So what's up? Besides the whole twist that just showed up last chapter. But anyways, new chapter! Enjoy!
Tatsumi couldn't decide what was the worst part of the weeks after killing Ogre. Training and censuring with Mien had been depressingly enlightening as well as stressful to the point he nearly filled Pumpkin's barrel with spice to get back at her. The only good thing that came out of it: throwing knife training, because he was apparently a natural with the ranged blades and even Mien couldn't insult him for that. But she could insult how terrible he was with a pistol.
Then there were the rumors about Tsu, or rather, the Will of the Empire; fresh back from a journey across the Empire and he had already been given control over the entire judicial system, the Imperial Police, and the prisons. A very scary thought to both enemies and allies of the Empire thanks to the urban legends and historical texts surrounding him. Tatsumi was still trying to figure out what Tsu had been talking about, but at least the supply of information that Lubbock was getting from him explained his need to be so covert about his activities before he left. Not that it justified anything in Tatsumi's mind.
Last, but certainly not the least on his mind and heart: Akame. While they managed to act civil and cordial while others were around, neither of them wanted to have their much-needed private talk about the kiss and what it meant. Something he was both dreading and hoping for, if only to make peace with one of his few remaining childhood friends. If he could still call her that.
Tatsumi shook his head to try and clear it. Is this what he meant by wavering? Not knowing what to do or think?
"Tatsumi, you've got that look in your eye." Bulat told him, leaning across the table to emphasize his point. "If you're that stressed, let's go do another round of training." They had already done a session earlier, but whenever either of them had the time or need, they would go for additional time.
Tatsumi looked around, and caught sight of the telltale flutter of Akame's long, silky black hair returning from somewhere. A corresponding pang in his heart confirmed it was her once his glimpse of her was gone.
"Sure, Bro." He replied, giving a nod and smile to his current mentor and role model. The former soldier replied with a smile of his own.
Akame continued walking, doing her best to ignore the pain in her heart. Tatsumi had been avoiding her at all costs since she had kissed him, and now it hurt to look, much less think about him.
What's the point? I might have come back to save everyone, but without him, does it really mean anything to me?
Akame stomped out the melancholic line of thought and turned towards Aria's room. Knocking quietly before entering, Akame was mildly surprised to see Kurome inside. She was sitting on Aria's bed with her head turned away, receiving her daily injection of the "cure regime" that Tsu had created before he had been forced to leave.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She apologized to the two girls already inside the room before joining in.
"No, it's fine." Aria replied, already covering the spot with a bandage that matched the ones already dotting Kurome's arm.
"What's wrong Onee-chan? You've been avoiding Tatsu-nii for a while." Kurome questioned her older sister, fixing her with a look that said she wasn't going to avoid this.
Akame sighed before deciding to sit on the bed next to them, knowing that it would be better to tell them rather than let them force it out of her.
Najenda found the squad of Revolutionary spies she was looking to meet with not far from their rendezvous point. But all that remained of them was a heavily wounded man, clutching the information that they had been sent to obtain.
"Well done. Are there any others still alive?" She questioned the spy, noting that his wounds were fatal.
"I'm the only one left." He extended a red slip of paper. "This is a list of sympathizers who will support us when the revolution starts."
"I can take it from here." She accepted the paper, silently offering up a prayer for the dying man.
"General Najenda, please…. Ensure the Revolution…" His last words slipped out and his body went limp.
"We'll save this country from itself, no matter what." She promised the dead man before slipping away, knowing that the Imperials hunting the spies weren't going to be too far behind.
Lubbock and Tsu sat in an outdoor café not far from the Imperial Palace, sharing tea in the day's sun.
"Don't you have court duties or something to be overlooking?" Lubbock questioned, shifting his gray coat open to alleviate some of his warmth. He was starting to wonder how long he could play his role since Kurome wasn't around.
Tsu raised an amused eyebrow but kept the rest of his face neutral through some manner. "I'm merely obtaining a report from one of my subordinates since his superior is still out in the field, what part of that isn't work?"
"Uh-huh. But it's not like anyone could suspect you anyways. Especially with what happened to Domestic Administrator Shoui and his family." Lubbock looked at Tsu's impassive face, remembering how the poor official and his entire family had publicly disappeared at the literal wave of the white-haired man's hand. A simple but incredibly effective show; one that gave Lubbock some hints to the full capabilities of Tsu and his mystery Teigu.
"That was regrettable. For someone so close to the Emperor to go mad mere days after the deaths of Iokal and his guards. It seems Night Raid is so powerful it is driving people to madness." Tsu's eyes seemed mirthful, and Lubbock found himself questioning what the immortal seemed to find funny.
"But anyways, I've been meaning to ask," Lubbock leaned forward, lowering his voice, "If you're really on our side, why haven't you killed the Prime Minister?"
