After Lubbock had cut Tatsumi down, he had just pointed to a simple wooden door and then simply vanished. Tatsumi thought that he would vanish too, but after a few seconds he had hesitantly walked towards the door. Slowly, he opened it and peered out. A wave of what could only be described as life washed over him. Noises, smells, colors; Tatsumi didn't realize that the afterlife could feel so… alive.
Tatsumi was facing a bustling marketplace full of people. A smile stretched across his face; of course Mine's paradise would include shopping. The air was alive with the all the sounds and smells that Tatsumi had become so accustomed to. But there was something more to the atmosphere, an added dimension to everything. Tatsumi tried to isolate what was different, but his senses were overloaded by all the commotion. Shrugging his shoulders, Tatsumi pushed the nagging sensation to the back of his mind and let one thought completely consume him.
Mine.
Tatsumi started pushing through the crowd, desperate for any sign of her, for any sign of the woman he loved. Despite the sheer number of people moving in any which direction, the crowd never forced him along, never engulfed him. Occasionally someone bumped into him, but they were always quick to apologize. Everyone had somewhere to go, but no one seemed rushed to get there. Tatsumi continued to move through the crowd, eager to finally be with Mine again. Even though he had been walking for a while, the marketplace still stretched out in every direction. How large was this place? Every street branched off into even more pathways, each just as full of people as the last. Tatsumi was wondering how he would ever find Mine, when something slammed into his back and sent him sprawling to the ground.
Tatsumi rolled over to see what had hit him, only to catch a glimpse of a massive barrel falling directly towards him. Before he could even scream, the barrel fell onto him and broke upon his head, releasing a massive orange cloud of some kind of spice. The spice covered his eyes and got into his lungs, sending him into a coughing fit. Tatsumi started rubbing his eyes to restore his vision, but just as he was finally starting to be able to see again, a flood of water washed over him and sent him sliding along the ground.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" A voice stuttered out an apology. Tatsumi shakily rose to his feet, completely soaked but at least all the spice had washed away too. He turned to face his attacker and saw that a very young girl with orange hair was facing him with an empty bucket clutched in her hands. Next to her stood a small wagon that was precariously stacked with a large number of barrels.
Tatsumi shook himself to shed off any excess water and then turned to face the girl. "No harm done," he smiled at her. Tatsumi was fairly certain that if he was still alive he would have been hurt, but in this world he was none the worse for wear.
Despite his reassurance, the girl still seemed quite aghast at her actions. She dropped her bucket and then pulled a towel off her cart and started frantically drying off Tatsumi, "How could I be so dumb? I am so sorry."
Tatsumi just laughed. He lightly took the towel from her hands and then draped the towel over his head, rubbing off the excess water. "It's okay," he smiled. The girl finally calmed down and stepped back, a nervous smile covered her face. Tatsumi gave her a closer look; he realized with a start that her hair wasn't actually orange; she was just covered in a layer of orange dust. To his surprise her hair was actually pink, just like Mine's. The girl blushed under Tatsumi's intense gaze. Tatsumi saw he was making her uncomfortable, "Sorry, you just look a little like someone I am looking for."
The girl finally relaxed, she gave Tatsumi an inquisitive look, "Who are you looking for?"
"Her name is Mine, do you know where she is?" Tatsumi leaned forward eagerly as he waited for her to reply.
At the mention of Mine's name, a flash of pain reflected in her eyes. She seemed hesitant to speak, but after a few seconds she drew some breath and asked, "You wouldn't happen to be Tatsumi, would you?"
At the mention of his name, the entire atmosphere of the crowd changed. Everyone stopped and turned to look at Tatsumi, waiting for his reply. Tatsumi was taken aback by the effect his name had, but he nodded his head in confirmation anyways.
As soon as he did the entire crowd started whispering to each other. Tatsumi quickly scanned the crowd for any sign that things might get violent, but he realized that the crowd wasn't angry. If anything they seemed unsure. After a few seconds the crowd seemed to come to some sort of agreement; after casting one last look at Tatsumi, they all started dispersing and continued pursuing whatever tasks had brought them here.
The girl gave Tatsumi a hard look, almost like she was evaluating him; now it was Tatsumi's turn to blush. The girl seemed to come to some sort of decision too; she gave a small nod and then turned and started walking away from Tatsumi.
Tatsumi was completely stunned by the rapid sequence of events and just stood there, unsure if he was supposed to follow her. After a few steps, the girl stopped and then turned to look at Tatsumi, "Aren't you coming?" she called to him. Tatsumi hesitated for a moment, seeing his uncertainty the girl added, "Mine is this way." With that Tatsumi gladly started following her.
The girl led Tatsumi down so many twists and turns that he quickly lost any sense of direction. Each path they took was heavily populated with colorful stalls and tons of shoppers. Almost everyone they passed would stop and look at Tatsumi briefly, a few even took several steps towards him. But others in the crowd would inevitably stop their neighbors from interrupting his mysterious journey. Finally, Tatsumi couldn't wait any longer "Why is everyone looking at me?"
