"Who are you?"
Akame thought she misheard Tatsumi's question.
"Tatsumi, it's me…you scared me, but you're safe now…"
"What do you mean, safe?... Huuu…"
He seemed to realize how bad he was right now. It was obvious he was in pain.
"But…who are you, miss?"
(Miss…he called me "miss"?)
Akame was stunned. It was a joke. It had to be a joke. A stupid act that only Tatsumi would think of…wasn't it?
"Miss…where am I?"
He saw Esdeath, Wave, Kurome and the Doctor.
"Who are you, all? Where am I? Have you seen my friends? A girl and a guy my age…their names are Sayo and Ieyasu…"
Nobody answered him. Everyone's smiles had died.
"Why do you remain silent?" asked Tatsumi.
He became slightly agitated.
"Hey, tell me!... Tell me where…where…wh…"
With a despaired and painful look, he fainted and sank in the bed's pillows.
The Doctor regained his mind and came to exanimate him.
"The fatigue and his injuries. Nothing bad", he said.
Esdeath closed her grip on the Doctor's throat and lifted him up without effort.
Akame and the others moved quickly to help him but Esdeath's deadly aura petrified them.
"Nothing bad? Nothing bad, you say?"
Her words sounded like a death sentence.
"You have exactly five seconds to explain what the fuck happened to Tatsumi."
"I…"
The Doctor tried to speak, but Esdeath's fingers were compressing his trachea.
"Four seconds."
Akame was about to draw Murasame, but Wave reacted faster.
"General, you're strangling him!" he exclaimed. "He can't answer if you do so!"
Esdeath deeply breathed in and out. Her wrath was still burning but she managed to control herself.
She finally let the unlucky Doctor go, who fell on the ground and massaged his painful throat.
Akame kneeled and checked he was alright. She wouldn't have brutalized him like that, but she wanted answers too.
"I'm waiting", said Esdeath.
The Doctor coughed, get up, and began to speak with an unconfident tone.
"To be honest, I'm not sure…but it seems I underestimated the gravity of his head injury. It may have caused a loss of his memory…amnesia…"
"So why the fuck didn't you tell me earlier?!"
"I couldn't know…I saw his head was wounded, but this kind of phenomenon is unpredictable… Sometimes, a mere shock is enough to cause trauma, so…"
Esdeath rejected his explanations with her hand.
"Can you fix it?"
"Fix…his apparent memory loss?"
"What do you mean, apparent?"
The Doctor selected his words carefully.
"Well, maybe, and I say maybe, he's faking th–"
"Why in hell would he do that?!"
It wasn't Esdeath who yelled, but Akame.
"Why would he do that?" she repeated. "There isn't any point in this!"
"Sorry…but this was a possibility. To answer you…I can't fix him. This is out of my range…no, of the human range. You can't manipulate one's memory at will."
Esdeath snorted.
"Stylish used to brainwash his subjects. How is this different?"
"With all due respect, General, this is completely different", said the Doctor with a gloomy glare. "That Stylish bastard just erased the will and the personality of his victims with powerful drugs and by suppressing brain parts, making them obedient dolls. Giving back someone's memory is entirely different. Unless you want a living-dead Tatsumi so you can use it as a body pillow?"
Esdeath wasn't smiling at all. In fact, her aura told everyone in the room that she was ready to kill on the moment.
But to her credit, she managed to stay calm enough not to lose control.
"Careful, Doctor", she said. "Don't you play with me, especially now that you're useless."
"I apologize for being rude. But you have to understand that our current medicine can't do nothing about this. Even with my Teigu… Sure, with my precision, I could manipulate the neuronal zones of Tatsumi, but the thing is I don't know what to do in there. I would cause more damage by trying…and even if I'd make tests before, every human being is unique and will react differently."
Esdeath gave up.
"Fine. Let's forget that. But what do we do now?"
"There is nothing we can do for now," said Akame. "Plus, the last days have been grueling. Let's rest for the day, we'll think about it this evening."
Deep in herself, she didn't want to. She wanted to search and try anything to bring back her lover's memory.
But by doing so, she would act foolishly. She knew that letting her feelings drive her would be a terrible mistake.
"Akame's right", nodded Wave. "We're all stressed and edgy, so let's relax a bit. Tatsumi's safe anyway, and I'm sure he needs some rest too. I'll move him to the biggest bedroom. There are other rooms for everyone…even if they're small. It used to be a hunter refuge, here, so don't expect something fancy…"
Kurome and the Doctor quietly approved. Esdeath didn't move for seconds, still standing up, but she finally turned back and headed to one of the bedrooms.
(It must be 5:00 p.m now, or so…) Esdeath thought.
