Chapter Eleven- Kill the Ideals
The Capital- Jaegers' Meeting Room, Morning
"The commander has been gone for over a day now! Do you think it's happened? Do you think she's dead, that a danger beast or enemy soldier finally got the drop on her?" Wave asked, his mind racing, fearing for his captain's fate.
"No, you worry too much." Kurome said, munching on a cookie, "She's a survivor above all else. She's not the most feared for nothing. Maybe she met up with some people on the way."
Seryu sat by, not saying much, but was equally as troubled as Wave. She thought about how his caring nature and thirst for justice rivaled her own, and she was happy to go scouting the area for some reported bandits with him later. She was putting her faith in Kurome's words, that the commander would be okay, and would return to her…err- the team safely.
She had to remember not to think of the commander in that way. It was unprofessional. And she's sure Wave wouldn't approve.
Bols arrived shortly after, and Seryu went off to take care of Koro's impossible appetite. Bols again took issue with Wave thinking he was a good person, and reluctantly elaborated on his haunting deeds as an executioner: how he's had to burn people alive in war, even killing people who claimed innocence during public trials. Wave went pale at that mention.
Suddenly, a sweet, pretty woman in her early or mid-thirties entered the room, addressing the monstrous Bols, who terrified most, very warmly. She had come by with a bubbly little girl to deliver his lunch they had "made together."
Wave was initially perplexed and didn't understand the connection, but realized this was the wife Bols had mentioned earlier, meaning that the child was his daughter!
Wave was immensely caught off guard, more so than when the commander dragged poor Tatsumi in by a chain, but this quickly melted into a feeling of joy. Bols didn't care that people despised him or were afraid because all he needed were the two women that gave his life the most joy, who accepted him for the person he truly is underneath his gruff exterior and despite his horrific occupation.
But again, Wave felt truly guilty about his first impression, remembering he was almost a part of the problem, and couldn't believe that Bols would accept people's judgement and fear of his appearance as a just punishment for his crimes.
The Capital- Outer Neighborhoods, Afternoon
Seryu and Wave again stopped in for a bite to eat at an upscale café, grabbing some coffee. He sat down and figured this was his chance.
"Seryu, I hate to trudge up old business, but" he paused, seeing her head dart up and her inviting smile greet him. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about what happened to Dr. Stylish. I never really saw eye to eye with him, but I know he was very important to you and I want to let you know I'll be here if you ever need me."
Her eyes widened, and she became a little pink, not knowing what to say. "I know." She finally blurted out, "I heard you when I was with the commander the other day. I really appreciated that you would've come to see me but I wasn't sure how to express it." She twirled her auburn hair in her fingers, looking off to the side.
Wave again put his hand on her artificial one and said, "Of course, Seryu." And smiled, and she retracted nervously. Wave was then caught off, his eyes widening, and too sat back, feeling he may have come off too strong for the topic.
But Seryu was upset for an entirely different reason, as she stated "I wish I could really feel your hands. I can sense touch obviously, but not the warmth on them." She hung her head slightly, and Wave reached out and touched her upper arm, which was still natural flesh. "Better?" he asked. "Yeah." She said sheepishly, keeping eye contact for what seemed like minutes.
Eventually, Wave's attention darted to a small band who had cued up, starting to play a slow, somber tune. "You want to dance again?" he asked her, a bit abruptly.
"To this? It sounds sad." She asked, a bit confused and concerned at his thought process.
"Yeah, but it could help." He said, shrugging. She stood up hesitantly and he followed, and he helped her in the positioning: his hands on her hips and hers on his shoulder. She was nervous, not fully putting her hands on him, more just the tips of her fingers, until she kind of went along with the beat of the music and relaxed, even leaning into Wave a bit. After the song finished, she felt it had set her emotions straight and went back to their table where Koro was waiting impatiently, tugging on his leash tied to the table leg. They finished their meal and proceeded with the usual rounds.
The Capital- Imperial Palace, Esdeath's Quarters, Night
The general had returned with immense disappointment. Tatsumi had again slipped through her grasp, though she enjoyed the day she spent with him on the island nonetheless.
However, she noted he had left the mysterious gateway to the island open for her, denoting his kindness was still a form of weakness that needed to be strained from him.
There was a knock on the door, and Esdeath sighed, walking over irritated and swinging the door open.
"Oh, hello, general." greeted Run politely. "You seem flustered. Did I catch you at a bad time?" He smiled as he questioned her.