Tsu's eyes hardened into a glare before softening with regret. "I'm sworn to not raise my hand in war or anger. And I can't really go back on my word. No matter my feelings on the subject." Though his tone was neutral, the information gatherer could practically taste the rage and killing intent exuding from his acquaintance. "But more to the point, I wanted to warn you about the serial killer running loose in our streets." Tsu pulled a file from his voluminous robes and set it on the table. His green-haired contact nudged it open with a finger and stared at the face pictured there.
"Zanku. Former executioner of the biggest prison in the Empire. Now a wanted felon for stealing the warden's Teigu and multiple murders." Lubbock read aloud, scanning more of the pages inside the file. "What's the Teigu?'
"Spected, an eye-shaped piece of headgear with five modes. All that I really remember about it is two of the modes. Farsight lets the user to see across incredible distances no matter the conditions. And then 'Hidden Vision' allows you to scan your opponent for concealed weapons. Which is likely why it was trusted to the warden."
"Thanks for the information. My employer should be able to use this." Lubbock stood up, grabbing the file to take along.
Tsu waited until Lubbock was nearly out of earshot before he spoke. "Somedays I wish I could just go home and enjoy a nice proper vacation. With how empty it is, I doubt anyone would be able to stop me from meditating."
Lubbock filed the information away. Restricted from taking actual combative actions as a side-effect of his Teigu? Very unique, but fitting for a Teigu designed to grant immortality to anyone. But what was he talking about going home? His order was wiped out and their monastery destroyed….
Tatsumi threw another knife at the target, annoyed at how wide his current spread was from the bullseye. He growled and threw his hands up, feeling a tick mark growing on his forehead.
"Newbie, quit screwing around!" A certain pink haired sniper yelled at him, walking around the hideout into view. Tatsumi jumped and settled, still unadjusted to Mien's new hairstyle. Since his knife had unbalanced her twin tails, she had taken them out and cut her hair to shoulder length. A decent choice in his opinion because she actually looked her age.
"Oh, hey Mien." Tatsumi sulked as he walked over to the target and started pulling out the knives, stuffing into various hiding spots on his person.
"According to the Bulat and Leone, you've been stressed and distracted lately. I'm only over here because they seem to think I can straighten you out." Mien complained, taking a seat to watch as Tatsumi returned to his spot and started another round of throws.
After a particularly bad throw that caused his knife to go flying off into the surrounding woods, Tatsumi decided to drop to the ground, his body limp despite all his inner emotional tensing. "Ggggaaahhhh!" He shouted out his frustrations to the heavens, startling his tsundere observer.
"Just let me know when you're going to act responsible enough to ask your hardworking superior for her opinion." She gave the hint to him. She still felt her prediction about him bringing more stress to Akame's life was right but she had been wrong about him not having skill. A point she had a hard time accepting, but was slowly adjusting to.
An exhausted grunt emanated from Tatsumi as he curled into a ball facing away from her. She felt a tick mark grow on her forehead at the childish behavior.
"Fine, act that way somewhere else. As your superior, I can send you into another series using this roulette board!" A large wheel labelled with dozens of manga appeared behind Mien (A/N: See Manga Chapter 4 for visual). The declaration made Tatsumi jump to his feet and turn to her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's not be too hasty here." He panicked, blanching at the giant slices devoted to horror series.
"Then talk. Or if you don't, you just have to hope you land on one of the more moe series." Mien gave him a smug grin, knowing she had forced the issue.
Tatsumi sighed. "Akame and I… got into a minor argument." He saw Mien's hand tense on the wheel. "Nothing serious!" He sweatdropped, hoping he could convince her. "And we haven't really talked about it since."
Mien snorted and stepped away from the wheel. She grabbed him by the collar and dragged his face close to hers. "Fix it."
"How?"
"I don't care how, just fix it!" She shook him a little to get her point across. "You're one of Akame's only friends from before she got forcibly recruited into that assassin-training organization. Everyone other than her and Kurome died in that program! So think about that!" She pulled him extra close, and Tatsumi noticed what appeared to be tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "For whatever reason, she thinks you're important to her. So don't you dare hurt her unless you want the last thing you'll ever see to be Pumpkin's barrel!" The short girl shook from the force of her words, breaths panting out of her.
"What's this?" A new voice said, making them both turn to see Leone standing nearby. And looking quite pleased. "I came to tell you that Lubbock's back and we have a meeting, but you two are quite clearly busy. I never thought Mien could be so bold."
The two of them looked down, realized how close they were standing and jumped apart with rampant blushes.
"Like hell I would want to be that close to this stupid hick!" Mien stubbornly defended herself, while Tatsumi felt pierced by her words.
