Episode 8: Kill the Rampage


Walking alongside Dr. Stylish and Seryu was certainly an interesting change of pace. Tatsumi welcomed the idea of not being killed by them, to be sure, but to now call them friends and journey forward with them was even more exciting. Stylish's explanation had been brief, given that he intended to make his full proposition in front of all the Jaegers. As evening approached, so too did their next meeting.

"Also," Tatsumi thought with a grin, "upgrading the Teigu? That's awesome." According to the Doctor's insinuation, though, he and Wave would both require materials from the Tyrant...which was probably long-buried by now. They'd be lucky if they could get their hands on a single bone!

The three of them turned and Dr. Stylish threw the elegant doors open, grinning widely as he stared into the room. "We have returned! I come bearing news, and if you don't mind me saying, you all look rather stylish this evening!"

Wave facepalmed, and Tatsumi resisted the urge to laugh. Still, he'd been listening to that tripe all afternoon. Wave could afford to trade with him for a little while. Hell, Seryu didn't even seem to care! Her whole face lit up every time he spoke, and that in itself was pretty comical.

With their arrival, the room was now full. All Jaegers were present, and as the three of them took their usual seats, Esdeath entered from another door in the corner of the room.

"I see that everyone is present and on time. I could certainly get used to that."

She took her seat and gestured to Dr. Stylish. "I hear that you have a proposal for me. If you wish to speak of it, now is the time. There are other matters for us to address."

"Of course, General Esdeath," Dr. Stylish said respectfully, pushing out his chair and standing to address the others. "My proposal is in fact for everyone here, as it is a personal matter that requires rather immediate attention."

"Speak, then."

"I have met with misfortune, particularly regarding one of my labs," Stylish continued, arms folded. "Somehow, at some point, a thief made his or her way into that lab and released some very unstable experiments of mine. I would request some assistance in dealing with this small matter, and will personally reward those who will aid me. It's not something that will require the full strength of the Jaegers, least of all yours, General." Dr. Stylish ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "However, if left unchecked, I can guarantee that these creatures will make their way towards the closest settlement and devour any humans in their path."

Esdeath's ears perked up and she narrowed her eyes, leaning forward across the table. "Would these creatures happen to be humanoid, and pale in appearance? Does their strange appearance suggest that their skin is melting away?"

Dr. Stylish blinked, and that was the second time Tatsumi had seen him caught off-guard like that. "How did you know what they looked like?"

"It just so happens that your proposal and my new task are one and the same," Esdeath laughed, leaning back again. Her eyes seemed to shine as she regarded the man, and for just a moment, those very eyes flashed over to capture Tatsumi's.

"I, that is to say we, have been ordered by the Emperor to capture these wretched creatures. I confess myself disappointed, Dr. Stylish, considering that your experiments have been on a rampage for some time now. And you only choose to share this information with us today?"

The man began to sweat nervously, fidgeting with his hands as the woman on the other end of the table nearly froze him solid with her stare. Tatsumi marveled at the sight and felt pity for the man, not wanting to be on the receiving end of such a look, either. Part of him wanted to remain silent and let these two resolve the issue themselves, but another part of him was slowly forcing his mouth open. Everything that had happened, everything that continued to happen...all of it was changing him, to the point where he had looked in the mirror recently and didn't even recognize himself.

"Since we're going to be asking questions," Tatsumi blurted out, suddenly overwhelmed by fear and confidence in equal measure as he spoke, "can I pose one to you, Esdeath?"

Tatsumi was now the center of attention as everyone looked at him, most of them shocked at his blatant disrespect in addressing her. And that wasn't even factoring in her current mood, which in all honesty, wasn't exactly at its peak.

"Very well," Esdeath replied softly, causing Tatsumi to shiver. He knew then that behind her cool expression was an avalanche waiting to bury him, but it didn't terrify him like it would have before.

He had a blazing inferno ready to meet with her in the middle, and he would win. Not simply because of her affections, which was a weakness all on its own, but also because of the monstrous force that always waited for his call.

"Why did you send me to attack my other friends?" Tatsumi finally said, clenching his fists. "You knew how I felt about them, you understood how conflicted I was over all this. You're not stupid."

