some moments for Tatsumi to notice that Esdese's face was wet. But at that point he didn't know who's tears it was. But he guessed that they were his.
"Gods.." he said silently and slowed down his movement. Making Esdese take the offensive. Pushing more against him. Forcing his head back. "I have missed this way more than I should have..."
"You are an idiot." Esdese stated matter of factly as she snuggled more against him. "You should just have given yourself back to me from the start."
Tatsumi started to return the motions again. "I'm sorry."
Esdese kept moving her head against his for some moments. The she slowed down and put her chin against the top of his head. "I really should kill you, though." she said. A serious statement hidden under the nonchalant tone.
Tatsumi just pressed himself harder against her.
She looked down at him. "I was going to do it, you know." she said silently. "I walked into this room with the full intention of killing you. Before anyone else got a chance."
"There are few in this palace that can finish me beside you."
"All the more reason." Esdese said. Her voice remaining low and calm. "Before you could kill more of my subordinates."
"I have killed all that I intended to now." Tatsumi lied.
"I am well aware." Esdese said. A bit of irritation finding it's way into her voice again. She grabbed his hair hard enough to cause him pain once more. But then the grip became softer again. She sighed as she started to stroke his head. "I am unsure of what to do."
Tatsumi knew what he should say. But he was kind of afraid to do it. Not that he thought Esdese would refuse it. He had made it past that point. But if he chose to embark on this road, then he had a feeling that he would become something much darker than he already was. But there was little choice left to him. He had chosen to try and live on. So he would have to do this.
"Let me help you rebuild what I destroyed."
That actually made Esdese chuckle. "You? Don't be silly, Tatsumi. You are a traitor."
"Only to some people. You saw to it that my crimes were only known to a few as you locked me up in your home."
Esdese sighed. A bit of annoyance coming into her voice. She didn't like where this was going. "You know that I can't let you do that."
"Why not?" Tatsumi said. Sounding genuinely wondering.
Esdese looked down at his head. "Do you really need to ask that. You killed the prime minister."
"Didn't he betray the empire as well? You know very well that he had officials killed within the empire. Isn't he a traitor by that definition as well?" Tatsumi argued into her shoulder. Esdese's head resting against the top of his.
"He was the strongest in his field. He was the best at controlling the imperial cabinet. That is why he was my ally."
"He lost to me, didn't he? I both outmaneuvered him and finished him. And I didn't need anyone else to do my job for me."
That actually caused Esdese to think for a little while. Silence taking hold for some seconds. "We were allies." she said after some moments.
"Were you really?" Tatsumi questioned. Trying to sound as submissive as he could while he questioned her reasoning. He didn't want this to turn into a competition. He needed Esdese to feel that they were reasoning this out together. Not that he was trying to win an argument against her. "He went behind your back just as much as I did. He sent Izou to kill me. He helped this new Bellany to avoid your punishment. And he never seemed that concerned with finding the emperor's true killer."
"So what you mean to say is that you are both traitors to the empire?"
"If you look at it like that, I have actually just killed a traitor. Doesn't that warrant some sort of redemption?" he said and looked up at her.
Esdese moved her head a bit away from him and met his gaze. Her expression thoughtful. When she didn't say anything he continued.
"Besides, he was the one in control, as you said. He was the one that failed the empire, didn't he? I mean, he is the one that let things get to this level. And then he was too weak to survive what he had created."
Esdese eyes wandered from him. Looking above his head as she thought about it. But he could see that his reasoning was doing its job. She was considering what he was saying. She was turning to his reasoning. After a little silence, she spoke.
"Maybe I should just lock you up in my chambers again and just wait and see which politicians that will rise to take the prime minister's place." she said in a thoughtful voice. It wasn't said as a threat. It sounded more like a suggestion. Even if she was literally deciding about the rest of his life.
"All the other schemers were suppressed and defeated by him. None of them are better than he was. None of them managed to defeat him. I was the only one who did."
That made Esdese's eyes move down to his again. She got a somewhat ridiculing look on her face. "You can't be serious."
He met her gaze steadily. "As serious as I will ever be."
