Episode 11: Kill the Reunion


"What's that?" Leone tilted her head cutely to the side, examining the glowing purple ring at her feet. A bit of smoke was constantly rising from the spot, and it radiated with a strange kind of heat.

"That," Esdeath answered, stepping forward to examine it for herself, "is most likely the easiest way for us to return to the Capital. Do you remember what happened moments before we were teleported here?"

"We got surrounded by a ring of purple fire," Tatsumi said. "It felt really warm, too, just like this little thing."

"That's because it was fire," Leone snickered. "Fire hot, Tatsumi. Fire bad!"

"Shut up," Tatsumi grumbled.

"I concur," Esdeath spat, crouching down to get a closer look. "Bickering will accomplish nothing, so let's rest here for a while. Perhaps the portal will open once again after enough time has passed."

Right as the three of them sat down to patiently await the portal's arrival, a familiar ring of fire exploded back into existence and wrapped them in its flames. Some of that heat actually got stuck on Tatsumi and, well…

"HIYAAAAAAAH!"

The two women watched with amusement as the harmless flames continued to lick at his form, the poor boy continuing to run and roll around in a futile attempt to put the fire out. As his panicked sprinting finally took him in their direction, Esdeath grabbed the back of his collar and lifted Tatsumi into the air. She calmly patted him down until the flames were gone and set him back on his feet, topping it all off with a comforting pat on the head.

"Well, our patience here has borne fruit," Esdeath sighed, taking two steps toward the center of the glowing sigil beneath them. "It's time to return to the Capital."

"Don't think this changes anything," Leone growled, the group suddenly trading the heat and light of the island for the dark and frigid air of the mountains back home. "We will be the ones to take you down, probably even from the inside."

She nodded to Tatsumi and he quickly looked away, unable to face his friend any longer.

"I can't do that," he replied, his voice reproachful and his eyes downcast. "I'm where I need to be right now, Leone."

His friend took a step forward, frustrated beyond belief. "Don't say that!" She yelled, continuing to approach as Esdeath turned her back on the two of them. Silent as the grave, the fearsome general pulled the brim of her cover down and stepped a short distance away.

This battle belonged to Tatsumi, and his performance so far was nothing short of admirable in her eyes.

"Please," Leone pleaded, grasping his shoulders with eyes of golden desperation. "Just come home with me, back to everyone. They're waiting for you, they've been waiting for you! Even I…"

Esdeath turned around just enough to glare at Leone.

"I am home," Tatsumi growled, pulling her hands away from his shoulders. Leone took a sudden step backwards and gazed at him, surprise and hurt held in equal measure as tears started to bead in her eyes. But there was nothing for it, not anymore.

He had to reach Esdeath's level in order to drag her and the Jaegers away from the Capital. He would be the one to win this battle of loyalties, and if that required ruthlessness…

"If it means wearing the face of a monster," Tatsumi thought, grinding his teeth in frustration, "then I'll do that. Leone…"

"I...I have something I have to tell you!" She shouted, looking off to the side. Tatsumi blinked, carefully noting the light blush on her cheeks. "I can't tell you unless you follow me back," she continued, scratching the back of her neck. "So just tag along with me back to the base, and then you can come back after we've talked things over."

"Leone!" Tatsumi clenched his fists, unable to look at her anymore. "You have to hate me, hate me with everything you have! If you don't, I'll never be able to move forward!"

"That's not going to happen," Tatsumi spat, breaking his own heart as he broke hers. He turned his back on her and with that single action, successfully trampled over his connections to Night Raid one step at a time. Every step brought him closer to Esdeath's side and further from Leone's.

This time, there could be no hiding it. Leone let the tears fall, seemingly alone in her pain as the Empire's Strongest summoned her loyal Air Dragon. The general leapt onto its back and after only a moment's hesitation, Tatsumi did the same. An explosive whirlwind tossed Leone's hair all around as the subjugated Danger Beast left her in the dark, and she fell to her knees as everything that had been carefully hidden inside her burst onto the surface.

"Such a loyal creature," Esdeath cooed, affectionately patting the Beast on its neck. "You waited so long for us to return, didn't you?"

Tatsumi looked over the edge and stared down at his closest friend, wiping away tears of his own as she grew smaller and smaller until he could see her no longer.

