A/N: A little faster this time, I'll give myself a pat on the back for putting a chapter out faster than 5 months. Another shorter one with some more build up. I meant to get into some action but my mind had other plans. Don't worry though, with how this one ended the next one will be action heavy. Also *slight chapter spoiler* there was some romantic progression in this chapter, and I'm not sure about how I did. I don't really write romance often so I'm nervous about how well it may have been written. Please leave a review or send me a PM with your thoughts, questions, criticisms, etc.

"Pushing an offensive plan while the Jaegers are still wet behind the ears... A bold plan, Najenda," I stated.

"That's right. Well, not literally 'wet behind the ears', because their individual experience is vast, but they haven't been an organization for long, and lacks precisely what makes our groups strong. Plus, we have the necessary information about their combat capability. I loathe to admit it, but individually, they're at least a match for my members, so it'd be best to strike before they can synergize and be an even larger threat," Najenda explained lengthily.

The two of us were currently outside, watching some friendly sparring between our respective subordinates…

Which meant that I was watching most of my subordinates get taken down in these one-on-one matches. Yoru was having a tough time against Tatsumi, mainly due to the fact his hits were rendered useless due to Incursio's protection, the Snake Style sadly isn't too effective against such defensive opponents. If he was able to reinforce himself somehow, then things may be different. Well, unless he was able to pick up Bajiquan. There would be ways to pierce Tatsumi's defense in that martial art, but he needed to focus on strength training to use it. I'd have to keep that in mind when I try to come up with a Teigu for him.

On the other hand, Chelsea and Spear seemed to be having a much better time, if their match-ups weren't so skewed against them. Spear was up against Mine in a decently even fight. The pace of the match constantly shifted depending on whether Spear could stick close to Mine or not.

I was shocked with how well Chelsea was doing against Mizuko. I knew the shapeshifting vixen wasn't specialized for combat, but she was using her lithe form to nimbly weave her way through Mizuko's attacks and even used her Teigu to transform if she was stuck in a compromising position. Often, she would turn into a small fox, which I found fitting. Despite Chelsea's impressive performance of evading the myriad of ways Mizuko used Black Marlin to attack, she also wasn't able to get into a position where she could retaliate, so unless if Mizuko were to run out of stamina, which I doubt would happen, Chelsea would eventually slip up. To be fair, she wasn't using the senbon we prepared which could have tilted the fight in her favor, but most of them carry lethal toxins so it's understandable that she wouldn't want to use them in a friendly spar. Mizuko also wasn't using the full extent of her abilities either for the same reason if I were to make an educated guess.

Luna, Fal, an Air were mainly getting dominated by Leone, in the meantime. The three of them were actually able to take down Lubbock, but that was less due to their skills and more due to Air almost seducing the man right when the match started, which allowed Fal to land a solid roundhouse kick to the side of the man's face. That was definitely a sight to see.

"Not a bad idea, but how will you deal with Esdeath? She wouldn't leave her subordinates to fight you alone," I countered.

"That's why we're going to have our information leaked to two different locations. Force Esdeath to choose one of them," Najenda replied in turn.

It was a risky plan, but I was sure she knew that. There's always the possibility that Esdeath wouldn't show up at the bait location, and if that was to happen, it would end in Night Raids destruction.

"All of us know the risks involved in this operation, but we feel it's our best chance at weakening the Jaegers before they can reach their full potential," Najenda spoke up before I could even point out the potential dangers with her plan.

This was too risky, even if everything were to work out perfectly and Esdeath fell for the bait, they would need to hold Esdeath off long enough for Night Raid to do their job. Najenda needed something more... foolproof.

I smiled at Najenda. "There may be a way to minimize the risk to Night Raid in your upcoming operation. Your problem is keeping Esdeath away… Well, I just thought of a foolproof way of doing so."

With a flick of my wrist, I pointed at myself, "I'll be Esdeath's incentive."

My response to Najenda's open mouthed stare was to give off my most innocent smile.

Chelsea was pacing back and forth in my room while I just sat on my bed. It didn't seem like she was very keen on my most recent commitment. Finally, she snapped towards me.

Oh, boy.

She had not calmed down in the slightest. The glare she gave me could have made a man feel as if he was being stabbed by needles in all of his most sensitive places.

"This plan of yours is way too risky! What on earth possibly convinced you to decide on something so idiotic?!"

She didn't have to put it that way, did she?

