Episode 9: Kill the Passion
Tatsumi was beginning to grow accustomed to his new routine. Wake up in Esdeath's arms, mainly because of the invasive sun's light; crawl out of the bed, yawn, try to walk away and get pulled back as she grabs his arm; laugh nervously and remain still as she rises herself, rubbing one eye cutely as she stares at him; breathe a sigh of relief once she finally releases his arm, take the first shower courtesy of her kind heart, and get dressed behind the safety of the locked bathroom door.
He had not a single doubt in his mind that she'd barge right in unless he locked it. For someone who seemed to know so little about relationships, she certainly was forthright when it came to showing her affection. He'd rather not be on the receiving end of that affection, at least not while he was stark naked.
In the process of taking his shower, Tatsumi reveled in the steaming-hot water and the luxury of wandering about in his mind. The events of the evening prior had been rather interesting, considering his new affinity for the 47th Teigu and the delicious meal that had followed the end of their mission. With Esdeath's insistence, he had joined her in bringing news of their success to the Prime Minister. Though the Emperor himself had long since gone to sleep, the Prime Minister had taken it upon himself to praise and reward the two of them. Again, by Esdeath's request, Tatsumi had received his own reward apart from the other Jaegers, though at a reduced amount.
Still, four hundred gold pieces was nothing to scoff at. He'd be able to pull his old village out of the gutter and send their economy skyrocketing with that much, while still having enough left over to enjoy himself in the future. Upon asking Esdeath where the nearest bank was, she'd simply laughed on their way back to the room and ruffled his hair, reminding him that what was hers was now his.
He'd tried to remain modest after that comment, he really did. Once she had taken him to the wall safe and shown him her rainy day funds, however, Tatsumi couldn't help but drool. He wasn't a greedy person by any means, but no person could have possibly resisted the allure of that much gold. He'd nearly fainted when she had referred to such a vast amount of currency as "pocket change."
Finally throwing his usual shirt on after another moment of introspection, Tatsumi reminded himself yet again to find time and buy some new clothing. Something more practical, especially, considering that future adventures with the Jaegers would become increasingly dangerous. Though Incursio excelled in its defensive capabilities, a simple increase in strength wouldn't help him against the most resistant of enemies.
That was where the Two-In-One came in. Slowly but surely, he was reaching that same level of comfort that he now had attained with Bulat's old Teigu.
"Weak."
Had that one word really been his own? Where before he could be certain which words were of the blade and which ones belonged to him, the line now appeared to blur. He'd certainly felt some satisfaction upon splitting that experimental Danger Beast in half, and he even shared in the Teigu's disappointment upon seeing that the creature contained no blood of its own.
Staring in the mirror, Tatsumi shook his head and freed himself of the doubts, bringing a hand up to clench his fist with newfound motivation. He would master both Teigu and learn to use them effectively, and eventually, he would surpass the Empire's Strongest!
"Tatsumi?" Esdeath inquired from the other side of the door, rapping her knuckles against its surface. "You needn't rush, but we do have our usual meeting to attend. Will you be out soon?"
Tatsumi cleared his throat, blushing profusely when he realized just how long he'd been idling about in there. "Yeah," he responded, smiling despite himself. "I'm ready to go, sorry."
Quickly hanging his towel up on the rack, he then threw the door open with a forced smile in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. "It's all yours."
Esdeath nodded once and walked by, still too tired to dote on him just yet. He couldn't help but chuckle once she'd closed the door, thinking about how cute it was that the most feared person in all the Empire could seem so different, whether it was acting lovey-dovey or dragging her feet after waking up.
He approached the bed and was about to sit down when the Incursio caught his eye, leaning silently against the nightstand like always. On an impulse he walked over and picked the blade up, returning to the bed and taking a seat as he waited for Esdeath to come out. The water had only just turned back on, proving that he still had a bit of time left before he had to be at the meeting. It wouldn't be polite to leave her here alone, after all.
