Episode 5: Kill the Corruption
When at last Esdeath returned to the room, Tatsumi struggled against the guilt inside of him as he stared at the bandages on her arm. Taking note of his concern, Esdeath smiled and came to sit beside him on the bed, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You look upset."
"I didn't want to hurt you," Tatsumi admitted, unable to meet her eyes. Those wintery eyes so full of compassion, so full of what she believed was love...it almost made him feel sick.
"This is nothing," Esdeath giggled, unwinding the bandages to show him a faded scar. Tatsumi's emerald eyes went wide and at last he could meet her own, stunned.
"But how?"
"Not all of the Teigu are meant for violence," Esdeath replied, patting Tatsumi on the head. She tilted her head to one side and smiled kindly, scratching his head a little and very much enjoying the blush on his face. "One of the many Teigu in our possession," she continued, "has the ability to heal almost any wound. The strain placed upon the wielder varies based on the severity, so this hardly took any time at all to fix. Unfortunately it won't get rid of the scars, but I think this one is quite pretty."
On an impulse, Tatsumi reached over to place his hand on her scar, and the general's face went bright red.
"T-Tatsumi?"
He ran his fingers along the scar as though in a trance, unaware that his slow kneading of the skin was tickling her and bringing a deeper blush to her face as she sighed. Giving in to the sensation, Esdeath relaxed her entire body and closed her eyes.
And all the while he stared, facing the result of his actions earlier that day. His loss of control had nearly killed her, and though he felt that some part of him should be happy for it, he couldn't bring himself to feel anything other than guilt. He couldn't use that Teigu anymore, not while it had such a strong hold over him.
"Esdeath," he blurted out, surrendering to impulse and shutting out every voice in his mind that was screaming at him to keep his mouth shut. "I, that is, I mean…"
He removed his hand from her arm and leaned over to her, bringing his face dangerously close to his own. Little by little his good judgment was weakening, replaced with something more bestial and satisfying...a desire she had kindled within him, one he did not want to acknowledge but ultimately had to. For her.
"Tatsumi?" She blinked up at him, somewhat surprised that he'd drawn closer to her of his own free will this time.
"If it's okay, I'd...well, I'm okay with sleeping here. And I'm sorry for what I did to your arm."
Her arms suddenly wrapped around him and she began to roll around on the giant bed with the surprised boy in her embrace, laughing happily as she did so.
"E-Esdeath?!"
"Of course you can sleep here, Tatsumi," she continued to giggle, finally coming to rest with her body pressing his own into the bed. "I insist that you do. And there's no need to apologize."
Something gripped him, and once again he allowed himself to be impulsive. With her guard completely down, Tatsumi managed to flip her over and turn the tables. He was now the one on top, and as he stared down at her stunned expression, he could feel himself being overwhelmed by desire.
"You're doing something to me," he growled, eyes shining dangerously. She matched that powerful gaze with one of her own, enjoying his misguided sense of dominance. She knew without a doubt that she could break free of his grip and show him how it was done, but deep inside, the general was afraid. All of this was new to her, and judging from his hesitation, the same could be said for Tatsumi as well.
She didn't want to lose him. She hated the fear that welled up inside of her, but at the same time, she knew she had to welcome it. If she didn't, she might grow careless. And if she grew careless, she would lose him for certain.
"What am I doing to you?" She hissed, rubbing her legs together and biting her lip in a vain attempt to suppress the mounting desire.
"I'm a member of Night Raid," Tatsumi spoke suddenly, mustering up his resolve as her gaze hardened and her smile turned into a frown.
"And I am a general in the Imperial Army. What of it?"
"Each of us is trying to convince the other, even though we are enemies. Is that really your answer?" Tatsumi insisted, bringing his face closer to hers with sudden eagerness. "I don't want to give up on you when there's still a chance to save the Capital! Come with me, please. If you fought with us-"
"I told you, Tatsumi," she sighed, eyes closed. "That simply will not happen. You will be the one who understands where he belongs, not I. I am already here."
"And what if I belong on the opposite side?"
"We'll have a busy day tomorrow," she replied, running a hand affectionately through the boy's hair. "There is more than enough time to discuss this. For now, we should sleep."
"Shouldn't be hard," Tatsumi mumbled, his eyes growing heavy all of a sudden as he gently collapsed at her side and slowed his breathing. She continued to stroke his hair and whisper sweetly into his ear, watching with overwhelming affection as he revealed his cute sleeping face.
After a minute or two, Esdeath closed her own eyes. Her dreams were nothing if not pleasant, filled with a warmth that had never existed in her life before. But the world was unchanging.
Vicious sapphires were closed off from that world as her eyelids fell, dreams of blood and violence filling her mind as the hours went by and the moon bid its farewell.
"I swear to you, it is true."
Tatsumi's eyes flickered open, encrusted with sleep as the light of day stung those very eyes and forced them closed again. Unfortunately, he was awake, and any chances of reclaiming his precious dreams were lost as the voices persisted.
"And you found this hideout how, exactly?"
Esdeath's voice. She was already awake? Wait, did he sleep in?