"It's not like I haven't put proper thought into this idea. It's the best way for Night Raid to engage the Jaegers without Esdeath around. I also recognize that Esdeath will have taken measures to help prepare for our inevitable rematch and will be a more dangerous opponent than before. Those are all matters which I've taken into account and prepared for. I won our first encounter, I can do so again," My voice came out a little bit more nonchalant than I expected it to.

Chelsea's face scrunched up as she practically stomped towards me, the hard stare she directed at me did little to mess with my nerves. In fact, I just kept smiling at her, which I bet was infuriating.

In quick, angry motions, the auburn-haired assassin took out one of her trademark lollipops and practically stabbed it into her mouth. "You're really pissing me off right now."

"I know, but I'm not budging on this. I agree with Najenda when she said that the best time to strike would be sooner, rather than later. The potential to weaken the Jaegers before they can fully acclimate with each other is too good of a chance to miss. Besides," I stood up and moved a lock of Chelsea's hair behind her right ear. My fingers couldn't help but play with the silky strands before I pulled them away. "You have a job to do in all of this as well."

With a sigh, Chelsea sat down on my bed, but not before pulling me back down to sit next to her.

"So you want me to somehow talk to this... 'Wave' fellow, as I use my Teigu to pose as you while Night Raid engages with the rest of the Jaegers? While that's going on, you're going to be fighting Esdeath. Spear and Chouri are going to seek an audience with the leader of the Path to Peace, and everyone else is going to be holding the fort. I think I can get it done, I've been around you long enough to be able to copy your mannerisms. But... having to seclude him long enough to have a meaningful conversation with him is the hard part. On top of that, you want me to make sure Akame's sister doesn't die in the ensuing conflict. How am I supposed to do that?"

Her list of questions was a good one, and I gave my honest answer. "I don't know the details, but I trust that you can get it done. If you're able to accomplish the first objective I gave you, then the second one should fall in place without you needing to do anything."

I didn't even bother moving when she reached over and smacked me across the back of my head, it was well deserved and pretty endearing to know I got such a rise out of the usually sly vixen. Besides, it's not like it actually hurt.

"Basically, you're dumping this job on me," Chelsea stated, to which I nodded in response. A slow sigh escaped her lips. "What's a girl gotta do for some appreciation around here!?"

An idea sprung to mind at that moment, and my hand snaked out before I could second guess my decision.

She'd deny it if anyone were to ask, but a slight squeak escaped her lips when I brought her head down to rest on my lap. Traditionally, I believe that the female usually gave the male the so called 'lap pillow', but it would always help me relax whenever Semiramis did this for me. Having just given Chelsea a stressful mission, I imagine this would be a nice treat for her. It appeared my hunch was correct, because she wasted no time in making herself comfortable.

My left hand weaved through her hair in a gentle manner, slowly following a rhythm with its travels as I just let it roam naturally. Chelsea really did have some marvellously soft hair…

A content sigh was released from Chelsea's mouth. "I don't know what brought this up, but it's nice. Really nice."

Good, she sounded as if she's loosening up already. My eyes travelled down and took in the sight of the woman lying down in my lap. Her eyes were closed, and at random times her head would try to nuzzle up into the hand I was using to play with her hair. It was an oddly cute sight. Her skin looked as smooth as always, and her lean frame made her appear so delicate. Kind of hard to believe this small girl tried to outsmart and overpower me several months ago.

"It's an apology for asking you to take care of such a difficult task. I know I sprung this on you suddenly but I wouldn't have done so if I didn't think you could handle it," I told her, not stopping my ministrations. It's the truth, Chelsea's Teigu made it ideal for this mission and based off of how well she was able to imitate Yoru in the past, her ability to imitate myself shouldn't be an issue.

"This is a good start, but I feel like I deserve a little more. This could be really dangerous for me."

Our eyes met, and I could see that little glimmer in her eyes that she gets when she's going to ask for something selfish.

"You're not wrong. There's always the possibility that Wave might just outright attack you. It's unlikely, but the chance still exists. Despite your skills, I don't know how you would fair against him. He's supposedly very powerful," I responded without missing a beat.

Even though I just joked about the possibility of her death, she just pouted up at me. It took some willpower on my part to not chuckle.

"Sorry, that was a really bad joke, but in all honesty what sort of reward would you want?"

"A date," Chelsea immediately replied.