Not that he'd have cared in the past. Still, things were changing. They changed every day, little by little, and he believed now more than ever that the Jaegers could one day turn their attention to those who poisoned the Capital.
Lifting the Incursio in his right hand, Tatsumi effortlessly cast his left hand outwards and summoned the 47th, completely passive in its sheathed form. Neither of the Teigu were exerting strain upon him, though he could still feel through instinct the tremendous power that waited within each of them. They waited for his call, his command.
But they could not cooperate, could not synchronize. Attempting to use both would surely deplete his stamina to dangerous extremes; however, he had only taken Esdeath's word on this.
Could he do it? Could he teach himself to balance the two and use them at the same time? Surely the Incursio's armor would prevent that awful miasma of the 47th from affecting him, and permit him to fight more smartly like usual. Not to mention, two levels of defense and an increase in strength when swinging the Muramasa would make him a devastating fighter. Only fear kept him at bay.
Or was it wisdom?
Staring at the two weapons and overthinking things like usual, Tatsumi quickly lost track of time and jumped a little when Esdeath suddenly opened the bathroom door.
"Thinking about something?" She chirped, looking at him with a knowing smile. Tatsumi shook his head and dismissed his newest Teigu, rising to his feet as he returned the Incursio to its usual spot on his back.
"Not about anything important," he responded with a shrug. "We're ready to go, then?"
"It will be a short meeting," Esdeath assured him, waving her hand dismissively as she approached the door. "The Capital appears to be quiet, and so do your friends within Night Raid. I assume that your decision to return to us and not them has caught Night Raid off-guard for the time being. I imagine we won't be fighting them for a short while."
Right as her hand gripped the doorknob, Esdeath froze in place.
"They will remain unharmed so long as they abstain from entering the Capital. Additionally, any further raids on their compound would be most unwise."
Esdeath turned around to look at him, her expression purely neutral as she did so. "Staying out of eyesight would be prudent, as well, at least concerning those who have already been identified as enemies of the Empire. Should the unidentified members enter the Capital, they need only keep their noses out of trouble to avoid meeting with us under unfortunate circumstances."
She turned back to face the door and left without another word, expecting him to follow. And he did, like always, though his mind was now in overdrive. Her message had been clearly received, and for a moment, his heart swelled with gratitude.
She did care, after all. At least on some level.
The meeting, as Esdeath had promised, had been short and rather to-the-point. She informed the other members of the Prime Minister's satisfaction and announced another day of leisure, partly due to their hard work. In truth, it was due to a lack of assignments. More would surely come with time, given the Revolutionary Army's determination, but for now they'd been blessed with another day off.
Tatsumi now sat with Wave and Kurome, eagerly watching as his new friends battled to the death...during a game of chess. He watched with bated breath, surprised at how well Wave seemed to be playing. He didn't see Wave as stupid, not by any means; however, he recognized the look in Kurome's eyes as the same one that Akame always wore. A silent kind of intellect, soft-spoken but frightening when utilized.
Despite this, she was losing. Wave's advantage may have been small, but it was certainly there, and Tatsumi was eager to see who would win.
"Wave, Kurome...Tatsumi," Bols suddenly spoke, walking towards them with a few cups of tea. He held the plate beneath the cups steadily as he walked forward, the precious liquid hardly rippling as he approached. "The tea is ready."
"Thanks," Kurome said with a slight smile.
"Oh, thanks as always!" Wave said cheerfully.
The two of them accepted their cups with gratitude as Bols made his way around the smile table to their spectator, carefully handing Tatsumi the warm cup. "And here is yours!"
"Thank you, Bols," Tatsumi replied, taking a brief sip and wincing as he did so.
"It's hot," all three of the Jaegers informed him. His eye twitched irritably and he raised one of his fists, shaking it with irritation.
"Gee, thanks for telling me after I've already taken a sip!"
"The steam should've made it obvious," Kurome countered with those silly eyes that Akame occasionally displayed. This only deepened his agitation, however, and he reached over to steal her cup. She quickly seized his hand, and he blinked in surprise at the firmness with which she restrained him.