"Oh, it's you. No, come in." She stepped past so he could enter and she closed the door behind him.
"I just have some documents from the Emperor on our next major assignments. And a request from the Minister of Finance for another security addition. But first I should ask where you have been and what might be wrong. You said nothing when you returned this afternoon in a huff. Wave and Seryu have been very worried about you."
She hung her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, as though her thoughts themselves were giving her a headache. "I saw Tatsumi again, Run. And he escaped me once again."
"Escaped? Interesting choice of words, commander. Do you intend to pursue this unrequited love forever?" Run thought back to this theory he had created a few days prior.
"Yes. He is the only man to meet my list of criteria and therefore I will refuse to let him just be." Esdeath looked at the window, openly longing for her one-sided lust object.
"Well, commander, if I may say something bold it seems you see him as less of a lover and more of a challenge to be dominated."
"Well, of course, that's my nature. He is my one love, but he is also a challenging project of sorts."
"Have you considered that perhaps it's not Tatsumi himself that you're so in love with but the ideas he represents?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, by probability alone there's probably someone out there who also fits all your criteria, but whom you merely have not yet encountered, and it's best to keep an open mind…" he intended to go on, but she refused.
"No. I will hear no more on this subject. Tatsumi's resistance is part of what makes him such a great lover. He creates a new, exciting journey for me and I will relish the day I eventually bend him to my will." She was ice cold and deadly serious, as usual, with a hint of a sadistic grin forming.
Run sighed and merely said "I understand."
Esdeath's demeanor then softened and she smiled, "It seems like you're implying something here, Run. Are you trying to free me up for yourself? Because if so, I only am interested in younger men." Her smile denoted a playful, casual attitude once more. Her subtleties were hard to pick up on and Run was thankful he was intuitive to them or he'd be lost in conversations with her since she switched on a moment's notice.
He chuckled. "No, merely trying to be a good advisor."
"Good." She said, "Then let's look at these papers you've come here to discuss." She was quick to change the subject both to assert her dominance and command once more but also because Run had almost planted a serious seed of doubt in her mind, and she refused to be changed by anyone, especially by a subordinate.
The Capital- Minister of Finance's Quarters, Mid-Day
"Oh shit, we're in for it now!" Wave screamed, having stormed in and found the Minister of Finance dead, apparently only minutes before their arrival, by some form of poisoning.
"Night Raid doesn't typically do poisoning. This is new for them, perhaps they've gotten some new members." Kurome deduced, remaining cool and level-headed.
"I hope not. That makes us down one and them up however many." Wave panicked. "Oh god, the general is going to torture me again, I know it! She's going to flog me and string me up, and burn me and waterboard me!" He shuddered, thinking it would be better to flee, though she'd find him in no time.
"Hey, don't be so freaked, a lot of guys would pay for her to do that to them." Kurome patted him with her usual deadpan expression.
"WHAT?!" Wave screamed, thrashing back from her.
"Haha, I'm only kidding. Esdeath only did that because you let that Night Raid assassin and Tatsumi escape. She couldn't care less about some dead politician. It's not like they were here and we just let them slip by."
As they left the apartment, they almost tripped over one of the Minister's pet cats, who seemed extra skittish compared to the rest, not all that strange considering how they barged in.
Kurome found Wave's sometimes comically serious and professional exterior kind of endearing, especially when he got all frightened and offended easily. She thought he looked very funny and cute when she poked fun at him. They had been detailed together more and more as of late and she found herself enjoying the comfort of his company, and found his kind heart and optimism refreshing compared to what she was used to. She even had forgotten about his sea scent and his terrible country boy fashion sense.
But she tried to hide this infatuation from Wave. She was sure he was a professional and wouldn't consider being with a comrade. Especially not one with her sordid past…
The Capital- Outskirts, Afternoon
Later that day, Wave and Seryu were finishing their scouting in the outer forests of the Capital, as Kurome was put on palace duty with Bols. Wave trailed behind, allowing Seryu to get a bit ahead to keep up with Koro, who was tracking a scent, albeit a bit poorly, so Wave wasn't concerned about anything interesting happening. Koro then let out a bark and raced ahead, and Seryu sped after him incredibly fast, merely shouting back casually to Wave.
Wave, who was observing some nice flowers, was caught completely off guard, and turned to see the path ahead of himself empty. "Oh shit. SERYU!" he shouted, sprinting ahead as fast as he could.