"Impossible, I have a wanted poster in the city and I don't have your convenient ability of changing my appearance if need be. I wouldn't have been against it though," I responded in turn. Truthfully, a day with Chelsea in some of the nicer parts of the Capital without having to worry about my troubles would be a very nice break. It might provide me with several headaches having to constantly stay on my toes due to the mischief that Chelsea would undoubtedly cause me, but in the end I knew it would have been an enjoyable experience in the end. It's a shame really.

My reply was blunt, but there was no other answer.

"I knew that would be the case, but you can't blame a girl for trying." She placed a finger to her chin as she thought about what her second choice would be. Her mouth then opened up slightly before she lifted up two fingers. "I want two things, if I can't have a date. One of them is a relatively small request and the other one I want now as forward payment for my services. Just letting you know, this request is a bit larger than the other one."

That got me thinking. I wasn't too surprised that Chelsea would try to get two rewards from me. She's a sly individual that will try to take whatever she can. I said I would reward her, but never said I would grant her two. At the same time I never said I wouldn't grant her two and I did have to turn down her first choice.

"I'll hear them out, and if they're reasonable, I'll see what I can do."

Chelsea shot her head up out of my lap, stood up and did a small twirl before throwing a peace sign my way. "First off, I would want a pool built somewhere on the property."

A pool?

"Why a pool? We have a river bed that's deep enough for swimming, even if it's a small walk away," I answered. I haven't said I would turn down the idea yet, though.

"Yeah, but who wants to walk approximately 2 miles to the river to go swimming, especially after training. We girls are sensitive to stuff like sweat, you know? Having something close by for immediate, refreshing access would be spectacular, don't you think? How hard could it be? You have your Magecraft mumbo-jumbo," she said with a wink. Chelsea then placed her hands on my shoulders, her right leg slid in between my own as she brought her mouth oh-so-close to my left ear.

"Besides, wouldn't it be nice to see me and all these other fine women that are now in your home in swimsuits? I can tell you right now I have some fine apparel that I wouldn't mind showing you," she said huskily.

Her advances were very direct, and I remembered Semiramis having done something similar before, albeit for a completely different reason. But if the Queen of Assyria whose body permeated sensuality wasn't able to get a rise out of me, at least not immediately, then I'm sorry to say that Chelsea would fail to do so as well. Not that I was saying I was disappointed in her body, since the two of them had their own charms, but I was merely stating a fact.

I chuckled, which obviously wasn't the reaction Chelsea was going for, but I paid her pout little to no mind. "I can tell you really want this pool. Fine, then, I'll see if we can get one, but my Magecraft doesn't allow me to magically create pools out of thin air, you know? Now, what's your other request? Your... 'forward payment', if you will."

She pulled her face away from me, just slightly, her body still on top of my own... and did her leg just ride up my body a little more? Chelsea didn't immediately look at me, but when she did turn her head back my way, I could see a tinge of red on her cheeks.

"I just need you to stay right there." Her right hand moved from my shoulder and traced the line of my jaw before making its way back up to my cheek.

It was obvious what she was going to do at this point.

The true question was: do I let it happen? Chelsea's lips were slowly descending, making a beeline straight for mine.

I had to make this decision now.

She's already kissed me once, and I couldn't say it wasn't enjoyable, but I was caught off guard that time. If I let this happen, it could potentially reshape our relationship and the relationship of those around me. Spear's feelings towards me are clear as day, and if word of me letting Chelsea kiss me were to reach her, I fear she might grow more distant. That's something I wished to avoid, especially after having just gotten the shy girl to open up to me more.

There's also Leone, and possibly Mizuko to look out for as well. I wasn't certain if Leone's attraction to me is purely physical or not just yet, and Mizuko looked as if her attraction towards me may just be due to some form of rivalry with Chelsea. Sadly, with those two, I wasn't worried about them becoming more reclusive, but they might attempt to jump my bones even more so than previous. Finally, there was Chelsea herself to consider. I couldn't deny that there's some minor form of attraction here between me and her, but I couldn't, in good conscious, let this happen if my feelings were due to the slight similarities Chelsea shared with my past lover. She's her own person, and she's made that clear, but still…

Before I was able to make a decision, Chelsea placed a finger to my lips.

