Episode 16: Kill the Divide


Clutching her aching head with one hand, wincing with every noise and doing her absolute best to block out the blinding light, General Esdeath watched with increasing irritation as her three subordinates continued to squabble. And she'd made such strides in her recovery, too…

It began with Wave and Kurome, cursing and yelling and burning with irritation; an irritation that, of course, compounded her own. The two youths had burst into her quarters, all discipline and military bearing lost in the wake of their embarrassment, one they claimed Tatsumi was responsible for. It couldn't have been a few minutes before the prodigal Lieutenant burst into the room himself, begging for a chance to explain what had really transpired. They found themselves locked now in a grueling shouting match, with one very irate general sitting in the eye of the storm.

"Fish-chucker!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Girl-stealer!" Wave yelled right back.

"Gift Not-Buyer!" Kurome accused, pouting up at her Lieutenant and conveniently ignoring Wave's own accusation.

"Why are you taking his side?!" Tatsumi gripped his hair, rapidly shaking his head.

"That is more than enough!" Esdeath shouted, paying the price for her outburst with another spike of pain and irritation. The three Jaegers immediately shut their traps and stood at attention, stiff as statues. She looked to Tatsumi, who was currently sweating bullets and taking a particularly large interest in the wall behind her. "Smart boy," she thought.

"So this is a 'hangover?' I can't say I'm terribly fond of them." Esdeath groaned and rubbed her temples, eliciting a worried look from Tatsumi that stirred the butterflies within her chest. To see him so caring after such a rocky start to their relationship...it was truly heartwarming. Managing a little smile, she narrowed her eyes and rasped out to him in a lascivious voice:

"We have much to discuss, don't we?"

Though it may not have pleased Wave or Kurome, it was ample punishment in her eyes to see him so flustered. All prior bravado appeared to be lost when in the company of others, another cute thing. Another thing for her to love.

"It is love, isn't it?" Esdeath bit her lip, struggling as always against the raging war of ideals inside her. Torn between suffering the loss of her pride and the loss of the trembling boy before her. The claws of the General within certainly dug deep, deeper than any other facet of her personality.

"I feel that this is almost over," Esdeath continued with a sigh, "so I should be back to my full potential later this evening. Instead of attacking your officers…"

Tatsumi smirked.

"...and playing games with your comrades…"

Wave and Kurome simultaneously stuck their tongues out and made Tatsumi's eye twitch.

"...you should focus on our mission." Esdeath concluded. "The city of Kyoroch has been far too quiet. I suggest that you save your proclivity for mischief until we return to the Capital, and focus more on the apprehension or destruction of Night Raid."

"Yes, General!" The other Jaegers said as one, turning to leave. Even in spite of her hangover, Esdeath was still quite agile. Tatsumi's first step was his last when faced against her potent ice powers, his entire body seizing up as her ferocious ice wrapped itself around his legs. That same ice drew him back to her ever-so-slowly, like a magnet that would not be denied.

"Wave, WAVE!" Tatsumi cried, comical tears of desperation spraying from his eyes as the wrathful General pulled him backwards. "Help!"

"Sorry, Lieutenant," Wave laughed, "what was that? I think I'm going deaf in one ear." The boy's grin widened further as he dug one pinky into his left ear and twisted several times, flicking away the imaginary chunk of wax.

"Snarky bastard!" Tatsumi screamed internally, whimpering externally as Wave closed the door on him and left the boy to his fate. A fate including, but not limited to: handholding, playful chiding, stern looks, and a kiss on the top of his head.

Far from the worst outcome.

"Must you tease them so?" She chuckled, playing with his hair a little. "Your conduct is unbefitting of an officer."

Tatsumi shrugged, permitting the general to do as she pleased. "You can fire me anytime. Give the job to Wave, he'd love it. It's not like I do anything as a Lieutenant, anyway."

Esdeath widened her smile, no longer tugging on the boy's hair. "I can assure you, Tatsumi, that you'll find life to be quite different when we return to the Capital." Her hand, gentle only for Tatsumi's sake, came to rest on his leg.

"And if we're going to talk about unbefitting behavior," Tatsumi coughed, "then maybe I could score some points against you for last night?"