To recover from the use of her powers, she slept for eight hours. But even now, a feeling was burning her from the inside.
(What is the thing that bothers me so much?)she asked herself.
She changed her position on her bed.
(No…I perfectly know. Tatsumi's loss of memory is what is making me like that.)
She hadn't been herself lately. First, her actions were totally incoherent with her lifestyle. Before that, all she was seeking for was distractions. Fights.
But now…she was fighting not for her own amusement but to save one's life. Tatsumi's life.
Inside her, Esdeath still hadn't given up her ideals, her opinion about the strong and the weak. She wasn't sure of what she was doing.
Of course, she lived to do what she wanted, but at that point, she didn't even know what she really wanted.
Was she blinded by her will to find love? Was it just a tale, a lie, like the stories parents told to their children?
Did she love Tatsumi, or did she persuade herself that she did so? Was this love genuine, in the end? All this time, she thought they were fated to be together, but was it really true?
What if everything she believed about love was wrong? What if she had done all these things for nothing? What if she had became weak all for nothing?
"ENOUGH!" she yelled.
All her thoughts were bothering her. It was literally a torture to her to think about this. She had never doubted…never! So why was she now?
She came to a conclusion.
(Love. Love have weakened me. Love is the source of all my troubles. I knew I should not have loved!)
As she was about to reject this love, another voice spoke in her mind.
(Wait…if it hurts so much, it has to be real, right?)
It instantly calmed her down.
(Yes…my love towards Tatsumi is real if it pains me. It is real…it not a lie…in addition of that, Tatsumi is strong. Weaker than me, but still, stronger than a lot of people. So if I love someone strong, I will not betray my ideals…right?)
She was smiling but her smile died as something crossed her mind, again.
The bright future she had imagined one second before…was gone. Tatsumi had amnesia. Tatsumi did not remember anything.
Her reasoning became darker and darker.
(Tatsumi…is not Tatsumi anymore. He's not the one I fell in love for. He is not the one he was. He has lost his conviction, his shine. Now, he's a crying baby. A weak. The Tatsumi I knew wasn't as strong as me, but he wasn't weak…)
When she realized that, she felt more anger, because although she knew the cause of her wrath and pain, she couldn't do anything to change it.
It was the first time in a decade that Esdeath felt that powerless and it was unbearable.
In a sweat of distress, madness and wrath, she made up her mind.
(The only solution is to kill him.)
Slowly, her intent took form.
(If I kill him, I will no more feel regrets or anger, these weakling's feelings. I was ready to kill him on the battlefield, after all. Why didn't I do it before? Our love is eternal. It transcends things like death. I should be the one to kill him to prove him my love.)
She get up without any hesitation.
(It will be mercy to kill him. Yes. Mercy and love. I'm sure he wouldn't live without memories of me, after all. So this is mercy.)
She opened the door of her room.
(I'll kill you for your sake, Tatsumi.)
In definitive, love had rendered Esdeath a lot more instable than she already was.
She headed straight towards Tatsumi's room. With a simple kick, she opened the door, almost destroying the hinges.
Tatsumi was awake and apparently talking with Wave, who was at his bedside.
"General? What do you want?"
She didn't bother to answer him and materialized an ice spear in her right hand.
(Quick and clean. You won't feel anything but a little cold sensation, my love.)
When Wave saw the weapon and the murderous, iced gaze of Esdeath, he immediately understood.
"General, stop–"
He tried to catch her but she sent him fly against the wall.
Tatsumi didn't quite understand, and moreover, he didn't see the ice spear. He was looking at Esdeath.
At the moment she was about to pierce him, he suddenly smiled, with his signature grin.
"Thank you, miss!" he cheerfully said.
Esdeath, the Ice Queen, froze.
Not only because this was unexpected, but because of his smile.
The same shining, innocent smile she saw that day. The same smile she wished he would address her, one more time. The smile she dreamt about.
"Wh…what?" she mumbled, astonished, blinded by this sight and blushing because of it.
Tatsumi looked at her with a surprised look.
"Well…Wave told me that you saved my life…it's true, isn't it? So thank you, miss!"
He smiled again.
Esdeath felt her heart beat, a warm wave embracing both her mind and body.
The ice spear she was holding vanished.
(How could I be so wrong?)
She approached Tatsumi. Wave, who just had recovered, watched her with horror.
(He never changed. He's still the same…no, he's more pure than before. More beautiful…)
She tenderly hugged him, enjoying his warmness, his scent, and his embarrassed stammering.
When Akame arrived, she thought she had hallucinations. The door, almost broken ; Wave, leaning against the wall, recovering ; and Esdeath, embracing Tatsumi.
"What's going on here?" she asked.