"I'm sorry, sis, but I can't come back. You'll have to forget about me for a while." He permitted himself a little smile as he looked back fondly on her instances of teasing. "Hopefully you won't knock me out when I return, because I'll have some explaining to do."

"Tatsumi," Leone grit her teeth, jumping carelessly over the edge of the mountain and descending rapidly to its base, "you're dumber than you look if you think I'll just forget everything! And one day, I'll definitely-!"


"Show me what you've got!"

"You asked for it!"

The two Jaegers clashed again and again, the descendants of the Tyrant who were chosen to fight for the Empire. One was a fisherman who had once served in the Imperial Navy, and who had only recently celebrated his 20th birthday. And the other...

"Ha! Not bad!" Wave laughed, skidding against the dirt as his opponent's blade crashed violently against his own. That opponent was only a couple years younger, going on 18, but his green eyes burned with a ferocity that slowly killed what little naivete remained in them. They were hardly the eyes of a teenager anymore.

"How long are we going to play around?" Tatsumi grinned, lowering his sword-arm. "Doesn't Esdeath always remind us to come at each other with killing intent?"

"At least use her title," Wave grumbled, wiping some sweat from his brow. "Do you really think it's smart to act so casual with a superior officer? Even if you and her are, y'know…"

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you implying?"

Wave rubbed the back of his neck this time, letting out a nervous laugh. "Come on, you know what I mean. Anyway, she might not care, but what about the other officers lurking around the palace?"

"You should worry more about yourself, Wave," a cold voice sounded throughout the training grounds. The blue-haired warrior spun around on his feet and went pale immediately, already frozen in place without his commander having to lift a finger. Esdeath approached her two subordinates with a very amused look on her face, eyes flitting from one boy to the other as she walked over to the stands. She dusted the lowest bench off, sat down, and gestured to the two of them.

"Well? You may continue," she chuckled. "I suggest you exercise some caution, Wave."

"Eh?"

Tatsumi suddenly burst forward, swinging wildly as he aimed for random areas on Wave's body. It was all the other boy could do to deflect his friend's blows and avoid a serious wound, sparks firing into the air as their twin blades clashed again and again.

He was aiming to impress, and so far it was working.

"Oi oi oi! What are you doing?" Wave cried out, glaring a bit as Tatsumi swung his blade harder and harder. At this rate, one of them was going to die! The two of them continued to dance back and forth as Wave finally went on the offensive, and soon the wounds began to appear.

One nick on the arm, a slash on the shoulder. A cut on the cheek and a few lost hairs, a swing that was certainly too close for comfort. Esdeath watched with pride as her Jaegers fought with all of their might, too inspired by her presence to hold back any longer.

"This is how your training must be," she said calmly, adjusting her cover to block out the sun that assailed her eyes. "If you wish to be the strongest, then you must surround yourself with death. You must feel its embrace with every second you spend in combat, or you will never grow. You'll never level up."

"H-hey, should you really act like this is a game?" Tatsumi yelled out, now on the defensive as Wave built upon his current momentum and went on the attack.

"Why are you struggling, Tatsumi?" Esdeath teased, staring right through him the moment he turned his head to her. "You still have 'that.'"

"No way!" He roared, jumping away from Wave and grinding his feet to a halt. "That's not what I will use it for. Not now, not ever!"

"What, then," Esdeath replied, "will you use it for?"

Tatsumi's hold on the dormant Incursio loosened, and Esdeath pressed on. "Why then have you ever wielded that weapon? What would it take for you to release Incursio and swing that sword of legend?"

Incursio actually slid out of his hand by a fraction.

"Are you afraid?"

Wave charged forward and swung low, knocking the blade right out of Tatsumi's hand and raising the Grand Chariot to his throat. The other shortsword spun in the air and embedded itself in the dirt far away, and Esdeath let out a sigh as Tatsumi stared at his feet. Wave for his part had no idea what Esdeath was referring to, but a sneaking suspicion emerged when he remembered the weapon that Tatsumi had once summoned during a meeting.

"That's enough for now," she said quietly, adjusting her cover one more time and rising from the bleachers. "Wave, you already know your patrol route for the day. Meet with Kurome and complete your task."