"I followed two of them. A blonde woman and her companion, some snide little boy with green hair."
Tatsumi's eyes snapped open and his breath escaped him. He watched, stunned, as Esdeath calmly placed a hand beneath her chin. She appeared to be thinking as Dr. Stylish continued to rub his hands, eyes filled with maddening glee.
"We will deal with them later, after the dinner."
Tatsumi blinked, and the terror continued to sink its claws into every inch of his body. The nails of fear drove themselves deeper and deeper, his eyes blinking and flitting to and fro as the two Jaegers ahead casually discussed the fate of his friends. Dr. Stylish had discovered Night Raid's hideout, and all he had to do was follow Leone and Lubbock?
"Those idiots!" He cursed internally and clenched his eyes shut, clenched his fists and clenched his teeth. Everything just kept going from bad to worse, and without Esdeath on their side…
"Must we wait?" Stylish huffed, crossing his arms. "We could destroy them right at this moment and they wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Don't be a fool," Esdeath hissed, clicking her tongue irritably and moving back to the room's window. "We, as the Special Police, are held to a certain standard. If the Prime Minister and his prepubescent little toy desire a meeting, then we shall attend. Doing our job will have to wait until afterwards, unfortunately. If we gather for an attack now, we run the risk of being late or possibly even absent entirely. Such an egregious mistake would be a slap to the face of those who allow us to move as we please, and I am not someone who takes kindly to restraints."
Esdeath looked back at the man with a monstrous glare, and the good Doctor shivered where he stood. He gave her a polite bow and stared at the floor, looking ashamed. "Forgive my behavior, General. It was presumptuous of me to tell you how to lead us."
"Think nothing of it," Esdeath said, though judging from her face, Tatsumi could tell that she wanted that man to think of nothing else for the rest of the day. Dr. Stylish stood sharply and turned on his feet, promptly walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. Esdeath sighed and looked over to Tatsumi, too quickly for him to feign being asleep.
"It would seem that your old friends are in danger," she smirked, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. She ran a hand through his soft hair as he set up, and giggled when she noticed that Tatsumi had a terrible case of "bed-head."
"Why 'old friends?' They still are my friends, General." Tatsumi said coldly, pulling his head away from her hand. Esdeath pouted.
"You belong with us now, Tatsumi. You are a member of the Jaegers, and though you may be an assassin, the only thing that has changed is who you work for." Esdeath clapped her hands together, suddenly cheerful. "You're on the winning side, now! That's all that matters."
"No!" Tatsumi shouted, leaping out of the bed and staring furiously down at her. "There is so, so much more that matters, and you can't even see it! You're a sadistic, bloodthirsty...monster!"
Esdeath blinked, taken aback by his sudden outburst. He had been so different the night before and now? Now it was as if he had a firm grip on her heart, and was yanking it out...one inch at a time.
But he wasn't done. "You could do so much, you could change everything if only you took a good look at what this empire has become!" Tatsumi cast his arm out to one side, his eyes practically burning with anger. "How one person can be so aware of everything and not choose the right path is still baffling to me! How any person can smile with such kindness and yet refuse to show kindness to the weak is unbelievable!"
Without thinking, Tatsumi dropped his left arm down to the side of his body and summoned the Teigu gifted to him, gritting his teeth as the Muramasa whispered gently to him beyond its mystical prison and companion.
"If you're going to attack them, then I-!"
His right hand flew down to grip the handle and he barely managed to pull the blade out before his arms froze in place. Literally.
Esdeath was suddenly standing at his side, her arm on his shoulder as the ice continued to spread along his arms.
"When did she-?!"
"You'll have to kill me?" Esdeath suddenly mocked, leaning down to lick the side of his neck. Tatsumi shivered and shrunk away, though not because of the ice on his body.
This woman was a monster, a Danger Beast in and of herself. There could not be any reasoning with her, he was mad to even try!
And yet…
"I can still do this," he thought, exhaling slowly as the ice shattered away from his body and crumbled to the floor in tiny fragments. "I can't give up, not yet."
"There is another meeting," Esdeath said casually, giving his shoulder a brief pat before moving to her closet. "We should change clothes and prepare for today's duties, bearing in mind that we must return to the palace before sunset. This will certainly be a meal to die for, Tatsumi."
She looked at him with a grin so sweet, it almost made him sick to his stomach.
"You will finally get to meet the Prime Minister and his spirited little puppet, after all."
"Good afternoon," Esdeath greeted with enthusiasm, sitting comfortably at the head of the table with Tatsumi resting on the other end. The boy shrunk a little as some of the Jaegers spared him quick glances, but no eyes were as piercing as those of Dr. Stylish. The smile on that man's face was nothing less than unnerving.
"As you may already know," the general continued, folding her hands together and resting her chin atop them, "our Doctor has discovered the location of Night Raid's hideout by tailing two of their members, a feat that was accomplished overnight and through no small amount of effort. Keeping true to his position and without overstepping his boundaries, Dr. Stylish mapped the area surrounding their sanctuary and has assured me that a full-on assault is almost guaranteed to result in victory."