The girl didn't even break pace while she answered, "We've all heard a lot about you and we just want to see if the man lives up to the legend."
Tatsumi wasn't sure what to say about that so he just kept walking. The further they walked the faster Tatsumi's heart beat. The thought that at any moment Mine could appear, was driving him insane. He tried to distract himself by examining all the shops they walked past. It was so strange because the marketplace felt so familiar, but it was also so different. Some shops he recognized, but others were completely foreign to him. There was a fantastic array of items and foods mingling together. The people who were shopping were clothed in ways Tatsumi had never seen before. The oddest part was that some of them were speaking in languages Tatsumi didn't know, but somehow he could understand what they were all saying.
"It's amazing isn't," the girl's voice startled Tatsumi out of his thoughts, "In our old world, a place like this couldn't have existed." It all finally clicked together in Tatsumi's mind. This place wasn't Mine's paradise because of all the shopping, it was because of all the diversity. Here a thousand cultures mixed together and everyone was treated fairly. This is what Mine had been fighting for.
Tatsumi focused his gaze on the girl in front of him, he realized that he still didn't even know her name. He was drawing breath to ask her, when his heart skipped a beat. He knew where he was.
The alleyway had opened up and there were now standing at the foot of a set of stairs. At the top of the stairs there was a small shop that was selling sweets. Next to the shop was a patio full of seats and tables shaded by umbrellas. At the center of the patio was a massive fountain that was spewing water into the air. Mine had taken him to this exact place once before. This is where she had taken him shopping when he had first joined Night Raid. For once, the area was almost completely deserted. Only one seat was occupied. Tatsumi knew it was her.
She was facing away from him, but she was unmistakable. Her pigtails were lightly flowing in the wind, her familiar pink dress made her stand out in any crowd. But more than that, Tatsumi recognized the feeling he got when he saw her. It was like his heart found a new rhythm. Smells were sharper, colors were brighter; the world seemed to make sense. His body started walking forward without him even noticing. The girl had retreated back down the street they had come from, but Tatsumi didn't notice. He was at the top of the steps and she was right there. After so long she was right there.
"Why?" Her voice froze him. He didn't know what to expect once they were finally reunited. Would she be happy to see him? Would she be the same as he remembered her? He had thought about every possibility, but he wasn't ready to hear her be so cold.
Mine still hadn't moved from her spot, "I thought about you endlessly, I worried about you, I wanted you next to me, I waited for you." The pain in her voice was so evident, but Tatsumi didn't know what he had done. Was she mad that he hadn't finished the fight? Did she regret being with him? The last thought cut through him like a knife.
Finally she turned to face him. His breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful, but her eyes. Her eyes reflected a sea of emotions. Pain, joy, sadness, despair; they all flashed through her eyes so quickly, they each seemed to be competing for her attention, for her heart. Tatsumi stepped towards her, desperate to hold her, to be with her. She remained unmoving, her hands clenched tightly.
"But I knew, I knew that I had to let you go." Her words actually sent Tatsumi reeling backwards. What did she mean? Let him go? She kept her eyes from meeting his own, looking at anything else but him. "I was dead and you were alive. You were strong. I knew that you were going to see the end of our war. I had to let you find happiness. And if that meant… if that meant falling in love with someone else than I had to let you go." Tatsumi couldn't speak, he had to speak but he couldn't. Her eyes were so full of pain; he could tell she was fighting back tears through sheer force of will.
"And then you died anyways! You died!" She was shouting at him. Her head whipping back and forth as she yelled. Still she wouldn't meet his eyes. "I wanted to be with you so much. But I couldn't!" Tatsumi's heart was ripping apart. What did she mean? Why couldn't he speak? "You… you don't have to be with me." Mine's voice died to a whisper. Tears finally started tracking down her face. "There are so many people in this world," Mine turned away from him and faced the fountain.
Tatsumi tried to step towards her, but a force pushed him back. It was her. She was pushing him back, keeping them apart. Tatsumi fell to his knees; he had to fight just to hold his ground. Tears flowed down his face and splashed onto the pavement.
"Think of all the people out there, think of all the people who could be with you. You deserve to find someone who you can be truly happy with you." Her voice was so low Tatsumi almost couldn't hear it. Mentally, he was screaming out to her, but his voice just wasn't working. Mine turned around and finally met his eyes. There was still so much pain there and tears still stained her face. She slowly reached a hand out towards him, but then quickly pulled it back. "You don't have to love me."