"I can tell you're distressed and I don't want to do something that'll trouble you. Although I myself don't care too much about how Spear and the other girls pining after you may feel, I do care for how you feel. Shirou, I like you, I like you a lot. I've had my interests in other men before, but none of them have been able to keep my fancy for long. You're different. You look past people's exteriors and look inside of them. You see people for who they are," she took my hand and placed it atop her chest. "From just a glance, you knew that I strived for more, that I truly longed to bring forth true justice. But that's us as colleagues. As a person, you saw past my own insecurities. Although the way I act is enough to drive most people insane, you take it in stride with a smile on your face. You've accepted me for who I am, and although I would love nothing more right now than to be able to make you see me like how I see you, I don't want to force you into anything because you feel like you can't turn me down. You're nice Shirou, maybe too nice."

For some time, I'd been so pinned on Semiramis's passing that I didn't even want to look at other women in a possibly romantic fashion. However, having known my queen, she would be happy about how I held her in my memory, yet call me an idiot for not being able to move on.

Chelsea moved to get off of me, but my hand that was placed atop her chest moved up to cup her chin. My mind was flying at speeds I couldn't comprehend properly, but I could hear a sweet voice reminiscent of Semiramis in the back of my head that told me to push forward.

My other hand wrapped around Chelsea's waist, and the next thing the both of us knew was that our chests were pressed up against each other, my dark eyes piercing into her own red orbs. At that moment, I took note of how her smaller frame molded into mine. As my eyes traveled farther down, I could see the modest perk of her breast as they were pressed up against me and the way her legs slid against me due to the position our bodies were now in. Her skin was flushed and she looked surprised, her subtle lips started quivering as if she was trying to say something but couldn't bring herself to produce the proper sounds.

Before she could, my lips moved down and encompassed hers.

The moment our lips touched, the shadow of a voice of Semiramis left me, and in my mind's eye I could see her smiling at my decision. I couldn't help but feel like I made the right choice as I forced my own smile from not forming while my lips were connected to Chelsea's.

The first thing I noticed was how remarkably soft Chelsea's lips were. It made me wonder if they felt like this the first time we kissed, and I reveled in the slight taste of oranges that masked them. A slight shudder ran down Chelsea's body, but I just held onto her tighter and moved my hand from her waist to gently rub up the small of her back.

The assassin probably thought I was just going to let her go, not to be grabbed and kissed due to my own volition. In reality, it was probably only a couple of seconds at most, but it felt like ages before Chelsea finally relaxed into my embrace and kissed me back. The moment her arms wrapped around my body, one of her hands tangled themselves within my hair and she forced herself onto me more aggressively. I felt something slide gently against my lower lip and I immediately opened my mouth, allowing her tongue access to my mouth.

Chelsea wanted to be dominant in this exchange, but just because I allowed access doesn't mean I was going to let her have her way with me. I twisted around, taking Cheslea with me. Her body was now pressed into my bed and my body loomed over hers as I pressed my own offensive. My tongue pushed past hers as we fought for dominance. I couldn't even remember which hand did it, but one of my fingers traced down the curve of her body, which caused Chelsea to gasp slightly, letting me take complete control of the now very heated kiss.

Our hands continued to travel and explore each others' bodies and I suppressed a hiss when Chelsea nipped at my lips. I could feel her smirking through our kiss. By the time we pulled away from each other, we were both panting messily, but a bright smile was present on her face, and when she brought her hand up to trace the outline of my mouth I realized I had a beaming smile on my face as well. My body plopped down beside her, and we just stayed there for a moment.

"There was your forward payment. I hope it sufficed. The details surrounding your pool can be discussed upon our return," I told her while I tried to keep my face as neutral as possible.

A small burst of laughter erupted from the girl beside me. "Well, that was much more than what I was expecting! I almost don't even want the pool anymore."

"Wonderful, that would save me a lot of time! Thank you."

"It was a joke, smartass."

We both broke down in a small fit of laughter, but it was important for me to ask about what comes next.

"So how do you want us to proceed after this? I'll leave it up to you if you want to spread the word about what we did."

"You'll leave it to me? That's unusually cowardly of you, Shirou," Chelsea commented, but she had her classic teasing smile on her face. She definitely knew how nervous I actually was, despite the straight smile I kept plastered on my face. No, that probably made it even more apparent.

"Despite how much I would enjoy parading you around to the other girls that are interested in you, I'm fine with keeping things locked behind closed doors for now."

I didn't know I was holding my breath until I exhaled deeply from my nose, which caused Chelsea to snicker lightly.

"That's what I thought you would prefer. You're probably worried about team dynamic if word of what happened left this room, so I'll play along for now. I'm satisfied with knowing I'm in the lead."

This woman would truly be the death of me, I was sure of it.