Esdeath blinked and pulled her hand off of his leg. Those hands of hers joined together to cover her mouth, useless against the startled yelp that escaped her lips. Tatsumi shared in her surprise, his own mouth wide-open and about to ask what was wrong.

Her blue-yet-bloodshot eyes, her crimson cheeks, ears, and nose; a beautiful and pitiful clash of fire and ice. Refusing to blink again for the longest time, her eyes began to water, further adding to the strange duality of color.

Esdeath was positively mortified, and it made Tatsumi's heart nearly jump out of his mouth.

"W-wh—"

In a display of meekness never seen before by her lieutenant—or anyone, for that matter—the fearsome General Esdeath slid away from him.

And she kept sliding, further and further. Scootching away, as far as the surface of the bed would allow. When it allowed nothing more, she crumpled to the floor and regained her bearings as quick as humanly possible, opting now to hide behind the foot of the bed with naught but her shiny blue head visible. Visible, shaky, and painfully out of character.

"I, uh…" Tatsumi couldn't quite find the words. How could he possibly know how to react?

"What...happened?" was her meek response.

There it went again, that mischievous heart. Tatsumi almost choked on it this time, so uniquely powerful was that new voice of hers. So comically fearful, as if the words themselves were retreating from his judgment. So magnetic.

"We didn't...do anything...if that's what you're asking. Or I didn't, anyway."

No response, but the top of her head descended ever so slightly. Laughter bubbled up from deep within, nearly causing Tatsumi to fall off of the bed himself. The scene before him was so strange, so impossibly whimsical, it was all he could do to maintain the flow of air to his lungs. Rather than shrink further away as he expected, Esdeath instead rose to her feet with the most indignant look.

He laughed harder. He rocked from one side to the other, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Stop!" She cried, burning hotter than the smoldering remains of her dignity. Dignity that Tatsumi was currently rolling around in. "That's an order!"

Surprisingly, he stopped. Tatsumi looked up at her, his mouth no longer a gateway of giggles, but a frown of fear. Satisfaction washed over her and Esdeath heaved out a sigh, rubbing her aching head and returning her rear end to its home on the bed below.

"Explanation aside," she said carefully, "I must inform you of the dire consequences that await you, should you leave this room and ever speak of—"

Tatsumi snickered. Astonished at his own mouth's betrayal, the boy's fearful hands flew up to prevent any further outbursts. With eyes shadowed by her brilliant blue hair and fists clenched tight, Esdeath rose to her feet and moved to stand over the fearful Tatsumi.

"Tat~su~mi," she cooed, her voice like poisoned honey. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He gulped nervously, eyes like dinner plates as she descended upon him and lifted him up by the collar.


"Tonight?" Mine sighed, staring at the shattered remains of her Teigu. Resting upon the table at her knees, the metal had long since lost its alluring sheen and comforting warmth. No longer would the mystical rifle hum in her hands. Never again would she feel the rush, the sheer thrill of watching a powerful shot connect with a hapless target.

Resting on the couch opposite of that low table and idly running her nails across the rotted wood, Leone let out a sigh of her own. Her glorious golden eyes, normally so full of life and light, had grown dull. Even the bland wallpaper around them, peeling in the corners and smelling so much like its mustard color, seemed to shine brighter.

"Yep," she replied, "we're doing it tonight. We can't really afford to let them run rampant for so long, right boss?"

Najenda brought one hand to her bandaged chest, wincing as her fingers gently traced the path of Tatsumi's slash. The cut had healed easily enough, but the emotional scar was not hers to bear alone. Akame remained dead silent as she tended to the bandages, rolling a little more at a time and patiently adjusting to Najenda's movements. A pile of the same material, worn and stained with blood, lay at the nightstand beside her.

The remaining members of Night Raid sat through yet another day of blazing heat, another day of gathering information and restraining themselves every time Tatsumi ventured outside of the palace. With that foul new Teigu in his hands, the former assassin had severed his ties to them and trampled over their friendship. Even Leone could no longer resist the urging of her comrades, their ceaseless begging for her to let him go and prepare for his death.

"Nobody wanted this," she thought, "but now we really have no choice. It's him or us, and I—"

"It's getting hard to hold back, y'know?" Lubbock laughed, tinkering with his intricate Teigu. He playfully bumped Leone's shoulder with his own, wincing as she paid him back twice over.