Beneath the table, Tatsumi clenched his fists. He lowered his head slightly and stared at his knees, flinching and trying to suppress his guilt. Only now did he realize that Stylish had followed him, and that the man had witnessed Leone and Lubbock leaving the alley was all too clear. All three of them, he and his friends, had been shamefully careless.
And now it would probably lead to Night Raid's destruction.
"As you may also be aware," Esdeath drawled, rolling her eyes a little, "our presence is expected at the Emperor's ball tonight. With no shortage of celebration following our recent impact on the Capital, we should all be prepared to face delays in the performance of our duties."
"Isn't it a bit much?" Wave interject, extending one hand out to the general. "Every minute spent celebrating one victory is another minute lost in our pursuit of making the Capital safe. It's another minute we give to Night Raid."
Esdeath nodded to the youth, and internally applauded his restraint as he pulled his arm back. Not one glance was spared in Tatsumi's direction, and certainly, that was worth a reward whenever she found the time. Their talk had certainly been a short one, carried out in-between the healing of her wound and her return to Tatsumi's side the night prior. He understood his position and the importance of his silence, as well as the horrible consequences that waited for him in the event that the aforementioned silence was broken.
"You are correct," Esdeath replied, looking over her Jaegers as they continued to listen. "However, we are in a very delicate position despite our apparent freedom. We must answer to the Prime Minister and the needs of the Capital together, but we cannot afford to forget that the Prime Minister's desires come first. We mustn't bite the hand that feeds."
Murmurs of agreement around the table, and Esdeath felt pleased knowing that they all understood their priorities. "With that out of the way, it seems we must abandon our leisure time and return once again to the duties we are expected to carry out. I trust that all of you remember your patrol routes and individual assignments?"
More murmurs of agreement, a few nods here and there. Tatsumi raised his hand shakily, sweating a little as all eyes turned to focus on him.
"I, well...I um, don't exactly know what it is that I'm supposed to do."
Esdeath placed a finger to her chin, looking thoughtful as she stared up at the ceiling. "Come to think of it, you're right. You haven't been assigned anything yet. Tag along with Seryu for today, and you and I can discuss future assignments at a later time."
Tatsumi glanced over at the girl with the ponytail, her vibrant orange hair almost glistening beneath the chandelier's light. She smiled at him, and instantly he could see the similarities between her own and the very same smile that Esdeath showed him all the time.
The silent laugh of the cruel and the insane. Tatsumi grit his teeth and looked away, swallowing a nervous lump as the voices of the Muramasa returned. He hadn't even summoned the Teigu, and still, its twisted bloodlust continued to haunt him.
A horrible grin suddenly threatened to spill onto his face, and Tatsumi did all he could to restrain it. The thought of ambushing Seryu and taking revenge for Sheele was all too enticing, and he could even do it with the Muramasa...no, he had to. He simply must. He could offer a river of wretched life in memory of his dear friend, and take the vengeance for her that his friends in Night Raid simply could not.
"Tatsumi?"
The young man cleared his throat and blinked, looking back up at Esdeath. Everyone at the table was staring at him now, but the violent presence of his new Teigu drenched him in a wave of calm.
When he finally spoke, there wasn't the slightest ounce of fear or hesitation. "Alright, sounds good." He even looked over to the chipper girl, matching her smile as he stared right into her eyes. "I can't wait to see what you can do."
She blushed and looked away, clearly flattered. That was good.
"It'll make stabbing you in the back all the sweeter," he thought, the memory of Sheele's embrace feeding his hatred.
Far away and yet all around him, the Masamune's darker counterpart hissed with glee. Esdeath frowned, however, clearly caught off-guard by his sudden attention towards Seryu. Was that a hint of jealousy? Tatsumi only smiled wider.
"Maybe letting go isn't so bad?"
"Uuuugh," Tatsumi whined, hands behind his head as he and Seryu Ubiquitous continued to walk down one of the Capital's many paved roads. The passerby were sparse, and those they did see only shrunk away with fear as the two of them continued their patrol.
"Stop whining," Seryu pouted, clonking him on the head again. Tatsumi growled and swung out at her, but the girl's metal hand had already returned to her side.
"How many times are you going to do that?" He shouted.
"Every time you decide to complain about doing your job," she stuck her tongue out, causing his eye to twitch irritably.
He huffed and crossed his arms, walking beside her as they once again completed a cycle around the palace's outer perimeter. The housing accommodations were large and flashy, far outside the budget of even the Capital's upper-middle class. Only the richest folk could afford to live just outside the palace walls, but even here, the citizens were met with misfortune and unparalleled cruelty. Even despite the Jaeger's warped perspective on justice, she still stepped forward to prevent the handful of attempted rapes they'd encountered that afternoon. It wasn't enough to earn his forgiveness, but at least it helped to quiet the whispers that plagued his mind.
Even if it wasn't in his hand, the Muramasa insisted on tempting him. Every step he took at her side only seemed to inspire him further, forcing him to actually grip his left wrist at times. There were moments where all he could think about was summoning the Teigu, and cutting Seryu in half before she even knew what had happened.