Wave shrugged, massaging his head.
Esdeath finally released Tatsumi, and, leaving him blushing in his bed, get out of the room.
Akame stopped her.
"What's going on?"
Esdeath grinned, and Akame did not believe what she saw : the Strongest of the Empire was blushing!
"Nothing…excepted that I almost forgotten Bols's advice."
"What?"
"The trick to capturing your beloved's heart…it's about never giving up."
After Wave explained to her what just happened, Akame was confused. She didn't understand Esdeath at all, but knew she was unpredictable.
"Wave…can you leave us alone? I'd like to talk with Tatsumi…"
Wave didn't question.
"Sure thing. You'll be alone. The General is resting, the Doctor working, and Kurome left after the operation to get some candies at the Capital."
"And you let her do so?"
"Well, she always hides herself under a cape, and she looks like a kid so there's no problem. No one is looking for her as she's presumed dead."
He smiled and gave her a small pat on her shoulder.
"Take care. I'll check the traps for the Beasts I set outside. See you."
When Wave left the room and closed the now fragile door, the silent fell. Akame didn't know where to begin…but decided to act. She needed to be sure.
"So…what do you remember?" she asked.
"About what?"
"Anything. What is your last memory? What's the last place you visited? Who do you remember?"
Tatsumi closed his eyes to ponder.
"I…recall the feast the Elder gave for our departure of the village. We –Sayo, Ieyasu and I– were supposed to go to the Capital, enroll in the Army and send money to the village. But…I don't remember anything after the feast. Do you know what happened to me? The dude named Wave didn't answer me, he just said you all saved me…"
(So, he really… He really has forgotten all of us. No. In his mind, it never happened.)
"Miss? Have you any idea where my friends are? Looks like we get lost…"
Akame's heart was being tearing apart each time Tatsumi called her "miss".
The one she loved and confessed to, and who himself confessed to her, didn't remember her. He did not remember her face, nor her name.
He did not remember that his two closest friends of this time died in horrible pains, tortured to death by a deranged family.
(Do I have to tell him? Should I lie? Tell him the truth? Pretend I don't know? Should I tell him we loved each other?)
But she doubted he would believe her. Who would trust someone that easily, moreover a stranger?
However, Tatsumi read her tormented face.
"Miss…you know something, don't you?"
(Was I so troubled that I couldn't hide it?)
Normally, Akame would never have let any information slip through her facial expression, but…
(I can't tell him. His past is way too dark. It took him weeks and weeks to get over that, and now… In his current state, where he knows nothing… It could be dangerous.)
She looked at him. He seemed worried. Not about him, but about his friends.
(I don't want to inflict him pain and sorrows. But if he finds out later…he will never trust me again.)
Still, she hesitated. It was too much for someone to take. She couldn't imagine how she would react if the same thing happened to her.
"Please…they are my precious friends. If you know anything, please, tell me…"
His last supplication touched her.
(Even before, he was that caring about his friends…)
And so, she decided to tell him the truth.
"Your friends…are dead."
Tatsumi didn't seem to hear.
"What?"
"Your friends are dead…both of them."
"What are you talking about…how do you know? Are you not mistaking?"
"A boy with brown hair…wearing a martial arts headband. A girl with black and straight hair…with a white butterfly accessory."
Tatsumi was petrified.
"Yes…"
"They have been captured by insane and sadistic peoples…and tortured to death."
Tatsumi's eyes filled with horror and incredulity.
"This…this is not true…isn't it? It can be…"
"I helped a friend of mine to bury them. I also know the location of their graves…as you did before."
"How do you know all of that? How?!"
"Because… we killed the ones who did that. My friends and I. You even killed one of them. And after that, you joined us to destroy the corruption of this country."
Tatsumi took his head in his hands.
"What are you saying? Who are you? What do you mean, I joined you?!"
"We were…assassins. Our mission was to kill the people who committed crimes against humanity and corrupted the Empire."
"You're telling me that my friends are dead and I became an assassin? Why don't I remember all of that?!"
"Tatsumi…in our last battle, you were greatly injured. It looks like you received a wound to the head, which caused you amnesia…"
"This…this…"
His eyes dived into Akame's one, like that time.
He was supplicating her. Supplicating her to tell him all of that was a joke, a lie…everything but not the reality.
But Akame didn't weaken. She stood firm…and convinced him, only by the look of her eyes.
When he understood she wasn't lying, Tatsumi darkened. He bobbed down.
"Can…you please…leave me alone?..."
Akame wanted to cry, to embrace him, to comfort him, to tell him she loved him and was there for him. But he didn't hear her anymore.
She had no other option but to leave the room. Right after closing the door, she heard Tatsumi sobbing.