Wave lowered his sword with a smile, tapping Tatsumi on the shoulder in apology before running off to find his favorite partner. Esdeath did not face Tatsumi as she walked away, and there could be no mistaking the disappointment in her voice.

"Rather than join the others in their usual patrols, you are to follow Seryu to the labs. Dr. Stylish has requested the two of you specifically, by name, to aid him in some errand. Return to me with any important information before carrying out this task, as mine will have precedence over his."

"Yes, General Esdeath."

Tatsumi matched her disappointment with added bitterness, walking slowly to his lost weapon and pulling it free. His mind went into overdrive as he tried to form some kind of explanation and he turned back around, preparing himself to face her disapproval.

But when he looked, she was already gone.


"An island, you say?"

Najenda was deep in thought, slowly combing through the details of her subordinate's story. The situation was indeed troublesome; if Tatsumi had no intention of returning to them, then the possibility of him becoming a true enemy could not be ignored. Not to mention, Leone was among the closest individuals in the boy's life. The leader of Night Raid was well aware of their relationship and just how long the two of them had been together; if it couldn't be Bulat, then Leone would have been the one to bring him back.

"I trusted him to follow his heart," Najenda spoke, placing her cigar in the tray at her side, "but I'm beginning to wonder if he can still be trusted."

Leone's eyes went wide.

"He's still young," Najenda continued, "and like other young kids, he can be dyed any color while still searching for who he is. I took him in while fully aware of this possibility, but I never dreamed that it would be Esdeath who threatened to turn him away from us. If it had been any other person, I'm sure we would have nothing to worry about."

"We can't just let it go!" Leone insisted, clenching her fists. "I definitely can't! Who knows what they'll do to him if he stays?!"

"Or what they'll do to him if he leaves."

Leone grit her teeth, unable to respond. She knew Najenda was right, but that didn't make it any easier to swallow. Giving up simply wasn't in her nature. In the end, all she could offer was a half-hearted, "I understand."

She turned to leave.

"I forbid you from pursuing him, Leone."

The blonde woman instantly ground to a halt as her leader's eyes narrowed, and the ex-general reached once again for her cigar. Leone spun around, furious and incapable of even forming a response.

"I understand how you feel," Najenda insisted, "but as it is, trusting him is all that we can do for now. We can go ahead and abandon all hope if he meets us on the battlefield, but so long as he refrains from killing any of us, our only course of action is to continue trusting in him."

"Esdeath is a monster," Leone insisted, taking a step forward. "What if she's torturing him right now? What if she's interrogating him, probing him for information?!"

"Based on what you've told me," Najenda responded calmly, "I know that's not the case. Esdeath is quite taken by him, isn't she?"

For the first time in her life, Leone actually entertained thoughts of violence towards her commander. A little slap here or there wouldn't be an issue, right? Even so, the animalistic assassin stayed her hand. Najenda had been patient in hearing her out, and so her leader at least deserved the same courtesy.

"If that is true," Najenda continued, "then it would do far greater harm to take him than to leave him there. Based on what you told me, he's growing quite ruthless while remaining in her company. Maybe that'll work to our advantage if he does come back, hm?"

Leone lowered her head, eyes narrowed and filled with barely-concealed pain.

"I understand how you feel," Najenda said again, "but let's wait a bit longer. If I know Esdeath, then she'll definitely fall for our bait during the next mission."

"The religious organization," Leone muttered. For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Najenda smiled.

"Exactly. If they divide their forces as I expect they will, then the chances are fairly low that we will encounter Tatsumi. This gives us the breathing room we need, as well as an opportunity to cripple the Jaegers and make it easier for him to come home. To come back to you."

Leone stuttered and stammered, her face burning up in an instant. Najenda only laughed and waved her off with a giant metal hand, smiling wider than Leone had ever seen.

"I'm just teasing you. Go ahead and look into your next target," the silver-haired woman said, taking a long drag of her cigar. "It'll help you keep your mind off of this problem, at least for a little while."

"Alright," Leone sighed, moving to the door leading out of Najenda's room. "I think I'll have a couple drinks first, if that's okay with you."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Najenda sighed, returning to the paperwork upon her desk. Shining brightly through the window before her, the moon seemed to bring peace to her heart with its frigid glow.


"Welcome back," Dr. Stylish cried, his three favorite assistants taking up comical poses behind him, "to the greatest laboratory ever conceived by mankind! I hope the two of you are prepared for a task of the utmost importance!"