"What are you talking about shrimp?" He fired back automatically, striking at Mien's sensitivity to her size.
Leone stepped in before they could come to blows, dragging the still squabbling pair to the meeting.
Tatsumi decided that everyone was in on this. After the meeting to determine what Night Raid was going to do in response to Zanku the Executioner, he had been subtly encouraged to pair up with Akame.
Subtle my ass, he snorted, remembering Mien's death glare and Bulat's forceful push. Even Aria and Kurome had dragged Akame to stand next to Tatsumi.
Now he was patrolling the empty streets with her and no one else. Great.
"At least there aren't any civilians out because of this guy." He observed, doing his best to battle the silence between them.
"Mhmm." Akame mumbled, barely acknowledging him. He let his frustrations show on his face since he was behind her. Until she whipped around and grabbed him, pulling him around the edge of an alley.
Akame pressed her gloved hand over Tatsumi's mouth, keeping any of his complaints muffled while the Capital Guards passed by, conducting a patrol of their own. Once she couldn't hear their footsteps, she relaxed and realized what she was currently doing. She separated from him as fast as possible, worried that she had once again driven him away. They faced away from each other, awkwardly blushing and sneaking looks at each other.
"I need to take a leak!" Tatsumi abruptly shouted, hurrying out of the alley in search of a quieter place. Akame paused, remembering what had happened when Tatsumi had left her sight during the first time she had been through this event.
"Tatsumi!" She took off after him, trying to pick up his trail. She caught a flash of him disappearing down an alley, and gave chase using her superior speed. She caught up to him as he exited the alley into a wide plaza and stopped near the center. "Tatsumi! Don't leave your partner's side."
She reached out for him and barely had time to react to her sense of danger screaming. A hidden blade clipped her hand, cutting her palm. She swallowed the pain and focused on her opponent, who dispelled his illusion.
"My, my. Akame of Night Raid, I wasn't trying to catch you. But to think that you were looking for that delicious-looking boy makes me wonder just how killing you will taste." Zanku stated, switching his Spected to a different setting.
"Zanku, you are a danger to innocent people and to the future country. As such, I will eliminate you." She pointed Murasame at him, unsure how this fight was going to go.
They clashed at a silent signal, her blade crossing with his in a clash of sparks. They fought at a frenzied pace, each of their blades' meetings drawing forth screeches and more sparks. After she managed to clear her mind to force him to use a different mode, Akame thought she could draw the fight out. But Akame could feel each strike as he scored glancing hit after glancing hit, opening minor wounds on her legs and arms.
They continued to clash, Zanku keeping all of Akame's attacks at bay thanks to Spected's abilities to read both minds and muscle movements. Before long, Akame found herself forced onto the defensive before she felt it. A hard boot met her knee with a sickening crack that instantly told her leg was done. She collapsed to the ground, still ready to block as Zanku stepped back. He tilted his head predatorily, like he was savoring the kill.
"Tell me Akame, how do you deal with the voices? It might buy you enough time for your friends to arrive." Zanku chatted with her, letting the hidden blades stay at his side. He could kill her at his leisure now, so why wouldn't he enjoy it?
"What makes you think I would indulge someone as despicable as you?" She responded, edging herself away from him with one hand. He maintained a distance from her, stepping exactly as far as she managed to pull herself.
He laughed, great manic whoops that echoed around the plaza. "Because you're like me. You've killed so many. Don't their voices call out for you to join them in Hell?"
Akame locked eyes with the former headsman. "I don't hear any, you failure of an executioner. So you're out of luck, gutter rat." Her taunt had the intended effect, blinding him with rage. He made to strike at Akame and take her head for his collection. Only for the blades to catch on a familiar shortsword wielded by Tatsumi as he stood above Akame. Her eyes widened, wondering when he had realized they had been separated.
"Tatsumi." Relief flooded into Akame, only to be replaced by fear. What chance did he stand against Zanku's ability to read any incoming attack? This was a battle between Teigu wielders and she had practically lost already.
"I told you, I wouldn't leave you alone now that I've found you." Tatsumi told her, pushing back Zanku with brute strength. The executioner seemed stunned that Tatsumi had arrived and pushed him away from his kill. Something that he wouldn't have expected from the morsel he had initially targeted.
"How?" They watched Zanku's eye switch to X-ray mode, likely scanning for any hidden weapons.
Tatsumi smiled at the question. "Prey sense! The ability to know when you're pursued. I felt Akame chase after me like Tsu used to, only for she stopped for some reason. Then I remembered all the things Tsu told me about eyes and our reports on your Teigu. At that point, it was just me finding you."
"Pretty smart for a country hick." Zanku's words made Tatsumi's ahoge twitch in annoyance and a tick mark to appear on his forehead.