"Tatsumi... You are a well-known traitor. I covered up your last deeds but everyone know that you used to be a member of Night raid. You can't be made into a meaningful politician."
"Yeah, your right. But I could be handling things from behind the scenes."
Esdese looked at him. Her brows slightly furrowed. But she listened as he went on with his suggestion.
"You know that I am good at it. I even outmaneuvered the prime minister and he used to be the best of them. Didn't he?" he said. The fact that he had managed to kill the prime minister by happenstance was not something that he needed to bring up now. Esdese did not need to know about all the random factors that had aligned to make this possible. She needed to regard Tatsumi's imprisonment in her chambers as a decision on her part. Not a sign that the prime minister actually managed to defeat Tatsumi in the end.
"I have been doing this for a long time. And neither you or the prime minister managed to figure me out until now."
When Esdese didn't answer he added: "You know I could do it. You know I could take his place."
She thought for some moments before she spoke. "To what end Tatsumi? What would you try to accomplish."
"To stabilize the empire. To put new ministers in place. People that we both like. Strong people that can manage the empire. And finally, relieve you as head of state. So that you can go back and just be a military leader."
He noticed that she responded to the last bit. He knew how tired she was with all her administrative work and political duties that distracted her from doing what she liked. "Sooo.. "she said as in a thoughtful voice. "You want me to let you continue with your scheming and deceit. So that you can mold the rule of the empire into what you want?" She still sounded skeptical.
"Into what we want." Tatsumi said. He knew that this was what he needed to emphasize. "You would be the only one that I reported to. I would let you know everything I was doing. We would be doing this together."
"I don't really have any urge to rule, Tatsumi. I am a warrior. I have sworn to defend the empire. I don't have any interest in changing it."
"There is nothing left, Esdese. The imperial court is in shambles. The emperor and the prime minister are dead. We won't be changing it. We will rebuild it. Otherwise, only ruin and chaos awaits the empire now."
"I am fine with chaos." Esdese said. "Let the world grow a bit harsher. That will sort out the strong from the weak more effectively."
Tatsumi swallowed lightly. If there was a single thing that he didn't want, it would be a harsher world. "It would heavily damage this nation. You know it. The empire would start to crumble. And then we would be on the losing side. Then you would have failed to protect the empire."
It struck Tatsumi, just how bizarre the situation was. He was arguing for the survival of the empire. A thought that he had always held disdain for. While Esdese was toying with the idea of letting it crumble a little. Their situations were reversed. But Tatsumi needed her to give him free reins again. And this was the one way to do it. And besides, their roles were reversed because the entire game has been changed during the last thirty minutes. All the old rulers of the empire were gone. All those that brought ruin and suffering to the world.
All except her.
"How will I know that I can trust you?" Esdese said. Returning the topic to its core.
Tatsumi took a deep breath. "I will bring as much evidence of what I am doing as I can. And I will tell you everything you ask for. But whatever or not you can trust me is something that you will decide. Besides, did you truly trust the prime minister? You were allies but I don't think you would have let each other dictate each others life totally."
Esdese put her nose in his hair as she looked up at the ceiling. Thinking about the entire situation. After some moments, he spoke again.
"Or you could just kill me here. That is your other alternative." he said. He knew that she had decided against it already so he tried to use it as an arguing point.
"Don't be silly, Tatsumi." Esdese said into his hair. "There are hundreds of ways I could keep you with me without letting you do what you want."
"Haven't worked out so well up to this point. Has it?"
"You won't be running around and disobey me if I take your limbs from you." she mumbled into his hair. It was meant as a slight threat but it didn't affect Tatsumi.
"You just said earlier that you don't think my end should be like that. You don't want to reduce my strength."
"No." Esdese said and moved a little bit away from him again. Putting her face in front of his. "No, I don't."
They just looked at each other for a while. Both of them just enjoying the intimacy. Then finally, Esdese spoke.
"All right. Let's see what happens."
Tatsumi's entire face shone up. He embraced her as hard as he could. Trying to imitate how she had almost crushed him before but not having the strength to do it. But it did have the intended effect. Esdese chins growing red and a satisfied smile spreading on her face. Deeply enjoying his squeeze.
"I love you!" Tatsumi said loudly. "I love you so much and you know it."