Tatsumi's expression was certainly a far cry from Seryu's, that was for sure. One was baffled and still caught off-guard by these antics while the other seemed to revel in them, and it was this strange duality between them that only served to fuel the strange man's enthusiasm.

"I need you," Dr. Stylish continued, one hand held dramatically to his heart, "to return to one of my abandoned labs and recover an item of great importance!"

"A delivery boy," Tatsumi sighed, facepalming at the very notion. "You're turning me into a delivery boy!"

"Hey, now," Stylish narrowed his eyes, "do you want your Teigu to be upgraded or not?"

Tatsumi perked up at that, mimicking Seryu's expression of sheer joy. "Hell yeah I do!"

"Then you must help me!" Stylish cried, overwhelming his assistants with his impressive show of melodrama. "Retrieve the map and return to me at once! With this, the two of you may begin hunting for the legendary Codex!"

"What map? Codex?" Tatsumi blinked. "What the hell is that?"

Dr. Stylish threw himself against the table at his side, knocking over several delicate beakers in the process. Unfortunately, the items in question were filled with some dangerous-looking fluids, and the ensuing spillage sent a wave of terror coursing through everyone who wasn't the good Doctor. "You do not know of the great Codex?!" The man cried.

"Should I?" Tatsumi scratched the back of his head. Seryu looked equally confused, and so Stylish sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"The Codex," he insisted, "is possibly the single most important piece of documentation regarding the Teigu. Even this description," he continued, hands grasping for something no one could see, "does the item in question no justice. The Codex is a complete compendium, a fabled source of information on all of the Emperor's Teigu! And the map you must retrieve is the only chance we have of locating it!"

"So what the hell is it doing in some old lab?" Tatsumi crossed his arms, feeling doubtful about the whole thing.

"Unfortunately," Dr. Stylish sighed, "the hideout in question was overrun by some old experiments of mine. It's been a very long time since I've stepped foot in that place, but without any powers of my own, I would have been helpless when faced with the creatures that dwelled within."

"Experiments?" Tatsumi growled, narrowing his eyes a bit. Seryu looked to him, then, surprised by his sudden change in tone. "You mean the people you kidnapped, tortured, and mutated?"

"Tatsumi-san," Stylish began, "the people involved in my scientific explorations have all been willing participants. Many of them were criminals waiting on death row, or expecting a horrible session of torture. Courtesy of our good commander, I might add."

Tatsumi remained silent as the man continued, trying to absorb this new information.

"I have many experiments I would like to carry out," Stylish continued, "and I will confess a certain...grim enthusiasm for the potential disasters that tend to occur. Even so, the people who agree to help me in my scientific pursuits have earned more respect from me than words could ever describe! I have not forgotten even one of them, and their faces are still quite clear in my mind. If I am a source of evil," the man continued, looking genuinely conflicted for a moment, "then I should like to believe that I am a necessary evil. That I alone am the one who can lead this Empire into a new Golden Age."

Seryu placed one of her metal hands on Tatsumi's shoulder, looking at him encouragingly. "He repays evil with opportunity, Tatsumi. Isn't this kinda like your justice?"

Tatsumi suddenly turned his head and stared right at her, causing her face to explode in a sudden blush as she frantically looked away from him. "I-I mean," she stammered, "I don't understand what you were talking about before, and I still want to know more about it. But this is okay with you, right? Being kind to some and killing others?"

"I guess," Tatsumi sighed, unable to look at either of them. "I'll meet you halfway on this one, since they apparently agreed to help you. That doesn't mean I'm okay with it."

"If you would only do me this one kindness," Dr. Stylish insisted, rushing forward to grab both of Tatsumi's hands, "then I would gladly abandon or continue my scientific exploration as you would demand!"

"What the hell?!" Tatsumi wailed, trying desperately to retrieve his hands.

"I swear it! You command the Jaegers as well, do you not?" The man was clearly growing desperate, his one chance at retrieving the Codex now in the hands he was gripping so tightly. "I will carry out or abandon experiments as you dictate! Please, help me!"

"Alright, alright!" Tatsumi sighed, yanking his hands away from the pitiful man. "I don't command anyone, but just say that you'll 'owe me one' or something, jeez. We'll get your map."