"Regret those words!" He declared, lunging straight at Zanku with pure rage. They started their deadly dance, Tatsumi's raw passion augmented by Bulat's strength training while Zanku relied on his Teigu's ability to anticipate every strike. Zanku managed to land the first blow, but Tatsumi's ferocity would occasionally land one of his own before they clashed again. But they started to wear each other down quickly, opening gashes in each other's clothes and skin.
They stepped back and began to circle, a strange reddish haze filling the air between them. A strong wind started to blow through the area, making the haze spread and grow thicker around them, even reaching Akame's spot.
She felt her mouth and eyes water as the haze swept over her, stinging at every open wound it touched.
"What? Is this?" She coughed out her question, feeling like her lungs were catching fire. She could only imagine how it felt in the heart of the cloud, where Tatsumi and Zanku were.
"A very special blend of spices I perfected for the purpose of repaying Tsu for his terrible parenting. Problem was he always got immune to it and I ramped it up, so before I knew it we were the only two that could stand its intensity. I call it "Fireball Sand" because of the way it burns everything even when it's only a single grain." Tatsumi proclaimed, totally immune to the irritating effects of the spice cloud. His opponent reeled, tears streaming from his eyes as he fought to breathe.
"That won't exactly work." Zanku stepped back to a spot where the cloud was thinner before switching Spected to its illusion eye. "Can you harm your most precious person?"
"Tatsumi, don't fall for it!" Akame screamed before being reduced to a cough. She could only watch as Tatsumi made his way towards Zanku, sword lowered while Zanku readied his own blades.
"This illusion might only work on one target, but it's an absolute! Die looking at you loved one's face!" The executioner sprung at Tatsumi, aiming for his neck. Even Akame thought he was going to kill him since Tatsumi didn't make an effort to get away.
But Tatsumi dodged at the last second by ducking under the swing, his own sword plunging into Zanku's chest. The insane man was shocked to find himself now dying instead of his would-be victim. The illusion was dispelled, and Zanku could only question it. "Why? Why were you able to strike at me?"
Tatsumi shoved the executioner's weighty body from his blade, a look of rage on his face. "Do you really think I can't tell an illusion from the person I love?"
"Ha…" Zanku smiled, his breaths growing shorter. "The voices… they've stopped. Thank…" And he died, a peaceful smile on his face as he lay in his own blood.
After confirming that Zanku was dead, Tatsumi reached into his coat and pulled out several large packs of spices that were leaking their contents into the now dying wind. He dropped them with a small puff before running to Akame's side. He waved away any lingering spice clouds, kneeling down to inspect her injuries.
"Should have known better than to leave you alone." He blamed himself as started to tend to her various injuries. "And sorry, for avoiding you." Akame couldn't see his eyes behind his hair, but she could sense his sincerity. "But I need to know, what did it mean? To you?"
"What did what mean?" Akame knew he was talking about the kiss, but she couldn't bring herself to answer.
"The kiss…" Before Akame could stop it, Tatsumi leaned and pecked a kiss onto her lips. A simple, almost cold action meant to comfort or startle. "Did it mean that? Or…" He went in again, this time capturing her lips with a shared moan. Akame could barely hold herself in check as she felt his passion in the kiss. When they separated, he brought a hand to her cheek. "Did it mean that?" He tilted his head and stared into her red eyes, praying that she would understand.
Akame let her self-restraint fail, reaching up a hand to caress his before using her other one to force him close enough to kiss again. She then locked her arms behind his head as their lips crashed together in a desperate act of understanding. They continued like that for several minutes before Akame heard the faint sound of a patrol coming towards them. She could barely force herself to stop the kiss, separating from him with great reluctance.
"Tatsumi, they're coming. Grab the Teigu and then we can leave." Akame ordered him with a weak voice. He snapped out of the daze that the kiss had left him in. He picked her up with some effort before making his way over to the body. He bent down so Akame could rip it from his head.
Hearing them getting closer, Akame told him to hurry. After shifting her in his arms, he ran away as fast as he could.
Back at base, everyone was shocked to see Akame's injury and hear that Tatsumi had landed the final blow. While Aria and Lubbock treated Akame's injuries, everyone else gave Tatsumi something of a party for managing to find a way to beat Zanku without a Teigu. Unused to the praise, he alternated between blushing and pompously puffing his chest up. By the time that everything calmed down, the news that Akame wouldn't be able to walk unaided for about a week dispelled some of the good mood. Tatsumi immediately declared himself her caretaker as he was the one who was supposed to be watching out for her. Which prompted Leone to comment.
"Try not to be too loud." She whispered in his ear, bringing a tomato red blush to his face while he tried to stutter out a response.