Esdese started to return the forceful pressure. "Now I know." she said into his ear.
They stayed like that for a long while. Just holding each other close. Listening to each other's breaths. Feeling each other's heartbeats. Hugging tightly amidst all the blood and gore around them.
Tatsumi was truly joyful in that moment. He couldn't help himself. He had missed her embrace so much. Even if he had denied it himself, he had been longing for her so badly. Aching for some intimacy with her again. Now that he had it, he was overwhelmed with simple and physical joy. Happy to be back with the woman he loved.
The joy strong enough to suppress everything else at the moment. Pushing away all his worries and doubts for the moment.
Because deep down, Tatsumi knew that his biggest obstacle still remained. The enemy that he truly didn't know how he would defeat. Mainly because he didn't think he was capable of doing it.
For Tatsumi was still aware that if there was ever going to be a true peace, there was one single person that needed to be removed from the equation. One person that just on her own had the power to stop any chance for a peaceful future. And probably would do so when it came down to it.
And that was Esdese.
Wave kept running through room after room. He couldn't find them anywhere. Neither his leader or his beloved. He had been searching for them for at least forty minutes by now. He had deactivated Grande chariot in order to conserve his energy. Since he still might need to fight some more.
He had found the corrupted garden. All it's plants black and dripping with black goo. Black leaves falling from all the trees.
He had been able to tell that no one was there so he had then turned around and started running around more aimlessly. Listening for the sound of combat.
But the entire base had turned rather quiet. He could not hear the sounds of fighting anywhere. Or any other sounds for that matter.
He ran around for another twenty minutes before he met Makeias.
He speeded around another corner in a large tunnel and there he was. The pillager making his way out from the big room that the tunnel led to.
The general had been fiddling with something under his cloak when Wave rounded the corner. When his eyes moved up and landed on Wave, they widened slightly. But then his usual smile formed on his face.
"Wave! Good to see you. Are you okay? Do you have any injuries?" he asked in a friendly voice.
"I am just fine, general. What about yourself?" Wave said and looked at Makeias. The older man looked extremely tired. His eyes had dark rings under them and his already bleak skin was paler than usual. And Wave couldn't help but notice that his legs and torso were covered in the black liquid. "You don't look so well."
"I will survive." Makeias said in a bitter voice. He didn't sound particularly happy about it. "Somehow I always do."
Wave nodded to him with a tentative smile. "General, have you seen any trace of Kurome? She headed off to help you against Akame."
Makeias smile became harder to read. He tilted his head to the side slightly. " Why don't we go back to the others? They are waiting for us outside."
"Is Kurome out there with them?" Wave asked. He didn't dare to think about why Makeias was avoiding his question.
"No." Makeias said and started to walk towards Wave. "She is not."
"Why are you avoiding the issue, Makeias?" Wave said. Worry spreading into his voice. Immense fear starting to creep into him.
Makeias put his hand on Wave's shoulder as he reached him. "Let's go to the others outside. Then I will tell you all about Kurome"
Wave eyes widened at that. "What do you mean... What is going on?"
"Let's just go, Wave." Makeias urged in a more troubled voice and started to push at him with his hand as he started to walk again.
Wave suddenly realized what was going on. He didn't know why, but it was clear that Makeias didn't want him to go into the room behind him. The one that he had just left.
Before Makeias could obstruct his view, Wave moved his head to his side. Looking over Makeias shoulder.
He couldn't see much because of the angle. The room was empty. Lit up by a couple of torches. And while he couldn't see much, he noticed a single pair of pale legs that were sticking out around the corner. And while the angle made it impossible for him to see anything more than her legs and shoes, Wave still recognized them immediately.
His eyes grew wide in shock as he drew a sharp breath. Without a word he bolted past Makeias but the general was prepared for it. The sharp breath had warned him.
He moved to the side, along with Wave. Grabbing hold around the boy with his arms as their shoulders collided. His own feet sliding back some meters on the ground as he tried to stop Wave's momentum.
"NO, WAVE! NO!" he shouted in a hard voice but it didn't stop Wave's struggling.
"LET GO OFF ME! Wave screamed back.