At their strongest, the whispers didn't even grant him that much. More than a swift and flawless kill, the sword craved a battle. It made Tatsumi yearn for his own blood as much as he did Seryu's, tempting him to enter a conflict that he could hardly survive.
But he would survive, it assured him, even if he walked away with almost no blood left or even a severed limb. It filled him with monstrous desires and it drew his soul away from everything it had known, eliminating everything in his mind but the thought of battle.
As he watched Seryu charge forward to halt yet another rape, Tatsumi stared ahead and continued to lose himself in his own mind. He'd been granted countless opportunities so far to take her life, but none of them seemed to fit what he wanted. He wasn't even sure he wanted to kill her, or fight her, or even harm a single hair on her head. No matter how overwhelming the Muramasa's desires, some inexorable part of him fought against them.
Some part of him believed that she was worth fighting for, worth persuading...just like General Esdeath. Just like Wave. Just like Kurome, and Bols, and even the twisted Dr. Stylish. In their interactions with one another, he had seen the good in each of them. Every Jaeger had the potential to change and help the empire, rather than feed the poison that was killing it.
Tatsumi clenched his fists yet again, staring at the cobblestones at his feet and cursing his own powerlessness.
"So why?" He thought, closing his eyes in frustration. "Why do they continue to choose this? Why am I too weak to persuade them?"
"Tatsumi!" Seryu called out, running over to him with a light blush as Koro followed right at her heels. "That's another group of men crushed by the power of justice!"
She pumped her fist and smiled at him, cheerful as ever even with the alley behind her painted with blood and another woman screaming bloody murder at what she had witnessed. Tatsumi sighed and looked up at her, causing the young woman to drop her smile. In her eyes, he suddenly appeared far too world-weary for a boy of 17 years.
"Seryu, what is justice?"
She blinked, her mouth open to form a reply. She blinked again when the words wouldn't come, and slowly closed her mouth as Tatsumi continued.
"What is justice? What is it that makes your sense of justice superior to that of others, what gives you the right to enforce your own justice while ignoring that of the citizens'?" Tatsumi took a step towards her, his gaze still cold enough to freeze even General Esdeath in place. "What is your justice, and who gave it to you? If it wasn't given, what horrible event in your life made you twist it into the self-serving parasite that it has become? Did someone teach it to you?"
Seryu narrowed her eyes, looking a tad insulted as Tatsumi ranted at her. "Yes, actually." She puffed her chest out, clearly looking back on fond memories. "Captain Ogre did!"
Tatsumi blinked. He certainly hadn't expected to hear that name, again.
"He was my teacher and my mentor," she continued, bringing a fist to her chest as she looked to the setting sun on the horizon. "He fell in battle against one of Night Raid's assassins, not long ago, and since then I have strived to keep his sense of justice alive!"
"Oh, I see." Tatsumi looked away, his left hand clenching.
Just then, another scream. This one was much further away, below the current tier where the two of them had been patrolling. The cry came from a lower district, a place very much beneath the current standards of living that Tatsumi and Seryu were surrounded by.
And he ran as fast as he could towards the source, deaf to the spirited Jaeger's yelling behind him. After a moment of watching him run, Seryu tentatively proceeded to follow, eager to bring him back to their route before a superior caught wind of their infraction.
It wasn't long before Tatsumi's battle-tested muscles carried him down to the middle-class area, the streets eerily silent as the sky continued to bleed with haunting twilight. The scream came again, further into the winding alleyways ahead, and he ran forward without any hesitation. Seryu hopped over a wall and her legs crumbled beneath her, the sheer height of the drop far more intimidating from the bottom than it was from the top. She carefully held her arms out to catch Koro as he jumped over, the creature's loving mewls soothing her heart as she once again chased after the reckless boy.
"What is he thinking? This is way out of line, and if General Esdeath finds out-!"
Following the last of the screams, Seryu finally turned a corner to find Tatsumi standing before a young woman.
"There you are! I was-"
The next words caught in her throat as she took in the grisly scene before her. The woman at his feet was covered in rags and blood, though not her own. Mangled bodies were strewn along the alley; none of them moving, and all of them gruesome. Trembling, the commoner stared up at her savior even as blood continued to slide down the blade in his hand, pooling at their feet and oozing down the brick walls around them. Shaking his arm, Tatsumi quickly cast off most of the blood and sheathed the sword, paying it no mind as the mysterious weapon suddenly vanished in a burst of light. The shortsword on his back appeared untouched, the chain on its pommel trembling quietly as he turned back to look at Seryu.
His scowl was cruel, but held no candle to the words that fell from his lips.
"This is my justice, Seryu. The justice that killed Captain Ogre, your teacher. Your mentor."
Weakness hit her knees at his sudden confession, and Seryu leaned against the wall beside her. Her eyes were wide and tears were beading at the corners, her heart filled with turmoil as he helped the other woman to her feet before approaching the trembling Jaeger.
He stopped at her side, staring back at the path they had taken.