Mien gave them both a look of scrutiny before making her own proclamation. "It's the least he could do for screwing up." Everyone in the room sweatdropped, while Tatsumi managed to reign in his temper and realized that Mien was giving her own blessing to the act.
After helping Akame to her room, Tatsumi closed the door and sat on her bed looking at her. "I'm going to be honest, I was avoiding you because I couldn't sort out my own feelings. It's been so long since I had that little crush on you when we were all freed. I only felt like I could trust you since the old man was an adult, like our parents who all sold us." Akame sat quietly, absorbing Tatsumi's words. "But when we met up at Aria's home, I nearly cried because of how happy I was to see you again. Every time we were together, I couldn't help but be amazed that my only childhood friend ended up becoming such a beautiful and deadly girl."
"Tatsumi, I..." Akame started to respond to the compliment. But Tatsumi motioned for her to wait.
"And when you kissed me, I couldn't tell whether you did it to break me out of that downward spiral or because you actually liked me. Even then I needed to figure out how I felt about you. And I've decided: I love you Akame. Right now, I swear to you that I won't die or leave you behind. You and I will survive to the end of this war and make a better future for ourselves and everyone else." He reached out and took her hands in his. And he let his eyes meet hers with his brightest smile.
Akame couldn't hold back anymore and let a few tears slip out. "I love you too Tatsumi. And don't ever change." She pulled into a hug, only wanting to hold him close. He happily returned the hug, thinking that he had finally made his choice. And he was going to follow through.
Tsu looked across the café table at a recently-arrived Lubbock and Kurome. He waited until they were seated before speaking.
"So who was paired with Tatsumi when they killed Zanku?" The question made them jump slightly, as they weren't expecting him to know anything about that yet.
"So you got the report that he was killed then?" Lubbock asked, signaling their usual waiter to get them their drinks.
"It didn't take them long since I'm the one who issued the alert and civilian curfew. But you still didn't answer my question." His luminescent eyes went to Kurome, where they tinged with something the assassins couldn't identify. "And it looks like you're doing quite well."
Kurome moved a hand over the bandages that covered most of her upper arm now, slightly embarrassed and annoyed. "It's not like I have much else to work with."
"Well, you should have seen the court this morning. Honest was already annoyed about the failure to stop Night Raid and then a messenger arrived and told us about the defection of two generals. On top of that, apparently a clan of trackers he sent to find Night Raid's hideout were found dead and buried in a road not far from the Capital's gates. Oh, it was quite a shock." While Tsu's tone and face didn't betray its neutrality, his eyes were full of happiness and warmth. Lubbock had learned that the white-haired man enjoyed watching the Prime Minister panic and fret.
"Well, how did you know it was Tatsu-nii? There weren't any eyewitnesses." Kurome questioned, narrowing her eyes. If the Imperial Police had any evidence to identify more Night Raid members, it would only make everyone's jobs harder.
Tsu snorted. "He left a few pouches of 'Fireball Sand' near the corpse, like an idiot." But Tsu sighed before continuing. "It probably made up for the difference between them. Luckily, all anyone seems to think they are some random effects of Zanku's. Not that I had anything to do with that."
Kurome and Lubbock nodded, impressed at Tsu's skills at denying his meddling. Lubbock coughed into his hand to signal that the waiter was returning. A cup of coffee was set in front of Tsu, a cup of tea in front of Lubbock, and what looked like hot chocolate in front of Kurome. After the waiter left, Kurome started to pour sugar into her drink. Tsu's eyes widened as she continued to add more.
"So why the meeting? Couldn't just send us the usual files?" Lubbock questioned, reminding him of their normal procedures. And way too used to Kurome's sweet tooth to react like the white-eyed man.
"Two reasons. One, Honest went behind my back and gave a Teigu to one of the Imperial Garrison Police recruits and now he's keeping who it is from me. And succeeding." Tsu shot a dirty look into his coffee before gulping it down. "And much worse, he's ordered Esdeath's return to the Capital after she finishes her conquest of the North."
Spending his days alternating between helping Akame, doing both of their chores, and additional training with Sheele started to wear on Tatsumi. Not that he didn't enjoy it. Every moment spent with Akame gave him a reason to train so hard to keep his promise to her. But it was utterly exhausting to do both of their chores and help Akame after Sheele's crazy exercises. Like swimming in full-body armor. But after everything, Sheele offered to tell him her history.
I guess we all have our scars, Tatsumi thought after Sheele explained how she had become an assassin.
"Tatsumi." Akame's melodic voice snapped him back into the moment. He looked at everyone circled around him, waiting to see what would happen. He looked at Najenda who was extending Spected to him.
"So I'm finally getting my own Teigu?" Tatsumi couldn't keep a goofy grin off of his excited face.