"We won't disappoint you!" Seryu cried, saluting the doctor with one hand and showing off her biggest smile. As expected of him, Dr. Stylish's mood did a complete 180 and he was back on his feet with a smile of his own.

"I expected nothing less from my two favorite apprentices!" He cried out, arms spread wide. "Take this other map," he said, shoving a scroll into Tatsumi's hands, "and use it to find my old lab! It's the circled one, so GO FORTH! Do it in the name of SCIENCE!"

"I just want my damn upgrade," Tatsumi grumbled, unable to free his hand from Seryu's as she skipped merrily by his side. The two of them left the lab via the cellar doors and stepped once again into the sunlit world beyond, both of them eager to complete their task. The lab in question was surprisingly located just outside of the palace walls, hidden inside the basement of an abandoned house. The doctor had been quite careful in choosing the location, and it happened to be quite convenient for anyone who visited him. The walk there was a short one, after all.

"I'm so excited!" Seryu cried, little tears beading in the corners of her eyes. "Dr. Stylish is the one who helped me with the Judgment of the Ten Kings, and now I can finally repay him for his kindness!"

"Let's tell Esdeath, first," Tatsumi said, turning to look at the cheerful girl. "She wanted to know what was up before I did anything."

A garbage can suddenly fell over behind them, a loud crash that violently shattered the relative silence around them. Pushing Seryu a safe distance away from him, Tatsumi quickly lashed out with the Muramasa and came within inches of Wave's nose.

"H-h-hey!" The frightened young man wailed, shaking like a leaf. "We weren't spying, honest!"

"'We?'" Tatsumi raised an eyebrow, mouth fully agape once Kurome walked around the corner of the building. She gave him a half-hearted wave.

"Don't be so casual about it!" Tatsumi yelled comically, pointing an accusing finger in her direction. "Eavesdropping is a pretty low spot for you guys to stoop to, don't you think?!"

"We were just walking by!" Wave insisted. "We wanted to visit Dr. Stylish, that's all."

"Wave wanted an upgrade, too," Kurome said emotionlessly. This brought dramatic tears to the other boy's eyes and he gripped her shoulders desperately, shaking her a little. "Why would you go and say that?!"

"So you were eavesdropping!" Tatsumi cried, moving his finger of accusation to point at Wave, instead. The other boy sighed and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Alright, alright. I heard all of you talking kinda loud as we were patrolling, and decided to investigate. Kurome just tagged along, so don't blame her."

Kurome blinked, looking up to him in surprise. She had been the one to insist that they approach the noise, after all, so his sudden lie definitely caught her off-guard.

"Anyway," Wave continued, "I heard you mention an upgrade and I figured that was about your Teigu. Since ours are practically the same, I figured I'd sneak in after you were gone and ask Dr. Stylish to help me out, too."

"Well, he can't. Not without a piece of the Tyrant," Tatsumi replied, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "Pretty low of you to listen in on our conversation, though."

"Just drop it," Wave growled. "We're all on the same team, here. Besides, you'll need some help if you're going to try and take down an army of experimental monsters."

"We can talk about that later," Tatsumi insisted. "Let's go back to General Esdeath and tell her everything, first. That's what she wanted me to do after coming here."

"Alright," Wave conceded, finally smiling at his friend after the dangerous air had passed. "Let's go."


"So then," Esdeath said quietly, hands folded beneath her chin, "Dr. Stylish knows the location of the Codex?"

"Not exactly," Tatsumi replied with a shrug, "but it sounded like we'd be able to find it without too much trouble. He was pretty casual about it. As casual as that crazy bastard can be, anyway."

Esdeath seemed locked in her own mind, and so he continued. "What's the big deal with this Codex, anyway? Don't you already have information about the Teigu? You knew about my new Teigu, after all."

Wave looked at Tatsumi in confusion, realization finally dawning upon him. "Oh yeah, that sword you keep pulling out of thin air...so that's a Teigu, huh?"

"The personal Teigu of the second Emperor," Esdeath interjected. "It is said to possess the greatest offensive and defensive potential of any melee-type Teigu, though what information there is on this weapon is rather limited."

"Brutal," Wave murmured, glancing over to Tatsumi as the other boy stared emotionlessly at their commanding officer.