"I killed him with my own hands, because his justice was weaker than mine. His justice was wrong, and so is yours. I want to ask you a question, Seryu Ubiquitous."
He turned his head to look at her, and her anguished eyes almost shrunk against his wrathful green ones.
"Is your 'justice' the one that deserves to exist?"
He didn't need to dabble in alcohol to feel drunk, and as Tatsumi walked away from the crying Seryu, he reaffirmed his desire to never hold that awful weapon in his hands ever again. As satisfying as saying those words might have been, they still carried with them a sense of guilt.
That guilt faded not long after he caught Seryu following him, her eyes downcast as Koro purred in her arms. In his heart, he knew that he would take up that weapon once again. No matter how much he preferred the warmth of Incursio, the inferno within that equally demonic blade would rise up again.
He had to master it before it mastered him, and with every swing, that milestone seemed to grow further beyond his reach. What would happen when he fought beside Night Raid once again, consumed by a ravenous hunger that rivaled even General Esdeath's?
"Is madness the price of power?" He thought, remembering the words of the village elder as he had handed the boy an unassuming wooden idol. Perhaps the man had always known, and merely trusted him to one day survive the Teigu's trials.
Or perhaps he had been saddled with a curse, used as a sacrifice to carry a sleeping monster far beyond the peaceful borders of his home?
"I trust your patrol was fruitful?" Run smiled, watching as Tatsumi and Seryu walked along the crimson rug, every step framed by elegant trimmings as the two of them looking up at him. Run narrowed his eyes, taking note of the great differences in their expressions.
The boy was calm on the outside, his eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a rigid frown, but his rapid blinking betrayed the fear inside. The girl behind him was by far the more difficult one to read, her eyes red as she ignored the affectionate nuzzling of the Teigu in her arms. Run scratched his chin, the book in his left hand forgotten as he watched them continue to walk down the hallway and into the meeting room. Clearly, Seryu was upset over something, but what?
Feeling that time was short, the elegant man marked his page and closed the book with a gentle sigh, following behind the two youths and taking his place as the last Jaeger to sit at the table that evening.
"The birds have been chirping," Esdeath smiled, leaning across the table as she scanned the faces of her subordinates, "and they sing of promising results. Wave, Kurome, how was your hunt?"
The two of them immediately rose to their feet and bowed to their commander. "Reports of a new rebellious organization proved to be true," Wave began, "and we followed the information we had obtained all the way to the slums."
"From there," young Kurome continued, smiling a little, "we interrogated several nasty beggars until we discovered the group's hideout, and exterminated them with extreme prejudice."
"More like 'I killed them and made Wave watch,'" the blue-haired boy grumbled, thankful that none could hear his complaint. Though if they did, nobody paid him any mind.
"I also played with them for a little while," Kurome admitted, looking up at Esdeath. She immediately lowered her head when the woman cast her a reproachful gaze, shaking her head.
"Am I correct in assuming that you killed them and used their corpses as toys before procuring any noteworthy information?"
Kurome lowered her head even further. "Yes, commander. Please forgive me."
Esdeath sighed, shaking her head. "You must exercise more restraint, Kurome. I enjoy a good bout of torture, myself, but one must always place duty before pleasure. That information could have gone a long way in quelling future acts of rebellion and preventing similar groups from appearing. Think on your failure, and learn from it."
"Yes ma'am," Kurome replied, sitting down. Esdeath turned her attention to Wave, who remained standing.
"Since you are not seated," the general inquired, "I take that as a sign that you have some information of value? Something that Kurome was not made aware of?"
Wave nodded, ignoring the irritated glance from the girl at his side. "Yes, General Esdeath. After interrogating the last and most talkative of the beggars, I remained behind as Kurome went on ahead."
He looked down at the girl as she munched idly on her bag of snacks, sweatdropping a bit as he did. "She does that a lot."
Esdeath cleared her throat, and Wave gulped nervously.
"A-anyway," he continued, "I asked about Night Raid's presence in the Capital."
Both Tatsumi and Esdeath appeared surprised, though their reasoning was anything but the same. Tatsumi almost shrunk in his chair while Esdeath shot the other boy a terrifying glare, daring him to say anything that would jeopardize her progress with the green-eyed assassin.
But Wave pressed on, surprisingly unaffected by her frigid gaze. "Under penalty of death, the man swore that he had neither seen nor heard of anything concerning Night Raid since their last attack on the Capital. I believe that members Mine and Sheele were the last to be sighted in the area, and that any other reports are to be discredited as rumors or intentionally misleading information."
Wave suddenly looked over to Dr. Stylish, eyes narrowed as the man stared back with interest. "It goes without saying that I believe Dr. Stylish's endeavors to be the result of a mistaken lead, and should not be pursued without further investigation."
The man in the labcoat simply shrugged, much to Wave's irritation. "I can respect such an analysis. Science is the work of the God or Gods who preside over us, and proven facts are their angels. However…"
Dr. Stylish leaned across the table, hands clasped together as he flashed the blue-haired boy a sinister smile. "It just so happens that one of my...assistants...caught a glimpse of the girl called Mine, patrolling the outside of their base as we observed. It is precisely because of this observation that any doubts about the blonde and green-haired individuals' allegiance should be eliminated, and the very unique location in which the member Mine was spotted could not be anything other than their base of operations. The prosecution rests his case."