"This is mine now," she said bluntly, moving a bishop piece with her right hand.
"Oi oi," Wave hissed, scanning the room for any sign of their dangerous leader. "I'm all for picking on Tats," he continued, "but shouldn't you be a little more careful? What if the General walked in here and got the wrong idea?"
"Then I would explain," Kurome replied, looking dissatisfied as he replaced one of her pawns with one of his own. "You're not too bad at this game."
"I'm dominating you," Wave replied, looking annoyed and haughty in equal measure in response to her last comment. "I'm going to win this little game, and then you'll have to pay up."
Tatsumi rubbed his arm after Kurome finally released it, looking to the other boy with a raised eyebrow. "You actually made a bet with her?"
Wave nodded and smirked a bit, looking over to Tatsumi. "If she wins, I have to let her beat me up with a fresh fish. And if I win…"
He pointed to Tatsumi, then, and his smile widened. "If I win," he repeated, "she has to ask you out on a date!"
"Are you insane?!" Tatsumi jumped up to his feet, equally surprised at learning the truth behind the game as he was to see that Kurome had not reacted in the slightest. "Are you trying to get her killed? If Esdeath finds out-!"
"Tatsumi, please calm yourself," Bols interrupted, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "The General is not unkind, and can be quite understanding provided the proper explanations for our actions are given. The idea that all of this was in good fun would not escape her."
Tatsumi sighed and sat back down, somewhat grateful for the masked man's intervention. He didn't really like to panic about Esdeath's unpredictable behavior, and those words alone had gone far in getting him to relax.
"Thanks, Bols," he replied, smiling up at his friend. "I guess I'm on a bit of a hair-trigger, lately. You really are nice, you know that?"
Bols lowered his head, causing the boy's smile to falter. "I'm not a nice person," Bols muttered.
Wave's own expression fell, as if he'd heard those words before. Tatsumi didn't get the chance to inquire further, however, as two new people entered the room. A woman and her child, a young girl hanging in her arms and sporting the biggest smile Tatsumi had ever seen, stared right at Bols upon entering. The girl couldn't have been any older than seven or eight years of age, and her cry of "papa" caught everyone off-guard.
"Honey, we're here," the woman said kindly, her eyes aglow with love as she gazed upon Bols. The masked man took up an excited, ridiculous pose in response, ignoring the baffled expressions of his fellow Jaegers.
"Ah, what's this?!" He cried out, quickly walking over to the two visitors. "What are you doing here?" He asked, reaching out to them. The woman simply held out a square object wrapped in a polka dot cover, giggling together along with her daughter.
"You forgot your lunch back home!" She chided, her smile losing none of its brightness. "You know, the one we made together? Honestly," she chuckled, dumping the lunch into her husband's waiting arms, "you can be so forgetful sometimes!"
Bols immediately slapped the back of his head, shaking it reproachfully. "Ah, how could I?"
The little girl in his wife's arms laughed, pointing a finger at him. "Papa, you're silly!" All three of them laughed together while his companions continued to stare. Even Kurome's usually emotionless face had relaxed, showing her own surprise.
"Since your job is so demanding, you need to keep up your strength. If you can't remember to bring your lunch, don't worry," the woman said with an even wider smile, the love in her gaze almost overwhelming as Tatsumi looked on. "We'll bring it to you every day. Elene loves to see her papa when he's working, don't you Elene?"
The mother nuzzled Elene's neck and caused the girl to erupt in a fit of giggles, her big blue eyes staring right at her father as she was tickled. "Yeah, I'll come here every day, papa! Forever and ever!"
Bols walked over and embraced them both, causing Tatsumi's heart to stop as he fell backwards over his chair. Wave bent over to look at his friend with concern and terror, immediately pressing against the boy's chest in a futile attempt to resuscitate him.