"Because they take so much physical and psychological strength, only one can be used by anyone at any time, so it's not like anyone else can use it." Lubbock explained, while Tatsumi felt a swell of pride at the faith in him.
He reached out for Spected and touched it to his forehead. He felt the eye take hold, then opened it.
"Since Tsu's information was incomplete, we need you to test the other functions." Najenda requested of Tatsumi.
"It has the power to read minds, right? Why not try it on me?" Akame volunteered, a slight blush on her face. Tatsumi turned to her, activating Spected's mind-reading function.
I love you. The words brought a rampant blush to his face, which he covered by tiling his head upwards and dramatically proclaiming his verdict. "You want to eat meat tonight!... That's what you're thinking."
Akame sighed with relief that he hadn't exposed them and smiled. "Perfect." Most of the others seemed unimpressed, suspecting Tatsumi of tricking them.
"Okay then, let's try this one." He willed it to switch to X-ray and nearly lost all the blood that had collected in his cheeks out of his nose. In his vision, Akame was only wearing a bra, panties, and her knee socks.
"Strapless and lacy…" He muttered before something seemed to pull all the energy out of his legs. "Huh?"
"It's rejecting him!" Lubbock pointed to a trickle of blood coming out of Tatsumi's ear and nose. The brown-haired boy fell to his knees, no longer able to stand.
"Hurry up and take it off!" Akame ordered him, hobbling forward while Lubbock pulled the Teigu off of Tatsumi before the boy slumped into Akame's waiting arms.
"Getting cuddly in public? Bold." Leone remarked, only to be overlooked in the wave of concern from everyone else.
"It's incompatible with you." Najenda seemed slightly disappointed at the fact. "Guess that means we'll have to send it to the Revolutionary Army's HQ. Sorry rookie, guess it wasn't meant to be."
"Our sub-mission is the collection of Teigu, on top of assassinations." Mien explained while she coordinated with Akame to get him to his feet. "With cases like Zanku, we take the Teigu or destroy it so the Empire can't have it."
"Anything for an edge, right?" Tatsumi replied, his head still spinning from the Teigu's backlash. He really just wanted the room to stop spinning.
Najenda reached out and grabbed a research journal. "Read this. Memorize all the Teigu in here." She tossed it to Tatsumi, who failed to catch and had it bounce off his head. Which knocked him back into Akame, causing them to tumble down and Tatsumi to end up cradling Akame to his chest with one hand and cradling her chest with the other.
Aria covered Sheele's eyes with her hands, doing her best to not look herself. Mien and Kurome immediately tackled, gagged, and blinded Lubbock to ensure the pervert stood no chance. Bulat courteously looked away, while Najenda seemed entirely indifferent. Leone whistled appreciatively, amazed at Tatsumi's approach.
"From public cuddling to open foreplay. You really are my type, Tatsumi."
Capital Fortress of the Northern Tribe….
Esdeath sat upon the former throne of the Hero of the North. She looked around the fortress, her ice-blue eyes catching on the gruesome corpses scattered throughout. Beheaded, impaled, bisected, frozen. All on display by her command and own actions. But not by her choice. The two demons that hounded her had forced her to commit these actions in accordance with their will. The ice demon's blood in her called out for her to fight and kill and she managed to restrain that voice with great practice and effort. But the white-haired Oni-oji that had her trapped was far more relentless. He demanded that she act as destructively as possible, threatening the things that she cherished most if she failed to comply.
One day, I will take that monster's head with the very powers he forced on me, she thought as a messenger ran up to her. He paused at the sight of the Hero of the North on his hands and knees, a chained collar around his neck as he sat and begged at Esdeath's feet.
"Word from the Prime Minister." He explained, holding up the written orders he was about to give. "He has ordered your return to the Capital now that you've crushed the Northern Tribe."
Esdeath began to remember a former friend of hers who she hadn't seen since their battle over the Capital, someone that made her rage at the white-haired demon even more intense. "Tell my Three Beasts that we will need to meet at the Imperial Palace." The messenger bowed and sprinted off, terror radiating off of him since he had just been in her presence.
Back in the Capital, a few days later….
"So we're on recon before the mission?" Tatsumi asked Leone as he followed her through the slums. He'd been assigned to work with her on a multi-hit job that required two teams acting at the same time. He knew that somewhere in the city, Sheele and Mien were getting ready for their target.
"Yep! And since the Imperial Police just love to patrol this lively area, I thought we might have a better chance at spotting our new mystery Teigu and its wielder." Leone grinned as she waved to familiar faces in the crowd. Tatsumi watched with interest as she stopped to talk to several vendors, enjoying the homey atmosphere of the area.
"Hey, get back here and pay us what you owe!" Several men shouted, sprinting full tilt towards him and Leone.