"I appreciate that. I'm not blind to the affections of the others, so this will give me time to think of how to salvage the situation when the news eventually does come out. I'm sure you can already tell, but I'm unsure of things. I want to move on, and I'm positive I can with your help. I just need you to be patient with me," I told Chelsea.

She gave me such a warm smile, "I'm typically not a very patient person, but I guess good things do come to those who wait. We can keep things quiet for now Shirou, I won't tell anyone if you don't."

I brought the petite women in a tight embrace once more, "I appreciate your patience."

"So much more affection already, I can get used to this. But you know…"

Those words triggered some flags in my head.

"I know what exactly?" I asked her

"If we keep us a secret for now, then those other girls that are shooting for you will continue to do so and I'll be forced to watch, unable to do anything as some big titted bimbo, an overly shy lovestruck girl, or an unmanageable kouhai try to seduce my man," she told me as she pulled away from my touch.

"Then how should I make it up to you for forcing you to undergo such gruelling torture?"

Chelsea blinked at me a couple times, and for some reason I couldn't help but feel as if she was questioning my intelligence.

"Isn't it obvious? When it's just us," A lithe finger trailed down my chest. "You just need to make sure I am the center of your attention."

The way her voice sounded at that moment stirred a fire inside me and I could see the desire in Chelsea's own eyes.

"Well, we're alone right now. Let me show you how much I appreciate having you by my side," We both leaned in as the words slid out of my mouth drawing ever so closer to each other once more.

"ANIKI I NEED HELP, LEONE FOUND THE LIQUOR!"

"SHIROU! COME DRINK WITH YOUR NEE-SAN, IT'S ABOUT TIME WE HAD ANOTHER ADVENTURE!"

Yoru's plea could not have come at a worse possible time, and I almost wanted to say fuck the liquor and let Leone have it, but…

"It's really expensive liquor, high quality too," I explained.

"Seriously? We were having this nice moment and you're going to put it on hold for some alcohol. Do saints even drink?" Chelsea countered.

"I don't think we're supposed to outside of whine, but I haven't been a very good saint in quite some time. I'll share some of it with you, you'll understand where I'm coming from once you try it. This land has some high quality stuff," I argued feebly.

She pursed her lips and then blew air into my face roughly, "go save your precious liquor," Chelsea's lips crashed against my own roughly once more before she let me go. "You owe me later though."

"Of course."

My feet carried me to the door and I was just about to open it when Chelsea's voice invaded my ears once more.

"Shirou, be careful tomorrow."

I looked back at the woman on my bed, "You too Chelsea."

The area in which my inevitable rematch with Esdeath was going to take place was a lot more barren than the forest we fought in the first time. My eyes scanned my surroundings, and all I could see was a plain field that spanned outward for miles on end. Truthfully, I would have preferred the canyon that Night Raid was going to battle the rest of the Jaegers in, but it would be better in the long run for them to have that territory for their clash, so I conceded myself to this droll landscape.

The plan was simple. I would fight Esdeath and any Jaeger she may have brought with her, while Night Raid would try to thin her subordinates' numbers. Najenda already informed me that their primary target was a man named Bols, a former member of the incineration squad, and Kurome. I could see them taking out Bols, but after my talk with Akame, I don't think she would attack Kurome with the intent to kill. Who knows, she might even try to talk with her sister again, and I trusted Chelsea to do her part. All the pieces were in place, now all that's left would be the execution.

The surge of killing intent which suddenly permeated the air caused me to reinforce my eyes and zero in on the perpetrator. Esdeath carried herself like a predator hunting for her prey. She's the only person I know of who would have escaped death like she did and face her opponent once more with the same sadistic edge she had the first time. No, in fact, she seemed even more excited this time. I swore I saw her lick her lips in anticipation before she scowled at the man next to her.

That's right, Esdeath wasn't alone like I expected her to be. To her right was a man that was supposedly on the same level as her in power, as well as being the same man that saved her life during our first encounter.

General Budo had left the capital, and now I'm having to face down the two strongest members of the Empire at once.

No use in complaining now, The stakes of this fight have risen tremendously and I knew what I was getting into when I offered my help.

The familiar grip of the Black Keys slid between the knuckles of my right hand, and the horses the carried my opponents picked up speed as they approached me. If they want to start this as soon as possible, that would be fine with me.

An impish smile graced my lips, and although I knew she wouldn't hear them, I couldn't help the words that left my mouth.

"Let us begin, shall we?"