"YOU DON'T WANT TO GO IN THERE!" Makeias roared.
Wave answered by ramming his elbow into the side of Makeias face. Causing him to stumble to the side as Wave escaped his grip and rushed into the room. Leaving the dizzy general behind him.
He entered the room in one quick leap. Getting a full view of the body. And just as he had suspected, it was Kurome. She was lying on her side. Her back turned against him. Unmoving.
He halted himself in the doorway. "KUROME!" The body remained still.
Wave stood there for some moments. Frozen in fear. Then he started to walk towards her. Slowly accelerating until he was sprinting.
"nonononononoNONONONO!" His voice rapid and silent at first but then growing more into screaming as he got closer to her. "NO!NO!NO!NO!"
He jumped down on his knees and slid the last three meters to her. Grabbing her as soon as he could reach her. "Kurome!" he said loudly as he turned her around. Her shoulders and head landing in his arms.
Kurome's eyes were closed. Her expression still and peaceful. It was not that easy to detect since Kurome had such pale skin in the first place but Wave immediately noticed that she was bleaker than usual.
"Hey. Hey, Kurome." Wave said and shook her lightly. His voice suddenly small and gentle. As if he was trying to wake her from sleep. When he didn't get any answer his teeth clenched in a pained and panicked expression.
He immediately put his hand under her nose. When he couldn't feel her breath blowing against his skin. He immediately moved a little bit backward and put her down on the ground as he put two of his fingers on her neck. He couldn't feel any pulse.
He immediately put his hands on her chest and started to push down rhythmically. Performing emergency CPR. After a few seconds, he stopped and moved his mouth down to hers. Pressing their lips together as he breathed air into her. In his panicked state, it didn't occur to him that it was the first time they had kissed since before the first meeting with night raid.
Her lips were cold.
After some moments, he moved up again and continued to rhythmically press against her chest. "Don't give up, Kurome! Come on!" he said loudly as he continued the movement. Looking at her body as he did. Looking for any wounds. But he couldn't see any. Not anything that seemed life-threatening. She was a bit bleak but looked normal otherwise. He moved his lips to hers again.
He kept on doing the procedure as the time passed. But he didn't get any response. And soon five minutes had passed. Then ten. When fifteen minutes had passed, Wave's arms were shaking as they moved.
Not because he lacked the strength but because he had reached a point when parts of him couldn't deny the reality anymore. Yet he kept at it. But after another five minutes, his movements started to slow down. Until finally his hands stopped on top of her chest. "No..." he whispered silently. His voice shaking heavily. "No..."
His trembling arms wrapped themselves around Kurome's chest as he lifted her up into his lap.
"What are you doing, Kurome?" he said in a shaky voice as the tears started to flow down his cheeks. Smiling down at the lifeless girl in his arms. "Didn't we promise each other that we would meet again?"
He put his forehead on her shoulder and started to sob through gritted teeth. Holding her close to his body. Unable to stop the despair from taking hold.
He didn't even notice that Makeias walked up to him. But when his hand gently grabbed his shoulder he knew who it was.
"General." he said and looked up at the other man. His face wet with tears "Kurome. She isn't... I can't.. She doesn't have a heartbeat." he stuttered. His mouth trembling.
Makeias face was calm and filled with pity. "She is gone, Wave."
Wave looked down at Kurome again. "She can't be. I... I... I..." he said. His voice trailing off.
"I'm so sorry." Makeias said lowly.
"But.. But there aren't any wounds. She can't be dead. What killed her?" Wave protested. His mind still not willing to fully accept what he knew was the truth.
Makeias looked at Wave for some seconds. Then he crouched down beside him. He reached out and grabbed Kurome's shirt. He raised it up a bit. Exposing her stomach.
A little bit over her navel there was a cut. A small red line. Barely deep enough to make a mark. The cut not fully making it through the skin.
Wave looked up at Makeias. His face questioning. Makeias met his gaze. "Just the slightest cut from Murasame will kill you."
Wave's looked dumbfounded for some moments. Then fury filled his expression. "Akame!"
Makeias nodded slowly. His own expression grim. "I tried to save her." he said truthfully. "I'm so sorry, Wave."