Wave flinched at that, but Esdeath herself remained unperturbed. She allowed the boy to continue, resting patiently with her chin on one hand.

"You're actually one of the smartest people I know," Tatsumi admitted. "You didn't simply forget how I felt, you sent me on that mission intentionally. You knew exactly why you were doing it, and if I'm not mistaken, I think you even looked happy about it. If you're going to ask Dr. Stylish to explain why he was keeping his dirty laundry a secret, then I'll do you one better."

Tatsumi was on his feet now, arms shaking and eyes blazing furiously as he stared at her. He accused her with his gaze, with every ounce of anger in his soul he pointed his finger and placed the ball in her court.

"Why did you send me on that mission without explaining your intentions? You're so content with hiding information when it suits your needs, and yet, you want to get angry when one of us does the same? You're a General of the Imperial Army, you have enough brains to manipulate people and bend any situation to your will."

Tatsumi slammed his fist down on the table, and when he looked up at her, Esdeath felt his stare like a punch to the gut. She didn't recognize the person in front of her anymore. This was not the boy who had smiled with such cheer back at the tournament.

"You have the power and the brains," Tatsumi hissed, "but in the end, you just don't have a damn heart. You don't love me, or anyone else."

He could feel it, now more than ever. Incursio was not alone in its cries, not alone in its demand to be wielded. He could feel Bulat's legacy reaching out to him from Esdeath's chambers, but his new Teigu was also crying out. His left hand continued to tremble. Tatsumi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing his mind on images of Akame, Leone, and all the others who had changed his life. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't expecting to feel guilty.

But the pain on her face was too real. Wordlessly, Esdeath rose from her position at the other end of the table and walked out of the room. Her footsteps were the only noise that fought against the uncomfortable silence, echoing in the air as she left the same way she came. When at last the sound disappeared, Wave scowled at Tatsumi and opened his mouth to say something.

"Well now," Stylish said out of nowhere, beating the young fisherman to the punch, "I suppose this means we can proceed?"

"Yeah," Tatsumi growled, giving in to the impulse and calling forth the Two-In-One. In a flash he cast his arm off to the side and summoned the powerful weapon with a burst of light, happily pouring his anger into the Teigu.

"Hold on, hold on!" Wave cried, leaping to his feet as well. "We can't just go out on our own and take matters into our own hands!"

"Ordinarily you would be correct," Stylish countered, smiling at Tatsumi's counterpart. "However, Lady Esdeath told us herself that this was a mission sanctioned by the Emperor himself. Even if she hasn't had the chance to explicitly give us the order, there's reason to believe that she was going to. In any case," Stylish chuckled, turning his back on them all and walking around the table, "we must answer to the Emperor before answering to her, don't you think?"

"You bastard," Wave spat, almost sprinting around to cut the man off. Kurome quickly joined him at his side as everyone else watched. Run and Bols were looking particularly troubled, but ultimately chose to remain silent as Wave prepared his rant.

A gentle hand on his arm stopped him, and Wave looked down at Kurome. She looked like she was pitying him, but when she tightened her grip, a different perspective came into view.

"Maybe she gets it?" Wave thought, glancing back at Dr. Stylish. "I'm not wrong, he is. But maybe this isn't the time…"

"We need to respect the chain of command," Wave grumbled. "You shouldn't disrespect the General like that. And you!" Wave yelled, pointing at Tatsumi and watching angrily as the boy jumped. "You're ten times worse! Hasn't the General been kind to you all this time?"

"Wave!" Kurome insisted, grabbing onto him with both arms now. But Wave wasn't having any of it, and tugged his arm free. He immediately regretted this when she showed him a new face, one that was eerily similar to Esdeath's only moments ago.

She, too, had just been hurt. And now he was no better than Tatsumi. The other boy, for his part, was equally conflicted. It felt satisfying to finally let that anger out, but would it be worthwhile in the long run? He was now just as much a part of this team as anyone else, having willingly turned his back on Night Raid. Now that he had chosen this road, was it really wise for him to tear everyone apart like this?

He sighed, loosening his grip as the Teigu in his hand vanished. He and Wave stared at each other in silence, each regarding the other. After another awkward moment, Wave finally stepped forward and extended his right hand.

"What you did just now wasn't right," he chided, "but I guess I'm no better. Sorry about that, Kurome."