Dr. Stylish settled back into his chair with an arrogant smirk as Wave glowered at him, and Esdeath raised her hand to the frustrated boy.
"Wave, please take your seat."
He did as he was told without another word of protest, and Tatsumi felt his heart sink. Wave had tried to protect him, that much was clear. Though he couldn't be sure of the reason behind such a reckless course of action, not without asking, he desperately wanted to believe that it was because of their budding friendship. And Esdeath, for her part, had to be aware of the other boy's attempt at discrediting Stylish. She said nothing in response to this, however, and appeared to be content watching her Jaegers ripping their throats out right in front of her.
"She can't possibly care for them," Tatsumi reasoned, his thoughts going back once again to the family that waited for him back at Night Raid's HQ. "Not the way Boss cares about us, and definitely not the way that Big Bro cared about us."
"Dissonance is the path to progress," Esdeath suddenly spoke, breaking Tatsumi out of his reverie. "Opposing perspectives will open the way to greater knowledge, and it is by remaining open to criticism and remaining humble when proven wrong that we might grow closer as a team. Every effort on your part will make the Jaegers stronger, and what I have seen now was a most promising occurrence."
She clapped her hands together once, smiling again. "I couldn't be more proud of you two in your efforts to discover the truth. Well done."
Both Wave and Dr. Stylish immediately nodded to the general, eyes practically flowing with tears. "Yes, General Esdeath," they said simultaneously. "Thank you very much!"
Tatsumi's forehead found its home on the wooden desk before him, and not once, but twice.
"What the hell was that?!"
"That," the ghost of Bulat spoke in his mind, also tearing up, "was the voice of loyalty! How beautiful is that?"
"Not you, too!" Imaginary Tatsumi wailed, slapping his ghostly brother into oblivion.
"Now then," Esdeath spoke, rising to her feet. The rest of the Jaegers followed suit, with Tatsumi coming up dead last due to his imaginary escapades. "We have a dinner to attend," the general continued, walking around the edge of the table and behind her subordinates. "I expect you to meet back here in your suits, freshly groomed and not smelling of sweat or sugary treats."
The Capital's Strongest gazed down at Kurome with glowing blue eyes, the poor girl in question actually shivering as she dipped once again into her little bag. As soon as it had begun, the terrifying situation ended, and Esdeath walked once more towards the room's exit.
"Tatsumi," she beckoned with a smile, "follow me back to our room. Your suit is already waiting, tailored to your exact measurements and simply dying for a few...adjustments."
Any normal boy his age would have had their minds forced into overdrive, devoured by all the lecherous insinuations that lay buried beneath that woman's invitation. Instead…
"OUR room?! And what does she mean, tailored to my measurements? WHEN DID SHE MEASURE ME?!"
"It's too tight," he whined, yelping as Esdeath gave him a playful smack on the back of his head. "Owwww," he wailed, looking up at her with one tear-filled eye. "That hurt!"
"Come now, Tatsumi," she sighed, walking around to the front of him and quickly adjusting the boy's tie. "Keep your back straight, and your chin up. No slouching! I don't care much for these events, myself...in truth, I find them quite boring. But there are standards we must uphold, and to fail in that regard might invite the wrath of those who hold our leash."
Tatsumi could tell from her scrunched face that the woman before him did not care much for leashes or restraints of any kind, a stark contrast to her own position in granting such things to her victims. The giant doors ahead of them were laden with gold trimmings and elegant pictures carved into the wood, reeking of a lavish lifestyle far beyond the reach of those who dreamed of nothing more than another meal. Muffled music echoed from the other side, strings and wooden flutes calling out to them as Esdeath continued to adjust his collar.
It made him feel sick to the very core, already killing his appetite for the glorious food that waited beyond those very doors. Esdeath's gentle expression soothed the raging storm inside of him, and she placed a quick kiss upon his cheek.
Something within him stirred, and as she attempted to pull away, he placed one hand beneath her chin and pulled her back. And he kissed her lips, forcing her to taste of his inferno.
He could almost feel her heart burst within her chest, so taken aback was she by this sudden act of force on his part. Clearly, the Capital's Strongest was not used to being dominated, and it fed the primal desire within him. It tickled him with glee to stare at her shocked face, and as she pulled away to touch her lips in the middle of such shock, he was filled with the desire to pull her back for a second taste.
Just then, however, the doors burst open. All thoughts of continuing his advances were banished as the Emperor's throne room came into full view, and a group of nobles stumbled outside in a drunken haze.
"General -hic!- Esdeath?" One of them exclaimed, a fat man with a very red face and a bottle in each hand. "What a pleasant...what a...pleasant surprise!" He howled, laughing uproariously as he and his friends surrounded her. They pelted her with questions, criticisms and praise, all of them brought about by the diseased liquid that poured down their throats and burned in their veins.