Wave's face was constricted in anger. "She was her sister." he said. His voice furious.
"Night raid is just a bunch of murderers." Makeias said in a hard voice. "They don't lead. They don't protect. They don't negotiate. They just kill. This time they took one of ours. And then she took Yatsufusa and fled from me."
Wave clenched the fist that wasn't holding Kurome. "Akame will pay for this. If it so the last thing I do. I will make her pay."
He managed to hold on to his anger for some moments. But then the soul-crushing sorrow once again engulfed him. His furious expression giving way to pain and grief as he turned his face back down to Kurome's.
"This can't be." he said. His voice growing shriller as the tears started to flow again. "We had so much left to do."
Makeias looked at Wave. His thoughts involuntarily traveled to Liza's mother and father. The two of them had separated just like this and he had been sitting beside them. Just like he did now. Just as helpless then as he was now.
And now he would have to bury their daughter. The thought crushed him. "There aren't any words, Wave."
Wave slowly bent down over the body in his arms. Putting his forehead against hers as the tears kept pouring down his face. His voice a whisper as he spoke: "I love you, Kurome."
Makeias slowly started to stand up. Wave holding Kurome close to him. "I will always love you, Kurome."
Wave's voice was silent but Makeias heard him just fine. He needed to get out of the room. This moment was destroying him. He reached down and grabbed Wave's shoulder. He gave it a last squeeze and then let go. He turned around and started to leave.
Behind him, Wave started to sob again. Loudly and violently. His sobs slowly turning more and more into screams. They followed Makeias as he left the room.
He could hear his howling long after he had left the room. The wailing filled with pain and loss. Filled with loneliness. Filled with a wish for contact. Knowing that it would never be answered again.
Makeias walked through the tunnels aimlessly. Not really heading anywhere. Just wishing to get away. After walking for a long while, he could no longer hear the echoes of Wave's screams.
He reached down into his ruined coat and picked up the letter.
The letter that he had found in Kurome's pocket. The message from Akame to Kurome. The letter stating that both she and Wave would always be welcome to join the revolutionary army. That there would always be a place for them there. If they were just willing to fight with them against the empire.
A kind invitation. Filled with an underlying attempt at reconciliation. A try to rekindle something that would now remain dead forever.
Makeias voice was unsteady as he spoke. He had finally realized just how much control he had lost. How much power the sickness inside him had gained. And how horrifyingly true the words he usually used as his catchphrase had become. The words he usually meant as intimidation had been made into reality.
"I am decay.." he said as he closed his hand around the letter. Crumpling it. "...incarnate."
Author's very long note:
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So yeah, I decided how this arc would end a long time ago. Probably before I even started it. I was convinced that Kurome would die in the manga so I thought that if I did it right, I could time it with Bent but not Broken. But my expectations were overturned and now Bent but not Broken deviates from the manga on yet another point. Not that it matters much for that reason. It is all for the sake of the story.
It is hard to see any winner in this arc. Since all factions suffered heavily. But it could probably be argued that Tatsumi came out on top and the pillager on the bottom. Possibly sharing the last place with the empire.
And with this, the prime minister arc is finally done. From chapter 25 to this one. 13 chapters and more than 100 000 words. This single arc grew longer than I had initially expected. Longer than the majority of the stories on this site.
On that note, many people seem to have believed that this would be the final chapter of this story. I have been deliberately vague about it since I think that it would be a slight spoiler to reveal whether or not the story would end with this chapter. But as you might have gathered, I have another arc planned. And that will be the final one. Probably.
We have now had the introduction arc (5 chapters), the great general arc(9 chapters), the Garu arc(8 chapters), and the prime minister arc (13 chapters). And I think the last arc will be the longest one. The only time constraint I ever put on myself was that I wanted to finish this story before the manga ended. But now I am starting to get worried about that. Since this arc took so long and the manga seems to be finishing up.
I wanted to thank you all for reading this and following me for this journey. I have never explored one of my fantasies to this extent. Nor have I ever allowed my writing to grow this large. It has been a fun and enjoyable experience. And even if we now are moving into the final part, there is still a LOT more to come. Without you reading it, there would be none.
Until next time, take care of each other.