Kurome shook her head, smiling sadly. "That's alright," she replied, lowering her head by just a fraction. "You're not the first one to pull away from me."

Tatsumi took Wave's hand in his own and managed to pull the other boy's gaze back over to him, not wanting to watch this painful scene go on any longer than it had. "I had a lot of pent up anger I needed to let out," he confessed, looking up at his taller rival. "I should have found a better way to do that, but I guess I just lost my head for a minute. I'll apologize to her later."

"You better make that a promise," Wave smirked, finally relaxing as the tension in the air was lifted. "A man won't back down from his word."

"You got it," Tatsumi nodded, trying to push that inevitable confrontation out of his mind. "It's a promise."

"Now," Run interjected, standing up as well and moving towards the group. "If that's settled, we should discuss this mission further and decide how to divide our strength. To move in smaller groups is to reduce our effectiveness as a team, and poor performance on the battlefield will most definitely impact our reputation within the Capital. That runs counter to our intentions, because fear of retaliation from the Jaegers has kept many of the potential rebels at bay."

Tatsumi blinked, too surprised at the man's sudden comment to fully appreciate its rarity. Initially, the graceful blonde had come across to him as a soft-spoken reader, not unlike Sheele. But there was definitely something else in the way he spoke, something waiting beneath all of that intellect.

"He's strong," Tatsumi pondered. "Not just in battle, but with his words, too."

"Too right," Dr. Stylish agreed, patting Wave on the head. He seemed to grow too comfortable too quickly, however, as the boy was seething at the casual gesture. When he reached up to seize the scientist's hand, however, it had already returned to the man's side.

"That was completely intentional!" Wave fumed, taking a step towards him before Kurome patted him on the shoulder with her usual silliness.

"I already have a team in mind, considering that we must capture my old experiments. Simply destroying them all will shed no light on this situation, and we need all the information on the thief that we can acquire. I believe that studying these Danger Beasts is the key, but in order to preserve them in the middle of combat…"

Dr. Stylish turned his head to stare at Tatsumi, sending the boy's instincts into overdrive. He already didn't like where this was going.

"...we will require Lady Esdeath's powers."

It was now official: he definitely hated where this was going.

"The attempt at making my proposal did not go as planned," Dr. Stylish continued, mocking Tatsumi with his smile. "It would be a stretch to even call this a success, considering that our General hasn't given the order to act. As such, I believe someone should find our commanding officer and request her aid."

Without batting an eye, Tatsumi reached over with his left arm and grabbed Wave's right one, lifting it up in the air. Everyone sans Tatsumi sweatdropped at this, and Run actually placed his palm over his face.

"In case I wasn't being clear," Dr. Styish coughed, "I was referring to you, my good friend."

Tatsumi cursed internally, so many times and with so much intensity that he feared his head would explode. His attempt to volunteer Wave had utterly failed, and what's worse, his face was now bright red as he turned on his heels and slowly walked back around the table. His journey took him over to the door in the corner of the room, the terrifying door through which Esdeath had made her hasty retreat.

"There goes a man on his Walk of Shame," Wave mocked, saluting Tatsumi with faux tears streaming down his face. "A real hero."

Tatsumi grabbed the nearest flower pot and hurled it viciously at the boy's head, quickly performing an about face and continuing through the doorway. He missed Kurome's extraordinary catch, however, as well as Wave's priceless expression.

"How interesting," Dr. Stylish muttered, bending down to get a better look at Wave's face. "I was unaware that the human jaw could descend that far."


"Seriously," Tatsumi whined, one hand on the side of his face as he continued to panic. "I probably haven't seen half of the palace yet!"

Thankfully, Esdeath wouldn't be too hard to find. All he needed to do was keep following the trail of trembling servants and all the ice on the floor. As romantic as the concept might have sounded, Tatsumi wasn't too comfortable with the unspoken message of, "Come and find me."

All that confidence he'd been brimming with only minutes ago had whittled down to nothing, and on top of that, Esdeath was probably furious over what had just happened. He'd insulted and disgraced her in front of their comrades…

"Comrades…" Tatsumi mumbled, briefly losing his train of thought. He reclaimed it after a moment and shook his head with a groan, already overwhelmed by the task that he'd essentially given himself. If he'd shown more restraint, if only he'd spoken to her in private…!