"What do you mean?" Najenda inquired, pulling a cigar out of her pocket.

"Tatsumi." Lubbock replied, brow furrowed in apparent concentration as he removed the many discs from the device on the table, each one wrapped in glorious sapphire. The razor-sharp threads shimmered and shined, causing Leone to drool a little as her feline instincts kicked in. "It stings pretty bad to see him running around with the new crew and laughing like usual, hehe." Lubbock said.

"He killed Chelsea," Mine hissed, "and he took Susanoo away from us. I definitely don't want to hear his name anymore!"

"Hey now," Lubbock snickered, "let's be realistic, here. You're probably going to be hearing his name again, so there's no sense worrying about that part. Let's just focus on getting payback for our friends, and for that ugly scar he left on Boss's chest."

"Her glorious, soft, amazing chest with those big, big-"

Lubbock's excessive drooling brought Leone's attention to her own, and she quickly wiped her mouth before slapping him upside the head. A swift retaliation was surely in the works as he raised an angry fist her way, but a cough from their leader immediately drowned the room in silence.

"Tonight, we are going to carry out the assassination of Bolic, current advisor to the leader of the Path of Peace. We've done more than enough scouting and information gathering, so it's about time we put an end to this and return to the Capital." Najenda sighed as Akame finished her work with the new bandages, and reached back to pat the girl's hand as a sign of thanks.

"Esdeath will be waiting for the first sign of danger. Infiltrating the palace won't be easy." Akame added, moving to one of the beds and reaching for her Murasame, preparing the blade for yet another ritualistic cleaning. "Even so, one cut is all it will take."

"So how are we gonna do this?" Mine grumbled, kicking a chunk of Pumpkin off the table in a brutal display of her frustration. "Sneak in at the same time? Cause a distraction?"

"Something like that." Najenda grinned, turning her attention to Lubbock. "Lubba, I think it's time for you to revisit your old hobby." The room was quiet in an instant, all eyes on the young eviscerator as he clasped his hands together and sparkled with delight.

"You really mean it?!" He cried, staring at Najenda with even greater adoration.

"I'm revoking my ban," Najenda chuckled, "so feel free to create whatever you want. As for everyone else, I want you to consider Lubba your new boss until tonight. If he needs supplies, you get your hands on them quickly and quietly." The other assassins nodded in affirmation and grouped around the green-haired boy, all of them astonished by Najenda's strange words.

"What the hell are you up to?" Mine demanded. Her usual indignant look was blown off her face in an instant when he looked up at her. This new aura of mischief that surrounded him was incredible, even for him; so much that she couldn't even attack him for his vague words.

"Trust me," Lubbock grinned, "you guys are going to love this."


General Esdeath, drabbed in her typical attire with the signature rapier at her side, approached her waiting subordinates as they surrounded Bolic's throne. Wave turned his head back to look at her, mouth slightly agape when he noticed that Tatsumi wasn't at her side this time.

"Where'd Tatsumi go?" he asked, drawing attention to her from the rest of the Jaegers. Esdeath merely smiled at the boy, walking right on past him to stand before Bolic's throne. The man in question stared up at her with an odd mixture of fear and relief; completely understandable emotions when faced with the piercing glare of General Esdeath.

"It won't be much longer now. Night Raid will attack tonight," she said, "and they will kill you, Bolic, unless you do exactly as we say."

Bolic swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded rapidly, opting to stroke his beard as a way of coping with his own fear.

"Now," Esdeath continued, looking around, "where are your Demons?"

"I've been having them patrol whenever you Jaegers aren't!" Bolic was sweating now. "You lot spend so much time here in the Palace! I thought—"

"You shouldn't trouble yourself with so much thinking," Dr. Stylish interrupted with a condescending smile. "Thinking about what could happen and how to prevent it from happening is our job! Don't look so tense, it's not very stylish of you."

"But I—"

"And neither is your hat," Kurome smiled sweetly. Wave threw a hand over his mouth to stifle his own laughter.

"So, Tatsumi and the Demons…" Esdeath widened her smile, tilting her head up to stare at the ceiling. "I wonder if they'll play nice with one another?"