"You're welcome to visit, but don't force yourselves," Bols insisted, pulling them tighter against his body. "I'll try to remember my lunch from now on, so don't worry. You can visit on your own terms when you can, and I'll hug you both every time you do!"
This time it was Wave who had a pseudo-attack, collapsing next to Tatsumi and foaming at the mouth while Kurome replaced him as the panicking friend. "So this is true love?" Wave thought, unfeeling as the girl punched his chest with unnecessary force. "I can't even handle this, right now."
"Thank you, Wave," Bols said, causing the young fisherman to come back to his senses. He stared up at the masked man in wonder as his daughter insisted on being held, his blue eyes unable to reach his friend's through the cover on his head. "Thank you for cheering me on, even despite what I've told you. My wife and daughter know what I've done," the man continued, looking over at the woman as she smiled, "and they still cheer me on, too. I am not a nice person, but I'm glad you've all been so kind to me."
Comical tears streamed from the eye-holes, and even his wife and child mimicked the expression with gratified tears of their own. "Thank you!" They all said together, this time reviving Tatsumi from his astonished state.
"That's why," Bols concluded, still holding his loved ones as a bright light shone behind him, "I can keep going no matter how hard things are! I'm perfectly fine!"
"So bright-!" Wave and Tatsumi thought together, both of them recoiling while Kurome simply ate more of her treats. "Is this love?!"
Tatsumi blinked, his shocked expression disappearing as his mind strayed back to Esdeath. He suddenly began thinking of her smile, her laughter, every little thing about her that existed in defiance of the reputation that her name had accrued.
"She loves me," he thought, blushing a little as he watched the happy family before him continue to laugh and embrace one another. "She loves me, and I can't hate her anymore. If I stay here, will we end up like that one day? Will she...will I…?"
Tatsumi lowered his head, looking sullen as he was reminded of his new responsibilities. "Could we be like that? If I spend enough time with her, will I end up like Bols? Can I really be happy with someone like her?"
He shook his head a little to push those thoughts away, unable to feel any surprise as the woman in question suddenly ruined the moment by walking through the doorway. Her eyes met his and she smiled, speaking volumes about her intentions without her having to utter even a single word.
"Guess there's no getting away," he thought with a smile, rising up off of the floor to boldly approach his commanding officer. "No choice but to see where we go from here, and I guess I shouldn't complain."
He followed her silently out of the room, much to Wave and Kurome's confusion. But Tatsumi had quickly adapted to the woman's mannerisms, and he now could see when he was wanted.
Privately.
"She is keeping my friends safe, after all." Tatsumi increased his pace to match her own, actually enjoying her smile when she saw that he was now following by her side and not behind.
"Safe," he repeated in his mind. "All of them, here and there."
"Why are we doing this, exactly?" Tatsumi sweatdropped, hanging desperately onto Esdeath's waist as the two of them continued to soar higher and higher. How she had tamed an Air Dragon was beyond him, but the beast obeyed every tug of the reins as she carried them all deeper into the wilderness. Deep forests and imposing mountains gave way to great mesas that towered high above the ground, their shadows long beneath the light of the moon.
"I thought we could seek out some more Danger Beasts," she responded, blushing lightly. "Build on your hunting skills, increase your proficiency in battle...enjoy a romantic evening."
"You brought me here on a date!" Tatsumi cried, removing one hand from her waist to point at her accusingly. Esdeath merely laughed and cracked the reins again, forcing the Air Dragon to fly even faster. Tatsumi grabbed hold of her waist fearfully, wrapping his arms around her tightly as they continued to ride the wind.
Esdeath leaned back into him with a sigh. "Yes, just like that."
"Focus on your flying!" Tatsumi yelled, sweating nervously. The Air Dragon suddenly leaned to one side, and for just a brief moment, Tatsumi's grip slackened.
"Eh?" He blinked in shock as he was relieved of his position on the dragon's back, plummeting down to one of the mesas below. Esdeath cried out in panic and dove after him, straightening out her body in order to slice through the air and catch up to him. She caught the boy in time and landed on the ground, devastating the rigid earth around them without sustaining so much as a bruise.