"In any case," Esdeath continued, "I already mentioned that there was very little information on this weapon, Tatsumi. The Codex, on the other hand, is supposedly the personal logbook of the first Emperor and his son, Kogen. It can safely be assumed that whatever we do not know about the Teigu will be revealed upon this item's retrieval. As much as I would like to deem this a top-priority mission, however…"

Esdeath rose from her chair, looking grimly from one Jaeger to the other. "We have just received word that the Path of Peace is planning to revolt. Therefore, our priorities have been turned upside down. I want you two ready to leave at a moment's notice, and you should explain the situation to the rest of our comrades immediately."

"The Path of Peace," Tatsumi blurted out in shock. "They're a peaceful organization like the name suggests, aren't they? They even came to my village, once. The idol was…"

Esdeath's eyes widened, and she burned a hole right through Tatsumi with her gaze.

"The idol that the old man gave me," Tatsumi continued, "was a symbol of that organization. Everyone placed so much hope in them, and just the thought of them was enough to get us through some rough times."

"This may be well worth pursuing," Esdeath replied, moving around the table to approach Tatsumi and Wave. "If that idol was indeed a symbol of the organization, then perhaps someone in that organization will know of how and why the 47th came to be sealed. This would be an excellent chance to learn more about Kogen and his Teigu."

"What exactly is our mission, commander?" Wave shrugged. "You said they were planning a rebellion, but they're just some religious club, right? What's the big deal? Don't we have soldiers in the area who can handle it?"

"The problem isn't the organization itself, but the opportunity they are offering to the Revolutionary Army. The moment their revolt begins, you can rest assured that the rebels will make their move...including Night Raid."

Tatsumi grit his teeth, clenched his fists, and did everything in his power to stifle the regret.

"I am a Jaeger," he thought with closed eyes, "and I belong here. I am a Jaeger, and this is my fight, too!"

A hand on his shoulder managed to quell the storm within him, and Tatsumi opened his eyes only to be soothed by Esdeath's sapphire ones.

"Tatsumi, can you do it? Can you fight them?"

"Yeah," he said without hesitation. "I'll fight them, and I'll win. I'll do it without killing anyone."

"A bold declaration," Esdeath challenged, mocking him with her smile. It was a friendly gesture, though, and this time he could tell. "I will leave you to handle the assassins you encounter, then. I will use nonlethal methods and attempt to capture them on my end, as well."

"Wait, so we're going to the east side, right? That's where their main setup is supposed to be, anyway." Wave scratched his head.

"Very astute of you," Esdeath complimented, reaching over to pat his head. Surprisingly, Tatsumi felt a little jealousy upon seeing this, something he was not expecting to feel at all. "We will leave for the organization's main 'setup,' as you put it, and beat Night Raid to the punch. Knowing Najenda, however," Esdeath continued with narrowed eyes, "she will probably try to intercept us the moment we leave the safety of the walls. In addition, Akame and Najenda were seen moving in different directions and in different groups. It is safe for us to assume that this is a trap. Whether the south or the east path, one is surely an ambush."

Esdeath smiled. "So we are going to play right into Najenda's hands. We will divide our forces just as they expect us to, but when they attempt their little ambush, you will be there to meet them."

The general placed both her hands on Tatsumi's shoulders, staring down at the one she loved with great intensity. "Seeing you with the Jaegers will cause them to hesitate, making capture a more viable means of dealing with them. If that doesn't work, escaping them will be easier with fewer numbers."

"Is that the only advantage?" Tatsumi blinked, allowing himself to be enraptured by this woman.

"My woman," he thought, "right? I should be used to this, by now…"

"Well," Esdeath admitted, "it does allow us to establish some kind of presence before Night Raid arrives, and with you on-scene, I doubt there will be any deaths. Not on our side, at least."

"Hey!" Tatsumi cried. Esdeath merely shrugged.

"You are free to deal with Night Raid members as you please, for now. I will attempt to avoid killing them for a time, but the result is inevitable. The Jaegers exist solely for that purpose, and to interfere with it for too long will surely draw the Prime Minister's attention."

Tatsumi could only sigh, defeated by her reasoning and her generosity in equal measure. To have any chance of sparing his friends' lives was more than he initially believed was possible, and it made sense for that to be a limited time offer. Still, he wasn't any happier for it.