His chance finally came when the frigid trail beneath him led all the way back to Esdeath's chambers, approaching from the side of the hall opposite to where he normally traveled. It was like a big circle of doom that brought him to death's door, and as he knocked on that door's frozen surface, Tatsumi wondered if it was too late to turn back.

To hell with restraint, though. He simply barged into the room and forced himself not to run away. The sensation when he entered was absolutely horrifying, nevermind freezing. He shivered with chattering teeth and eyes flitting about, finally settling upon the woman who was seated upon the bed. Esdeath had buried her face in her hands, slouching over and completely motionless as Tatsumi approached her.

"I did this," he thought, swallowing the lump in his throat like he always did. "I have to fix this."

"Uhm...Esdeath? I'm sorry, General Esdeath? Can...can I talk to you?"

Suddenly, there he was, stammering like an idiot. Tatsumi cursed in his mind and looked away, ashamed. Not only had he acted childishly in front of the Jaegers, but now when it came to being a man and speaking his mind, suddenly he couldn't do a damn thing?

"It's not a lie."

Her sudden words caused him to almost jump out of his skin, and he took a sudden step back in shock. Esdeath, however, remained there like a statue. Unmoving, unfeeling.

"L-lie?" Tatsumi stuttered again, rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen, I-"

"You know it isn't a lie, right? It can't be. I don't want it to be, I really…"

Esdeath looked up at him, and what he saw shocked him to the core. Before him sat the most ruthless general in all the Empire. Word of her deeds spread across that Empire like wildfire, and rumors of her strength even spanned continents. Throughout all the known world she was heralded as one of the most powerful human beings still living, a monster among men and a demon like no woman could ever hope to be.

Why, then...was she crying?

It was no significant amount, not a river or even a bubbling brook, yet that one lone trail streaming from her left eye pierced through him like no weapon ever could. Just like that, the full weight of his words came crashing down on Tatsumi, and he stared at his feet. Wretched, guilty.

Alone in his anger. Esdeath "the general" may have deserved whatever retribution was waiting beyond the palace walls, but Esdeath as she was certainly didn't deserve this kind of retaliation. Esdeath, "the woman", had much more potential than her military career would ever suggest. And she certainly didn't deserve the same ruthlessness that she had so frivolously shown to her enemies. Somewhere beneath all of that ice, he knew there was a young woman trapped in the middle of her own blizzard.

Rather than leading her out, all he'd done was throw water on her. And that hurt. Finally managing to blink after staring for so long, Tatsumi found himself wishing that his pain wouldn't end. He deserved it, and he didn't deserve her. Not her kindness or her affection, regardless of whether it was real to him or not.

It was real to her.

"I really," Esdeath said quietly, that single tear freezing in place upon her cheek, "do have these feelings. I may not be familiar with them, and I hate how weak I feel because of them. But it feels like something worth pursuing, something that could...change? Ah, I sound like a fool," she laughed, a sad and humorless sound. "There was truth in what you said before, and perhaps this pain I feel is a sign that I am no longer worthy of leadership. No amount of love for my subordinates can redeem this new flaw, and if it is exploited, you could all be hurt, captured...even killed. All by my hand, a product of my weakness."

"There's more than one kind of strength," Tatsumi said, gritting his teeth. He buried the pain and focused his anger, but this time, he aimed it at the system that surrounded them. Esdeath blinked at him, surprised.

He thought of that hideous Prime Minister's face, and it made him burn so hotly that he was afraid he'd summon the Muramasa right then and there. He'd massacre everyone and everything on his way to that bastard, and that fiery passion allowed him to speak with vigor.

"Everyone can be strong, even if they're weak," he continued, speaking louder and louder as he walked over to her. "Weakness is not evil, and strength is not good. There is no universal justice and nothing is inherently good or evil. Power is power, and everyone has it. It sleeps in every beggar," Tatsumi yelled, hands clenched into fists as he stopped right in front of her, "and it wanes in every soldier of the Empire!"

Esdeath rose from the bed slowly, her eyes wide and her heart pounding.