"Time to run," she told him with a cheeky grin. She dashed off with a smile on her face, leaving Tatsumi between her and the debt collectors. He panicked momentarily before following suit, not wanting to receive the beatings on Leone's behalf. He wove through the crowd, taking random turns down alleys and streets until he was certain he had lost them.
"Looks like we lost them Leone." Tatsumi looked around for the blonde assassin. "Leone?" Tatsumi realized that he didn't recognize the area. "I'm lost! Shit!" How am I supposed to meet up with her if I don't know where I am? We have an assassination tonight!
"You there, are you in need of assistance?" An orange-haired girl in an Imperial Police uniform asked, practically skipping up to him. "My name is Seryu, and I'm with the Imperial Garrison of the Imperial Police!" She saluted, tugging the small leash and attached miniature dog into the air. "You can consider me an ally of justice!"
Another crazy, but at least she looks sort of harmless… But what's this weird feeling in the back of my head? It reminds me of when Tsu was angry at me… Tatsumi thought before deciding it was safer to focus on the moment and noticed the small dog whining near his feet.
"Uhhhhm… is that….?" Tatsumi recognized the dog as a Teigu, but wanted to confirm before he made a mistake.
"He's the Teigu Hekatonkheires, or as I call him, Koro." She scooped up the dog-shaped Teigu. "Don't worry, innocent people have nothing to fear from him."
"…." Tatsumi tried to think of a response, only to find himself confused. How could someone so cheerful and nice could be wielding one of the most extremely insane Teigu he had read about.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. Did you need help?" Seryu asked, remembering why she had walked over to him.
"Oh, I'm lost. I know the bar where I'm supposed to meet up with my friend, but I don't know where it is." Tatsumi sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
Seryu grabbed his hand, dragging him along with Koro tucked under her other arm. "Just follow me. I can lead you there while I patrol."
As she pulled him along, Tatsumi decided to use the opportunity to get more information. "So does everyone have a… Teigu, was it?"
"Nope!" She turned, cheerfully explaining. "I'm the only one. Koro was only compatible with me because of my great heart of justice!"
"Right." Tatsumi felt incredibly awkward that she was still dragging him along. Among other reasons.
"Here's the bar you were looking for." She let go of him, fully turning to him. "Remember to report any illegal activity that you see!" She dashed away, leaving Tatsumi standing alone.
So that's the person in Lubbock's report. He scratched his head, wondering just why she wanted to meet at this bar. "I hope that Leone didn't bring me here so I could pay off her tab."
Leone and Tatsumi stood on a rooftop a block away from the target, waiting for the right time to make their move.
"You are so lucky to have run-in with that girl." Leone commented, pulling Tatsumi's head into her chest. "Maybe if I take you to a casino, I can walk away rich!"
Tatsumi suffered the treatment until she let go and he could reply. "I didn't feel like it. She was giving me this really bad vibe, like she was on the hunt."
"Prey's senses are very attuned to being hunted." She darkly suggested, "Maybe you've got a stalker already. Just make sure you change with the curtains closed." Tatsumi's embarrassed blush made the blonde chuckle.
"C'mon, time to move." She activated Lionelle, her clothes and figure changing under its power. Tatsumi had the presence of mind to avert his eyes in the moment before the erotic show started. Made one mistake recently, not making another.
"Now to sneak in." Leone scooped Tatsumi up in her arms. He couldn't begin to protest before Leone dashed down the roofs, smashing tiles as the wind whipped past them. They crashed into the target's attic with surprisingly little noise. The transformed assassin grinned while Tatsumi recovered from the ride.
"Tell me how smashing our way in is sneaking." Tatsumi questioned, pushing himself to his feet.
"Just come over here." Leone replied, pushing aside a tile that made up the floor to reveal a smoky drug den. Absolutely full of half-naked women and gangsters. Tatsumi did his best to not gag on the drug-laced smoke and simultaneously not lose the battle with his hormones.
"Excellent." One of the gangsters said, stepping through the mass of girls. "Now if you girls go out and earn lots of money, we give you more medicine."
"Yes sir!" The drugged girls chorused before starting to file out of the room. Except for one who continued to lay there in a daze.
"Boss, we got one down." One of the gangsters said. "She's no use. Smells like rotten fish."
"Then scrap her, we can always find more good-for-nothings in the slums to replace her." Their supposed boss ordered. His flunkie started to move towards the girl, and drew his hand back to strike her. But it never fell. Instead, a throwing knife buried itself in his wrist joint. He fell back, screaming bloody murder before another knife silenced him.
Tatsumi and Leone jumped down, killing two of the targets mid-descent. "Nice move, Tatsumi."
"What the hell?" One of the gangsters shouted, startled to see some of their number already taken out.