Tatsumi couldn't just let this happen. He summoned all the energy within him and pushed himself off the ground. The force fighting against him was incredible, but he had to get to her. He desperately reached out a hand to her. He stretched his hand further and further, he was so close. Finally he managed to stretch out his hand, and he could just reach her face. But when his fingers brushed against her face, he passed right through her. The world started getting darker, Mine was fading away. He was being taken from her. Still Tatsumi's voice was trapped. He was unable to call out. Tatsumi heart felt like it was ripping apart, to get so close to her and then to be stolen from her before he could say anything was unbearable. Tatsumi tried to draw Mine into his arms, but he just passed right through her. She had almost completely faded away. Still Tatsumi fought. He wouldn't let it end like this, he couldn't!
And then he felt a presence like a hand start pushing on his back. The world stopped fading away. Tatsumi turned to try and see who was there, but he couldn't see anyone. Then he felt more hands pushing him back towards Mine. The world started coming back into focus, started becoming more real. These hands felt so familiar. They reminded him of someone guiding him while he trained, teaching him how to be strong. They reminded him of a friend holding while he cried for those who had died, reassuring him that he wasn't alone. Tatsumi knew that his friends were helping him. Tatsumi added his strength to theirs and forced the world to come into focus. To reunite him with Mine. He used everything he had, everything he was and focused it into one thought. Mine. She was so close, he could see her. He wouldn't leave her alone ever again. Finally Tatsumi and his friends focused all their efforts together and with one final effort threw him back into the world.
Mine turned to face him, surprise etched across her face as he forced himself back into existence. Tatsumi pushed his way towards her, not giving her time to force him away and reached out for her. He knew what he had to do. Tatsumi grabbed onto her shoulders, brought her face to his and kissed her for all he was worth. He kissed her for all the time they were apart. He kissed her for how painful it was to lose her. He kissed her for how good it felt to finally see her again. He kissed her.
Tatsumi didn't know how long their embrace lasted, but it felt like too soon when they separated. Tatsumi stopped her before she could speak. "I can't leave you! You gave me the strength to fight. After you died, I fought for you! I fought to make a world you would be proud of!" Tatsumi's voice was full of all the emotions that had been battling inside him. His voice was full of the pain of losing her, full of the joy of seeing her again, and full of the certainty that he had to be with her. "Don't you understand that it doesn't matter how many people there are?! I have you! I don't have to look for happiness because I already found it!" Mine stood there stunned as these emotions poured out of him. Tatsumi had to make her understand how he felt, without her nothing else mattered. "I do! I do have to love you! Loving you is part of who I am! You made fighting worth it! You made living worth it! You made dying worth it!" Tatsumi finally realized her from his embrace and fell to his knees once more. He sobbed into his hands, too afraid to see what her reaction was. He couldn't imagine existing without her beside him.
"But it hurt so much." Mine finally whispered. Tatsumi forced himself to look into her face and saw pain and fear in her face. "Why did loving you hurt so much?" Mine seemed to be begging him for a reason to let herself love him again.
Tatsumi slowed his mind and forced himself to listen to his heart. He knew that so much hinged on what he said next. "That's how you know it's real," he finally answered, "you love someone so much that losing that person becomes too painful to imagine. But, you love them anyways because not loving them is the only worse than losing them." Tatsumi placed his hand on Mine's face, "I don't know how to stop loving you."
Mine's eyes' were full of tears, but a smile stretched across her face. "Idiot," She whispered to him, "I love you too." They joined together into another kiss, but this kiss was a promise. A promise to never doubt each other again.
When they broke apart from their kiss, Tatsumi and Mine intertwined their hands. They sat down at a table and just leaned their heads together. Content to stay together forever. As they sat, their friends started appearing around them. Bulat and Lubbock were arm wrestling at another table while Chelsea cheered them on. Scheele was blushing furiously as she stole looks at Tatsumi and Mine. Sayo and Ieyasu kept making kissy faces at Tatsumi. The patio started filling up with voices and life, but still Mine and Tatsumi remained together. They knew that there were still things from their lives that they had to confront. They knew that eventually they would be joined by those they had left behind. But for now they just savored being together.
And that was more than enough.
AN: There it is. The final chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And yes this is as far as I want to take this story. I know some of you were asking for chapters with Akame and Esdeath and all the others but this is where I feel the story has finished. For now I have some things that I need to say so here we go.
Thank you everyone for all you wonderful feedback! You guys inspired me and really helped motivate me to finish this story. I also want to thank Mitch Albom for writing The Five People You Meet in Heaven which helped inspire this work. I also want to thank Yessica-N for her story the many people you meet in heaven which also helped inspire this work. I also need to thank StrikeBoss for allowing me to use his artwork for the story cover. Thank you everyone!
Also I want to reiterate that I own nothing. None of this is canonical, it is just my own story for the characters that I love.
My next story that I am working on is a one-shot parody of the ME3 multiplayer. I know that is quite a genre jump but I am really excited to start work on that, so if any of you guys are interested in that then keep an eye out for it.
Once again I am so thankful to you guys. Feel free to PM me if you guys ever have any questions about my writing process or if you just want to talk. See you guys next time!