She was deaf to them all, however, and two cold fingers lingered on her lips as Tatsumi walked into the throne room, entranced by the massive crowd of nobles. He watched as they drank and laughed, moving forward in a daze as they danced and attacked one another in a delightfully sinful display.
"Oi, Tatsumi!"
The young assassin blinked, shaking his head and freeing himself from the enticing crowd. Off to his right he could see the rest of the Jaegers gathered at one table, and he moved quickly over to greet them. Most of the older members were already somewhat inebriated, and even Bols was leaning against Wave and Run. The two younger men struggled to hold the man up, and Tatsumi couldn't help but laugh.
"Bols," he chuckled, pointing, "you're still wearing your mask! Did you really drink by just...just pouring it in that little mouthpiece?"
He fell into a fit of giggles as the former member of the Incineration Squad snapped indignantly, three times for maximum effect.
"Tatsuya...no, Tetsuo...Testiment?" Bols grumbled, weaving a bit from side to side. Wave and Run laughed, moving to support the man wherever he moved. "I am a...hic!...I am a responserable adult! We work hard, we...we need to relax!"
"You still didn't answer my question," Tatsumi chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye as the burly man finally settled down into a chair. Before long the man was snoring, out cold before the party had even truly begun!
"That poor man," Run chuckled, resting an affectionate hand on his shoulder. "He really does push himself to the limit. I can't imagine what it must be like to carry such a heavy weight on his shoulders."
"Yeah, that Rubicante must be like, a hundred pounds!" Wave laughed. Run laughed as well, apparently not finding the joke to be incredible silly as Tatsumi did. Was this what it was to be drunk, robbed of control as everything around you becomes funnier?
"Anyway," Wave smiled, extending his fist to Tatsumi. "What took you so long, new guy? Was the General 'adjusting' you?"
Tatsumi's face went beet-red, and he opened his mouth to deny the insinuation. Then he remembered what he had done to Esdeath, and after a quick look back at her, the realization that she was still standing in that spot caused his face to redden even further.
"I don't...you can't...it's not like...I…"
"Need some ice?" Wave's grin widened as he raised an arm. "Here, I'll have the commander come and help. Oiiiiiii, General Esdeath!"
"Shut up!" Tatsumi wailed, jumping up to try and stop the other boy from waving his arm. He was met with cheerful laughter all around, even from Dr. Stylish and Kurome. Tatsumi's head sunk into his collar and he covered his eyes, trying to hide his shame from the world.
"Ahem! Attention, everyone!"
The noise level plummeted remarkably fast as a sinister voice rang out, causing Tatsumi's blood to freeze. It was a chill not even Esdeath could summon, and as he gazed up at the child sitting in the throne, his eyes were drawn to the fat man who had spoken.
A jagged, ebony crown sat upon the man's head, his graying hair flowing all around his head as he stared down at everyone. Every chug of wine from his glass left foul stains upon his ragged beard, and Tatsumi felt disgusted. It was instinctive, and as he listened to the man speak, his irrational hatred felt more rational with every second.
"Ladies, gentlemen," the man called out, arms spread wide as he addressed the crowd. "Lords and coinmasters, judges and officers of the Imperial Army!"
Tatsumi took a step away from the Jaegers, and then another, moving to join the crowd as Esdeath did the same some distance away.
"Let me first thank you for your extraordinary dedication to the preservation of the empire's peace! Your hard work allows many of us to sleep soundly at night, and for those who do not…"
The man's smile reached an impossible width, every last one of his wretched teeth on display for those who could see.
"Well," he laughed, arms reaching for the crowd below, "clearly they did not pay the right people!"
Everyone burst into laughter. Everyone, that is, save Tatsumi and the Jaegers. Even Esdeath's frown was unchanging.
"Welcome to yet another night of well-earned debauchery and sin," the man cried out. "Your Wise and Inimitable Emperor Makoto, as well as myself, do hereby invite you to stay as long as you please!"
"Or as long as your liver holds out!" A man from the crowd shouted, causing everyone else to burst into laughter. Even the fat man laughed, leaning on the Emperor's throne as the boy looked on in apparent wonder.
"That crown is far too big on his head," Tatsumi narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't look like the kind of crown that belongs with a kid."
His eyes found the fat man again, and they widened. A dreaded realization descended upon him, and his heart plummeted all the way to his stomach.
"So that's the Prime Minister," he gulped, watching with an equal measure of awe and disdain as the evil man continued to toy with his guests.
"Now, I will delay you no further!" The Prime Minister cried, throwing his arms out again and almost completely emptying his glass of wine with the gesture. "Celebrate until your legs give out and your stomach is emptied of its contents! YOUR EMPEROR DEMANDS IT!"
The cheers were deafening and the music began again, but the sounds no longer possessed him as they did before. No, what took hold of him was something else, something born of his hatred and thirst for vengeance.
He stepped towards the throne, eyes ablaze as he stared at the Prime Minister and his young puppet. Finally catching sight of him, Esdeath cursed as she watched him proceed with his fool's errand, dreading the results if he made even the slightest move on those two.