"You had your reasons, I know you did," Tatsumi spat, looking away from her in his shame. "Even if I turned tail and ran away from Night Raid, I still came here speaking like an assassin instead of a fellow Jaeger. I talked about bridging the gap between everyone, and then I went and almost threw away my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I want to stay with you," he admitted, turning his head back to look at her, "but I don't know how I'll-"

Esdeath grabbed the back of his head and kissed him, pulling the boy so close he thought their noses would break. Forgetting everything and focusing on not ruining the moment, he kissed her back with equal passion and even managed to force her back onto the bed, one hand on the side of her face and the other on her hip. He pulled away for air and tried to back off, fully aware of the trouble he'd just gotten himself into...right before she wrapped one leg around his back and forced him back down. Their noses were touching again and he could feel her breath against his lips, her pupils fully dilated as the heat of the moment almost melted the entire room.

"Why did you send me?" Tatsumi whispered.

"To help you make your decision," Esdeath whispered back.

"Why did you let Seryu follow us?" He spoke again, even quieter this time as they continued to share the same breath.

"Because she confessed her hatred to me," Esdeath mumbled, brushing her lips against his own. "I knew you would be able to change her, just as you are changing me."

"You said you wouldn't be the one who changed," Tatsumi chuckled, eyes closed as they pressed together in another kiss. The leg on the small of his back pushed him deeper into her embrace, and his sudden arousal was made quite apparent when he rubbed up against her. Esdeath hissed and kissed his cheek, her pain from earlier completely forgotten.

"I didn't lie," she conceded, closing her eyes as well. "You merely proved me wrong."

"I proved the great General Esdeath wrong? Perish the thought," Tatsumi laughed, whining with a silly sound as she playfully smacked the back of his head.

"Behave yourself," she chided, but when he opened his eyes, he couldn't even handle that beautiful grin.

"So, is my apology accepted?"

"You never apologized," Esdeath snickered. Tatsumi groaned in resignation, trying desperately not to focus on what had just happened as the sexual tension dwindled and the ice in the palace began to melt.

"I'm sorry," Tatsumi grumbled, sighing and generally being melodramatic about the whole thing. His bruised pride didn't seem so bad when she grabbed both sides of his face, staring up at him with the same affection she always did.

"I am sorry, as well. Perhaps one day soon, you might convince me as you have Seryu?"

"Do you know everything that happens in the entire world?" Tatsumi groaned, shaking his head. "Also, what do you mean, 'one day soon?!' I thought you just said that I changed you!"

"I merely acknowledged the possibility," Esdeath cooed, stroking his face. "Don't let your guard down simply because the battle appears to be over. You'll never win a war that way."

"Can we stop with the euphemisms and focus on my next question?" Tatsumi pleaded, pulling away from her before she could grab him again. She sighed and rose to her feet as well, patting herself down and straightening her clothes.

"And that would be…?"

"Can you come with us to capture Dr. Stylish's experiments? He said we'd need your ice powers."

"That is certainly one method," Esdeath sighed, "but I sense laziness in the air. Surely that man could devise a number of ways to capture these Danger Beasts without leaning on my abilities."

"You'd have to ask him that," Tatsumi shrugged. "I'm just the messenger-slash-apologizer."

"Fair enough," Esdeath smirked, stepping past him and flowing like water as she did so. Her fingers were alluring and they teased his neck as she moved onward, pulling them lightly against his skin and making him shiver. He shivered like the cold wasn't even there.

"Let us return to them and proceed with the containment of this problem," Esdeath said firmly, reaching for the hat on her desk and placing it upon her head once more. "There will be no need for additional casualties.

Watching her walk calmly out the door, Tatsumi could feel new hope surging within him. Perhaps it wasn't too late for either of them; certainly not for the Empire, not if she truly did change. Only time would tell.

And he would be its master.


"Let's hurry up and reach the Capital while it's still light!" The man on the left cried, arms wrapped around himself as both the air and his fear chilled his very bones.

The two merchants could feel the gnarled fingers of Death closing in on them as they hurried onward, the carriage containing their goods almost flying off of its wheels as the horse tethered to it ran with all of their might. Every few seconds the man on the right would motivate it with a crack from the ropes in his hands, sweating profusely as the trees grew darker around them and the sun continued to sink.

"I know that, already!" The man on the right yelled, sweating as the giant walls finally came into view. "I'm trying to get us out of here before those things show up!"