She felt her already broken heart being shattered into pieces.
(What I have done?)
"Hi, Akame. Did you sleep well?"
In the living room, the Doctor was packing up his gear.
"Not as well as I wished, but I'll be fine. You intend to leave?"
"Yes. Oh, don't worry. I talked to Esdeath minutes earlier…she seemed happy, which surprised me. I examined Tatsumi when he was sleeping : his injuries will heal, just change the dressings from time to time. I can't do more for him, and I'm sorry about that. So, Esdeath accepted to let me go."
"Yes…Thank you for all your doing, Doctor. I don't want to restrain you any longer."
He observed her and cocked an eyebrow.
"You don't look good, Akame. Did something happen?"
(Am I so disturbed that even he can read on my face? It never happened before…)
"In fact, yes…"
She told him everything concerning her "talk" with Tatsumi. She asked him if she did good.
"This is only my opinion, but I don't think there was a good or bad choice to make. You can't anticipate his reaction… I don't know what I would've done. I suppose you will find later if you did good or not…but at least, you didn't lie to him."
He laughed smoothly.
"Sorry, I'm not good at cheering up people…"
"No…you're right…we cannot predict what will happen."
The Doctor shook Akame's hand, and was about to leave when he stepped back.
"I've almost forgotten! Can you hand me Black Marlin? I'll tell Najenda that I escaped, but it would be better for me not to come back empty handed. Besides, you don't need it anymore. It has no value to you, but not to the Revolutionary Army."
"Yeah, sure thing. I don't remember where Wave left it, but it can't be far away…"
Tatsumi's eyes were still wet. He felt like he was…empty.
He didn't know what was going on. The story the red eyes girl told him was unbelievable, but he saw in her eyes she didn't lie.
The pain came back. The pain of knowing he was all alone now. Sayo. Ieyasu. Gone. In a blink of an eye, gone, both of them.
And this hole in his chest. The sensation that…his heart was gone, too. He was hurting so much he wanted to scream out his pain.
Saddened by his losses and weakened by his injuries, Tatsumi started to divagate.
(What if…everything is just a dream? A nightmare? Maybe I will awake in the barracks of the army, with Sayo and Ieyasu teasing me…)
Tatsumi totally lost control over his thoughts.
(It has to be…I'm in a nightmare. I'm all alone in a nightmare. In this world, my friends are dead, and I'm an assassin. It has to be a nightmare. I want to awake. I want to come back to the real world with Sayo and Ieyasu.)
As he was reflecting, both his mind and body became numb. Everything was blurred, and that sensation, which came only from his mental state, persuaded him he was dreaming.
He simply plunged into madness.
(But how do you awake from a dream?...)
The answer came up a few seconds later.
(By dying. You always wake up when you die. But how to die in a bedroom?)
Suddenly, a detail hit him.
(But, if I'm wrong…I'll die for real?)
A dumb smile crossed his face.
(No way. It has to be a nightmare. And if it's the reality…why would I want a world without Sayo and Ieyasu? Why would I want to be an assassin? There is no point in living such an existence…)
"Damned Wave" grunted Akame. "Why would he store a Teigu where he puts his socks?!"
"I have not the slightest idea…" sighed the Doctor.
They had searched the entire cabin for an entire hour, looking for Black Marlin. They finally had found the ring with Wave's socks in a drawer.
As they were resting in the living room, Wave burst inside like a storm.
"Akame! Doctor! Big…big troubles!"
Behind him came Kurome, panting and holding a bag of candies.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Akame worried.
"I'm fine…I just…ran a lot…" said Kurome.
"I was fixing a Beast trap when I saw her.", Wave added. "Listen to her, we're in trouble!"
Akame gulped and waited for Kurome to recover her breathe.
"I was at the Capital to get candies, and that's where I saw them."
"Saw what? Who?" asked the Doctor.
"The Revolutionary Army. They formed several battalions that are on the move. I heard over thirty thousand men are going to rake the entire area around the Capital to find big sis and the General!"
(So this is Najenda's answer to our attack…) Akame thought.
Wave bit his lips.
"Do you think this place will be found?"
Akame nodded.
"No doubt about it. I'm sure Najenda already marked the possible emplacements for hideouts..."
"Let's calm down", said the Doctor. "With their number and their searches, they won't be here before tomorrow night. We have plenty of time to move…"
At this very moment, they heard loud shock coming from Tatsumi's room.
"What was that?" Wave frowned.
"It's…Tatsumi!"
Akame immediately dashed and ran to the bedroom, followed by the others.
What she found paralyzed her and gave her goosebumps.
It was indeed Tatsumi.
Hanged with a bed sheet to the room's girder.