"Which path are they taking?" He asked with clenched fists. The instant his resolve appeared, Esdeath felt her heart grind to a halt. That expression on his face would never, ever cease to surprise and enamor her.

"I do not know. We are looking at a fifty-fifty chance, and cannot risk sacrificing strength in either of the cells that we must design. And I say 'we,'" Esdeath said gently, "because I will also be taking your suggestions into account, Lieutenant."

Tatsumi blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, I ruined it," Esdeath sighed, shaking her head. "I meant to save that for when we returned, but I suppose it can't be helped. I managed to secure a rank for you, Tatsumi!"

Wave's jaw dropped as his eyes bounced from one Jaeger to the other, baffled by what he'd just heard.

"I'm a lieutenant? What...what is-?"

"Is that okay?" Esdeath shuffled her feet, looking unbearably cute as she dodged his gaze. "I didn't want to pressure you, but I was speaking with the Prime Minister during your visit with Dr. Stylish, and I thought-"

"Awesome!" Tatsumi yelled, making the other two jump in surprise as he pumped his fist and flashed his brightest smile. "I can't believe it! You really did that for me?"

Esdeath's face went beet red and she continued to look away, nearly blinded by his sudden cheerfulness. Then he wrapped her in a hug, and her steaming face caused Wave to fall backwards in disbelief.

"Wait...I can officially order the Jaegers, now?"

"W-well," Esdeath cleared her throat, finally matching his smile with her own, "you still have to answer to me officially. But if you'd prefer a more private setting…"

Wave had to cover his mouth and hold back the nausea as the two of them flashed their puppy eyes at one another, and he quietly shuffled out of the room while they were distracted.

"Th-that won't be necessary," Tatsumi let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still, a lieutenant...that is pretty cool. Thanks, Esdeath."

"This title also confers the ability to command most Imperial Soldiers, but it would be wise for you to inquire about the battalion in question before attempting to assume command. Even so, this is an unprecedented occasion. The Prime Minister would not ordinarily go out of his way to do such a thing, but let us say that I was very...persuasive in acquiring your new promotion."

"You totally threatened him," Tatsumi smirked, his suspicion quickly confirmed by her beautiful laughter.

"Perhaps," she smiled, "but let us focus on more important matters, Lieutenant. As I said, we must divide our team as Night Raid expects. However, we must also take into account the individual strengths of every Jaeger and create these two cells with caution."

"Wave and I make a pretty good team," Tatsumi replied, "and no matter which road you take, we'd be looking at an instant win, right? Send me with Wave, Kurome, and Bols. We'll be able to handle ourselves, and you can protect Run, Seryu, and Dr. Stylish."

"Dr. Stylish will not be taking part in this mission, due to his own lack of combat potential. We also need to maintain a presence in this city, and he has enough assistants to spread across the area. He will hold down the fort while we attempt to calm the Path of Peace. We also have a certain individual to protect once we arrive."

"But you agree with me, right? I figured it was a good combination," Tatsumi shrugged. Esdeath patted him on the head once again, clearly pleased.

"I trust your judgment, and so now I ask you to trust me," Esdeath cooed, slowly bringing her face closer to his own. "This will be their one chance to surrender, and we will make the most of it. I don't want you to be hurt."

"Give up on that," Tatsumi said, allowing a brief peck on the lips before he pulled away. "This is a war, so everyone is bound to be hurt eventually. When I was in Night Raid, they even told me to be prepared for retribution. We all have to be ready to die, no matter what side we're on. And I…"

Tatsumi reached out for her with one hand, bathing it in furious light as he summoned Kogen's Teigu.

"I," he continued, "will fix this Empire in my own way, with my own strength! Even if I can't save everyone, I'll save as many as I can."

"Fufufu," Esdeath chuckled, walking right past him. "Very well. Inform your team members of our mission and ready yourselves to leave. We have a busy day ahead of us."

"It's more than that," Tatsumi replied, lowering his left arm and tilting his head back to look at her. "This is where the real battle begins. For both of us, the Night Raid and the Jaegers."

"But do they share your resolve?" Esdeath teased, disappearing from view as she walked out of the dining room. Tatsumi dismissed the weapon and stared at his feet, still coming to terms with the battle he knew he could no longer avoid.

"I hope they do."