"That's exactly where you're going." The assassins replied, charging forward. The stunned guards didn't have time to react before the two were cutting them down. Even as the few survivors tried to put up a fight, they were slain by Tatsumi's sword or Leone's ferociously powerful punches. When only the boss was left, Leone grabbed him by the throat before punching a hole in his chest.
"Who's good-for-nothing now, you piece of trash?" She asked the corpse before chucking it aside. She looked around, confirming that all of the drug traffickers were dead.
They made their way off, leaving the corpses to be found later. As they made their way back to the hideout through the streets, Tatsumi couldn't shake a weird feeling.
"So what's going to happen to all those drug-addicted girls now?" Tatsumi sincerely asked, trying to distract himself from the feeling.
"It's not our job to worry about that," Leone told him, stretching. She paused and caught sight of his crestfallen look. "But I know a former doctor living in the slums near here. He's getting old, but he's still good. Plus, he likes his women younger anyways."
Tatsumi couldn't stop a smile from crossing his face. "Leone, you're really just a big softie aren't you?"
The blonde felt a faint blush cross her cheeks. "I don't expect all of them to recover. I'm just doing it because I knew some of them from when I was a kid." She denied.
"I don't really care about your reasons." Tatsumi's eyes slid half-closed. "Just so long as a spark of hope burns, I don't care." He gave her a content smile that smoldered with his spiritual warmth.
Leone felt her blush ramp up and sighed. "Tatsumi, I've thought about this for a while, but it seems that you've got different plans." He turned to her, slightly confused in the moment before a pair of soft lips pressed against his cheek. He started to back away, completely flustered by the surprise kiss. "But you and Akame really do make a good match."
"Then what was that for?" Tatsumi covered his cheek, feeling how hot his own cheek was. "And how do you know about us?"
The older assassin gave him a wry smile. "As a thank-you from someone who thinks of her as a little sister. Between everything she's been through and likely to go through before we finally kill Honest, I'm glad she can find some happiness with you." Tatsumi stopped moving, his eyes widening. "But as I'm sure Mien told you, if you hurt her we will all tear you apart for it. So no getting distracted by your Big Sis anymore, you hear?" She let out a slight laugh. But somehow they both knew what it was covering up.
Tsu sighed into the pile of work sitting on his moonlit desk. He let his white-colored head drop onto the work, absorbing the moonlight to further increase his store of power in hopes of making himself forget. All of his attempts to find out anything about the mystery Teigu wielder in the ranks of his police force had been foiled by Honest's sympathizers.
Maybe I need to hire Night Raid just to get more information for them. He let out a wordless groan. Which would have normally prevented him from hearing the door of his room being opened, but he knew someone was there the instant their killing intent reached him.
"For an assassin, you suck at hiding yourself." Tsu complained, turning around. His eyes widened in mild surprise to see a full dozen black-garbed figures brandishing blades of various lengths. Clearly not door-to-door sword merchants.
"Going for numbers this time?" Tsu waited for the first assassin to attack before Retracing himself to a spot near the door. The gathered attackers stood frozen in place, trying to comprehend what they had just seen.
"Did you not wonder why there's never been a successful attempt on my life?" He closed the door to his room. He preferred to keep his private activities as uninterrupted as possible.
Sheele and Mien stood at the edge of a park, trying to decide whether to take the shortcut.
"C'mon, there's no Imperial Police in the area and we need to make up for the extra time it took to get through all of his defenses." Mien pointed out.
"But don't you remember, Akame warned us about cutting through parks?" Sheele reminded her pink partner. "She wouldn't have said something if it weren't important."
"You managed to remember that?" Mien questioned. "It doesn't matter. Don't worry about it."
"But…"
"If anything happens, I'll take responsibility." Mien proudly declared. Sheele only hesitated for a moment longer before starting to run into the park, followed by the sniper.
They made it to a widened plaza before a shadow jumped into their path, making them separate. An orange-haired girl stood between them, dressed in the standard-issue Imperial police armor.
Who the hell… Mien started to think, reaching for Pumpkin's trigger.
"I knew I could find you." The girl said, her tone eerily dark. "You look just like your wanted poster, Sheele from Night Raid!" Her eyes locked onto the scissor-wielding assassin. "And your Teigu-wielding friend must be a member too! Waiting and hiding in the weak spots of our night patrols was worth it."
She turned to Mien, an insane look in her eyes. "I am Seryu Ubiquitous of the Imperial Police Garrison and I will kill all evildoers in the name of ABSOLUTE JUSTICE!"
And CLIFFHANGER! Yes, I'm a terrible person for this. But I really wanted to set up the contrast of future scenes.
It seems that the timeline might not be as changed as Akame believes it to be. But Esdeath isn't evil?!
As always, please review, I enjoy seeing what you think of each chapter.