His mind raced: could she handle herself up ahead? Of course she could, but so can the commander, and she'd been missing in action as well. He pleaded to whatever higher power there may be to let him catch up to her before some horrible fate befell her. His legs started to burn and lungs started taking in shallower breaths. 'DAMN IT!' he thought, 'Now's not the time to get fatigue.' He tried to resist but even at his hardest his legs had definitely started slowing down a bit. "SHIT." He muttered between harsher and harsher breaths. Suddenly, he saw some figures ahead. It was Seryu, accompanied by Koro, who had found the bandits up ahead, and drawn her sword; the two male bandits armed with small knives and a younger woman with them armed with nothing.
Wave, feeling adrenaline then surge over his body, raced forward, drawing his sword and jumping beside Seryu. He swung down, effortlessly and cleanly slicing the hand of one bandit and disarming him, before lunging forward and elbowing his jaw, knocking him out.
The other bandit lunged, but his arm was grappled by Seryu, who used his forward motion against him, swinging him around and into a nearby tree, knocking him to the ground where Wave restrained him. The girl panicked and attempted to escape, but Koro ran past her, tripping her up by stopping in her path, allowing Seryu to subdue her on the ground while Wave finished with the other two.
Some minutes later, they finally pushed the bandits on their knees into a huddle, their hands bound behind their backs, and Wave could see by their garbs that they were poorer, probably from a nearby village or farm. He had heard about some bandits in the forests stealing goods off trucks passing through at knifepoint, but they had never killed anyone, merely took some profits off of other farmers and merchants. The girl had seemed to keep a pretty face and nice figure despite her peasant status, though Wave tried to ignore this for the sake of his profession.
Seryu mentioned Wave should probably jog back and see if there were any other stragglers who need to be picked up as well. The bandits knew there weren't, but let Wave, the stronger of the duo, go anyways, thinking if they had a chance at escape, it was with the small young woman and her pet dog guarding them instead of him.
Wave scouted the area for a brief five minutes before seeing there was obviously no one else, and began jogging back. However, he saw a lone figure ahead. It was Seryu, dragging Koro alongside her, and he was confused, getting a bizarre sense of déjà vu from earlier.
"Hey, Seryu!" he said, slowing as he approached her. She continued almost to brush past him, and eerie calm over her. "What happened to those bandits we captured?" He asked, perplexed.
"They're aren't here anymore." she said curtly yet innocently, moving past him. A single red droplet splashed on the ground from her sword hilt, and Wave noticed, also noting the blood stains on Koro's mouth were fresh.
Wave quickly reached back, holding onto Seryu's shoulder to prevent her from leaving. "Wait," he said sternly, "You killed those bandits, didn't you?" He turned back to her, she hadn't budged. He remained calm with her despite him wanting to shout at her. "As Jaegers, we may have special privileges, but there are things we can and can't do-" She slowly reached back to him, and put her hand on his.
She turned to face him, blushing. "Those guys didn't belong to Night Raid. But they were evil, so it wasn't a complete waste. Let's continue to destroy evil at this pace!" She thought he was very cute, trying to correct her like a teacher. She thought he seemed more like a naive schoolboy that didn't realize how stupid something he had said seemed from the perspective of a (by comparison) worldly adult. She was still blushing as she continued to walk to the Capital. She thought that maybe this was the time she could help Wave with something so he wasn't the one having to always help her. She felt good about it and thought he looked so strong out on the battlefield with her, which only helped in her good mood about their bonding.
Wave on the other hand, was still far behind her, not having moved since she spoke. She was so sweet and genuine about it, he thought to himself. It had disturbed Wave greatly. As she left, he looked at his hand, reflecting on how the Capital was much worse than he thought; and how he had finally felt it. In that one moment, for the first time, he felt how truly cold and lifeless Seryu's hands were. All metal, no human warmth or heart. She couldn't be helped or changed, and the image he had of the sweet, caring, nurturing girl he had cared so much about melted away and was warped and twisted into a sick parody of what he thought she was, and what she probably believed she truly was. He knew he could never shake this feeling when around her now, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't abandon her as a teammate or colleague or maybe even friend, but he knew he could never really be with her after this in any serious way. It was too horrible a truth to shake, and perhaps the effects of people like Ogre, Stylish, and the other officials of the Capital had completely ruined a potentially great person forever.