Unfortunately he was now being carried in her arms, in the most embarrassing manner imaginable.
"I am not your princess!" He screamed internally, eyes shut tight as his face burned. Esdeath glowered down at him, suddenly irritated.
"Tatsumi, you should know to be aware of your surroundings by now. Such carelessness will earn you nothing but a quick death, and I expect you to know better."
He opened his eyes, allowing them to flutter in disbelief as Esdeath continued to scan him with those piercing eyes. Suddenly bashful, he looked away and swallowed his shame. He had been careless, especially considering that he was the one insisting that she be more careful! Her criticism was well-deserved, and the boy conceded with a sigh.
"Sorry," he replied, scratching his head once she let him down. "I was caught off-guard and fell off just because I wasn't paying attention. I felt the Air Dragon start to roll, but didn't think anything of it while we were talking." He lowered his head and was surprised to find himself wrapped in another hug, enjoying the sudden warmth as she pressed against his back with one hand and tousled his hair with the other.
"You understand," she cooed, "and that is the most important thing of all. You must trust in me, Tatsumi; I'll always be there to save you."
Her words were haunting as Akame's smiling face popped up in his mind, and Tatsumi pulled away in his stupor. She blinked in surprise.
"Tatsumi?" Esdeath blinked.
"Tatsumi?!" A new voice echoed from behind some rocks, a young woman with blonde hair suddenly walking over to them. Esdeath immediately pulled Tatsumi behind her and drew her rapier, the steel blade gleaming in the moonlight.
"Get away from him!" The woman cried, tensing up as Tatsumi's protector laughed.
"A surprise attack?" Esdeath mocked, staring at the new arrival with sadistic glee. "I expected to find only Danger Beasts here, but this is interesting in its own right. Perhaps I'll test a new method of torture on you, though I'm afraid I'll have to sever one of your legs as a precaution. You don't mind, do you?"
"I'm not going to say it again," Leone cried, stepping into full-view and stealing Tatsumi's breath away. "Back off!"
"Leone!" Tatsumi yelled, pushing past Esdeath to reach the woman who had shown up in the wrong place at the wrong time. "What are you doing here?!"
"I should ask you the same thing," she growled, still staring at the evil general behind him. "First you disappear on us after the tournament, and now you walk away from Night Raid? After everything we've sacrificed...Bulat, and Sheele…!" Leone grit her teeth, looking at him now. The sense of betrayal was evident in her gaze, and Tatsumi tried to get a word in. He had to explain.
"My, my," another voice echoed, carried on the wind as a hooded figure stepped into view. "What a dramatic scene! I'd been tracking this catgirl here for some time, now," he chuckled, arms spread wide. "Imagine my surprise when I bump into the Empire's Strongest and her trusty companion. A fellow Jaeger, I take it?"
"Yeah," Tatsumi replied without hesitation, much to the shock of the women behind him. He took a few steps in the mystery man's direction, one fist raised defiantly. "So what if I am? Are you looking for a fight or something?"
"You punk," the man sneered, reaching for something within his cloak. "You've got a big mouth. As much as beating you into the ground might improve my day, I've got a better idea. I know exactly how to take you guys out of the picture!"
The man pulled a disc out of his cloak and grasped it firmly, only his evil smile and some pale hair showing beneath the hood. "Consider it payback for ruining my fun! Teigu: Shambala! ACTIVATE!"
Flames of deep amethyst circled around the three of them, filling the man's victims with surprise as they vanished from sight in a single, blinding flash of light.
"There," the young man said with satisfaction, unperturbed as a violent gust of wind tossed his cloak back and revealed his toned physique. Syura, son of the Prime Minister, grinned at the spot where the three nuisances once stood.
"You can go ahead and clean up that guy's mess," he chuckled, pocketing the Teigu and turning his back on the smoking ground behind him. "If you can even manage that, then maybe you'll have a better time visiting that island than I did."