The Emperor didn't notice him until Tatsumi was already within arm's reach, so distracted was he by the swirling group of noblemen below. Esdeath reached the bottom of the throne's steps far too late, powerless to act as Tatsumi fell to one knee and stared at the boy's feet. The Prime Minister watched, just as curious about the mysterious boy as his little pawn appeared to be.
"Who are you?" Emperor Makoto asked, tilting his head to one side. Even through his peripheral vision Tatsumi could see the innocence in the boy's eyes, and that only deepened his hatred for the despicable creature to his left. The Emperor had no idea what kind of evil was being inflicted upon his own people!
Tatsumi took a deep breath, restraining himself.
"My name is Tatsumi, Your Highness. I am the newest member of General Esdeath's Special Police Force, and it is my great pleasure to meet you."
Esdeath approached slowly as the young Emperor clapped his hands, suddenly very excited by the boy kneeling at his feet. "The Jaegers, right? Prime Minister has told me all about them, even though Miss Esdeath hasn't!"
"General Esdeath," the Prime Minister corrected, suddenly withdrawing a slab of meat from somewhere and gnawing on it. He was like a rabid beast, and this likeness only fueled Tatsumi's desire to kill him. "The niceties must be observed, Your Highness."
"Right," the boy blinked, tapping his scepter against his leg. "General Esdeath. Ah, there she is, Prime Minister! Look!"
"Yes, I see," the fat man sneered, his mocking expression responded to in kind by one of her own as she approached Tatsumi.
"On your feet," Esdeath cooed, wrapping her arm beneath his own as she helped him up. "You have already honored your Emperor. To remain on your knees any longer would be an insult to your position as general-in-training."
"Then, this is that guy you were looking for?" Emperor Makoto's eyes were like dinner plates, and even the Prime Minister appeared taken aback. Esdeath ran an affectionate hand through Tatsumi's hair, topping it off with a gentle pat as she looked back at her superiors.
"Indeed," she smiled, "it would seem that the cosmos has decided to reward my hard work and dedication with a young man who exceeds all of my expectations. My search was over not long after it began, Your Highness." Esdeath bowed her head slightly in a show of respect. "I can only hope that Your Highness is just as fortunate, if not moreso, in finding the love that he seeks."
The boy blinked and Esdeath chuckled, reaching for his hand and placing a chaste kiss atop it. "Once you grow interested in such things, of course."
"That won't be for some time," the Prime Minister laughed, patting the Emperor's strange headwear. "Now then, I am eager to hear of this boy's potential."
"I tamed an Ultra-class Danger Beast," Tatsumi blurted out, "and I'm growing stronger every day."
His heart leaped into his throat as the Prime Minister glowered at him, and Tatsumi realized he had spoken out of turn. The terrifying visage was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, and the man laughed it off as if it never happened.
"Well, now! I daresay you have met your match!" He howled. "Speaking when he chooses, boasting of his capabilities without hesitation...ahhh…"
The man's expression turned serious, and in those wretched eyes of burnt umber, Tatsumi saw a dangerous glimmer. A greed that knew no bounds, a lust that could never, ever be sated. He felt sick to his stomach again, and the sensation only got worse when the man extended his hand.
"Without even speaking a word, your potential is already quite clear," the man praised, extending his hand a bit further when Tatsumi didn't take it. "I expect to hear great things about you as time goes on, ahhm…?"
"Tatsumi," Esdeath replied, patting the boy's head again.
"Yes, yes...Tatsumi! Well now, show me your handshake."
Tatsumi reached out and gripped that man's hand with all the strength he could muster, holding back a smile when the fat monster actually blinked at the sudden force. Then that evil grin reappeared, and quickly stole away what little satisfaction Tatsumi had gained from their encounter.
"It is said that you can learn a great deal from a man's handshake," the Prime Minister sneered, "and you have very determined hands, indeed. I look forward to seeing you fight beside the revered General Esdeath."
"Don't worry," Tatsumi replied, forcing himself to smile back. "I won't disappoint you."
He withdrew his hand and, following Esdeath's example, promptly bowed to the two rulers. They spun on their heels and walked away, with Esdeath's left hand quickly interlocking its fingers in his right one.
Her grip was so tight he thought his fingers would fall right off. She led him silently back over to the rest of the Jaegers, and all of them took their seats as the festivities continued without any change in pace.
"Tatsumi, Wave, Kurome," Esdeath suddenly spoke, causing the aforementioned three to stiffen in place.
She looked to them, her expression colder than any wind from the North. "Return to your quarters and change. I want you prepared for battle and assembled in the meeting room within one hour's time."
"What's happening?" Wave replied, sweating a little from his leader's sudden demand.
"We will delay no further," Esdeath continued, unbuttoning her collar in the room's overbearing heat. "The three of you will follow Dr. Stylish and whatever assistants he chooses to bring over to Night Raid's headquarters."
"Then we're-?!" Kurome jumped to her feet, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Yes," Esdeath responded, turning her head to look straight at Tatsumi. "You are to find Night Raid and crush them. Kill them all and leave none alive."