Bolic opened his mouth to say something, but the sudden explosions threw them all off balance and stole the words from him. Dust fell from the ceiling as the palace was racked with vicious tremors, sending jolts of fear through them all. All but Esdeath, of course, who scoffed and glared derisively at the screaming servants and half-naked politicians who began to pour into the room.

"Return to your rooms if you want to survive!" she roared, slamming her heel into the floor with a single step forward. "Night Raid will be charging straight into this throne room and kill everyone they see on the way here!"

More tremors shook everyone to their core and the sound of muffled explosions assaulted their ears. The General's fearsome words brought reason back to the forefront of their minds, and the crowd of degenerates dispersed almost as quickly as they'd appeared. What little satisfaction she might have had at their evacuation evaporated with the next series of explosions. She grit her teeth and steeled herself for the coming battle, knowing full well that Bolic's pathetic guards wouldn't buy them any time.

Right on cue, the great doors ahead of them suddenly shook with tremendous force; it was almost as if their guests were knocking in tune with the explosions outside the palace, thrown open right as the tremors subsided.

"N-N-Night Raid!" Bolic squealed, instantly running around to hide behind his throne.

"Well, well," Esdeath cackled, "I didn't expect to see you here on the front lines, Najenda."

Her silver-haired rival lit one of those trademark cigars, sparing no glance to anyone but the General. The tension in the air was crushing the breath out of both parties, each set of subordinates not willing to move a single inch as their commanders greeted one another. Najenda puffed for a moment, spewing forth a cloud of gray and momentarily blocking out the face of her enemy.

A show of confidence as well as a veiled taunt. Esdeath merely widened her smile.

The Jaegers: General Esdeath, still smiling; Wave and Kurome, side-by-side; Stylish and Run, adjusting glasses and unfurling wings, respectively. Seryu remained behind the throne with Bolic, regarding the man with an expression of pure disgust. These warriors remained steadfast, even in spite of their missing comrades.

"I don't see Bols or Tatsumi with you," Najenda replied coolly, shaking some of the ashes from her cigar onto the floor.

Night Raid: ex-general Najenda, her mind racing; Leone and Akame together, only one of them smiling; Mine standing behind them all, clutching something indistinguishable. Fewer in number but equal in resolve, these assassins challenged their foes with equally firm footing and fearsome determination.

"Dear Bols is unable to join us, due to the destruction of his Rubicante," Esdeath responded. A slender hand found the hilt of her rapier and freed it from the sheathe in one fluid motion. Raising the tip of the blade and lining it up with Najenda's neck, she withdrew her smile. "As for Tatsumi, he should be returning any moment now. I sent him away to patrol the city alone, eventually joining with the Rakshasa Demons to trap you all in a pincer move."

Esdeath was shaking, the rapier in her hand gently clicking in response. "It would seem that he has been delayed."

"That's unfortunate," Najenda mocked, replacing the General's lost smile with one of her own.

"And what of the one named Lubbock?" Esdeath inquired. "I was told that your biological Teigu has already been destroyed, which explains his absence. The red-haired assassin was cut down as well. I don't suppose you've lost three members in such a short span of time?"

"It would seem," Najenda parroted, thoroughly enjoying the glint of rage in her rival's eyes, "that he has been delayed as well."


"Did you do all this?"

"You bet!" Lubba laughed, slowly flexing the fingers at his side. All around him the wires danced, floating gently in the air and glowing orange as they reflected the raging fire's light. "It's my old hobby, something Miss Najenda banned the moment I joined Night Raid. Setting off a bunch of bombs every time we find a target isn't really Night Raid's style, y'know?"

Several more buildings collapsed around them, their tenants long since evacuated.

"Tonight must be a special occasion," Tatsumi replied, tightening his grip on the Muramasa.

"You betcha," Lubba frowned. "You killed two of our members, two of our precious friends. We can't hold back for the sake of subtlety, not anymore."

"Let's talk this out."

"Let's not."

Tatsumi drew his sword and charged ahead. Lubba threw his hands forward, carving through to his most hated friend. Stone homes crumbled all around as the flames sang their crackling song, ripped from their foundations all at once. So began the battle for Kyoroch, and the ultimate downfall of Night Raid.