"They're in this area, right?" The man on the left began to panic, shaking his head crazily. "I don't wanna die getting eaten by those monsters, I don't, I don't, I don't, I DON'T!"

"Calm down, damn it! We'll be alright, we just-!"

At that moment, the horse yelped and ground to a halt, nearly tipping the carriage over as their momentum dissipated. Three white, bandaged beings suddenly leaped out of the trees and soared high into the air, hovering there for a moment before descending upon them.

"T-they're here!" The man on the right screamed.

The first of the monsters, ahead of the other two, roared with hunger and fury as it reached for the man on the right. With its mouth wide open and spewing saliva, the strange Danger Beast prepared for its next meal...

..only to be knocked away by a brutal punch, its body flying away and sliding against the dirt as Bols landed on his feet. Even within the mask he scowled, grateful for the opportunity to spare two civilians from such a gruesome fate.

Those men stared at him in fear, however, as if he were a Danger Beast himself. Undeterred by this and certainly used to it by now, Bols reached for the Rubicante's extension.

"I made it in time!" He cried, thankful as the barrel expanded and began to welcome the flame from the canister on his back. "This should finish you!"

The hellstorm expelled from the flamethrower's muzzle rapidly consumed the two closest Danger Beasts, their fleshy exterior melting away in the flash of an eye and revealing their delicate insides. These, too, were incinerated and cast into the wind even as the third creature charged after Bols, seeking to rip him apart. Bols scoffed and nervously tried to recharge the Teigu, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time.

"Weak."

The Muramasa whispered with displeasure as the final Danger Beast was severed in two, its wielder sliding against the dirt as he completed his lethal strike. Without any blood to sustain its power, Tatsumi could already feel the edge growing dull as he returned it to its home and companion, the Masamune.

"H-hey, you're that kid!"

Tatsumi turned back to them and blinked, briefly tapping his fist against Bols's grateful one as he tried in vain to recognize the two merchants. "Do I know you?"

"You saved us from that Earth Dragon a while back!" The man on the left cried, standing up on the carriage to pump his fist in the air. "And now here you are, flying out of nowhere to save us again! Are you a guardian angel?!"

"Not even close," Tatsumi laughed, patting his masked friend on the arm. "And in any case, I probably wouldn't have killed all three of them within the first swing. You can thank Bols here for taking out the first two; without that, I definitely would've struggled more against them. Especially since they don't bleed."

The two merchants winced as they glanced over to the masked man, but with Tatsumi's comforting presence, they decided to take a chance and gave Bols a thumbs-up. He immediately brought his hands to his chin and expressed an overwhelming amount of joy, throwing everyone off with his unexpected gentleness.

Just then, three more of the creatures emerged from the forest, terrified by the slaughter they just witnessed. Driven by instinct, the Danger Beasts fled, and Tatsumi couldn't help but grin.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire...well, maybe 'fire' isn't the right word."


"Kurome," Esdeath sighed, her hand still on the ground as the disturbed girl approached one of the frozen Danger Beasts. "Don't eat that."

"I'm really hungry," Kurome whined, much to the other woman's amusement. She walked forward and placed an affectionate hand on Kurome's head, rubbing it a little.

"When we return," she offered, "we can have a fancy meal with everyone and you may eat your fill. I'll even inform the chefs to make whatever you request, if that's acceptable."

"I love you!"

Esdeath blinked many times as the eccentric girl hugged her precious general, desperately hanging onto her as if her life depended on it. Esdeath laughed and hugged her back, welcoming all these new feelings that Tatsumi had been introducing her to.

"I...care for you as well, Kurome."

Released from their mutual embrace, the two Jaegers stared at their three prizes with satisfaction.

"How about this, Prime Minister?" Esdeath gloated, placing a hand upon the nearest victim. "Will this be enough for you to lengthen our leash? With all of these developments, you may be out of the picture sooner than I'd expected."

Her thoughts drifted back to Tatsumi as always, and the general's smile widened. Change was surely upon them, and her own ambitions could finally become reality.

"Let us return with our newest prize," Esdeath ordered, walking back over to Tatsumi and Bols to enlist their help. "The night is still young, and we have a nice meal waiting."