So finally here's chapter 2. It ended up quite long, but I couldn't find a good place to cut it earlier. There will be at least one more, maybe two, depending on how long the rest will turn out to be once I write it. I still haven't read the last 4-5 chapters of the manga, so if you leave a review, DO NOT tell me anything that happens there or you may just kill my desire to write for a while. I'll read them when I finish this story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original sources which this fiction is based upon.

Chapter 2

"Tatsumi, come back to us!" Akame's voice cried out.

"What? But I'm here…" Tatsumi looked around, seeing only darkness around him. He felt disoriented and couldn't keep his thoughts straight. A faint scream echoed in the distance, sounding like it belonged to his friend.

"Akame? Where are you? What's going on?"

A huge monstrous body appeared before him and a dragon's roar drowned all other sounds.

"What the…" he had no idea where he was and had nowhere to go. All he could see was the dragon's form and its evil eyes staring at him.

It opened its mouth and lunged forward, swallowing him.

Tatsumi woke up screaming and sweating. He sat up and looked around frantically, taking in the bright lit room around him. After a moment he noticed he was in a bed with a few systems hooked up to him. What was going on? Was he captured again? The last thing he remembered was fighting the Supreme Teigu and then everything got blurry…had he blacked out?

He looked at the door to the room, half-expecting someone to come in to proclaim to him that the Resistance had lost and he was now the Empire's prisoner. Maybe it would even be Esdeath herself. Come to think of it, that was probably the only reason he was still alive – she had likely kept him as her play toy.

He tried to reach for the systems and unplug them, but instead got lightheaded and fell back down on the bed. He felt incredibly weak, downright drained. Well, so much for that…

With nothing else to do, he looked around the room and his eyes fell on something to his left, which made his breath stop. Mine was lying there right next to him. Not injured or comatose like he had left her, but seemingly just asleep. She was dressed in a nightgown and her hair was falling loosely over her face.

Tatsumi closed his eyes and smiled, feeling tears welling up. They hadn't lost, they had won. He was in a friendly hospital. The relief almost made him pass out again.

He wiped his eyes and looked at Mine again, the smile not leaving his face. She seemed healthy and just as beautiful as he remembered. She had probably really woken up. Was she there waiting for him? It was surprising he hadn't made her jump with that scream earlier.

He got up on one arm and reached out to hold her hand. He wanted to hug her so badly, but he couldn't move that much. It was probably better anyway, let her sleep a bit more. He moved a few locks of hair from her face and cupped her cheek gently.

"Wha…who the…" she woke up startled and flung her hand upward, hitting him straight across the face.

"Owwww…" Tatsumi fell back on the bed for the second time, holding his nose. Amazing, she hadn't woken up from him screaming but that small touch had done it.

Mine sat up rubbing her eyes and looked around on full alert. She was left mouth agape when she saw Tatsumi next to her and realized what had happened.

"Tatsumi? You…you're…"

"What's with the noise here?" a nurse entered the room hastily and looked concerned at the two. Her demeanor changed to irritated at the sight of the boy holding his nose and the girl's worried and apologetic expression. "Gosh, girl, I warned you to be VERY careful around him!"

"I didn't mean to, I got startled! Tatsumi, I'm so so sorry!"

"Ok, we need to examine him, so out with you, now." The nurse began rushing her out of the room. She signaled to someone outside and within seconds a few more doctors and nurses followed her inside.

"Wait, let her stay, I'm…fine…" Tatsumi tried protesting, but it was of no use. Mine hesitated at the door for a bit, giving him an apologetic look. He responded with a reassuring smile, which seemed to calm her down a little, before she left.

It took the doctors over half an hour to finish their check-up on the irritated Tatsumi and conclude that he was currently in a stable condition. He knew that what they were doing was important, but he still wished they would just leave him alone when he told them he was fine and let Mine back in. They finally did so after he had washed and changed into some casual clothes, and when she came back she found him sitting on the bed waiting for her. She was also in her normal attire with her hair in her usual style now. Tatsumi smiled widely when he saw her, but she didn't return it, instead staring him up and down like she was pondering something.

"Mine?" he began unsurely, but before he could say anything else she walked up to him and hugged him.

"I'm sorry for hitting you. I didn't mean to." She whispered with her head in his chest.

"Don't worry about it." He returned the embrace, stroking her hair lightly. "You're here, that's all I care about."

She pulled away a bit to look at him, before continuing in the same low voice. "How do you feel?"

"Not bad, still can't move much, but better now."

She nodded, not averting her eyes from his.

"I missed you so much. So, so much..." his hands were now on both sides of her face.

"I missed you too..." she responded barely before they kissed. At first it was a slow and gentle kiss, but then it became deeper and more passionate, reflecting the long time they had spent away from each other, not knowing if the other one would live or die. They moved to the bed without even realizing it, barely stopping to breathe before kissing eagerly again.

Tatsumi pecked her cheek and then moved down to her neck, her hands wrapping around his neck to pull him closer. All other thoughts had left his mind. All that mattered was that she was there, awake, alive and safe. He planted a few kisses on her neck, but as he made his way back up to her lips he felt a few tears run down her face. He stopped and lifted himself above her, worried.

"Mine? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, don't mind me." She wiped her face hastily and pulled him back down towards her. However, just as they sank into another kiss, he felt more tears flow down her face. He pulled away again, ready to talk about it this time, but before he could say anything she sat up, facing away from him.

"Gosh!" She started wiping her face again, where the tears were now freely falling down. A few sobs escaped her. "Goddamnit..."

She hated herself at the moment. She had promised herself she would keep it together, but this was all happening too fast. She couldn't believe she was breaking down, after everything she had been through – after what they had all been through.

Tatsumi was looking at her back turned to him, unsure of what to do. Mine very rarely cried and he knew she hated being treated like she was weak, which she definitely wasn't. He silently handed her a tissue and waited for her to calm down a bit. After that he took her free hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Will you tell me what it is?"

"It's-it's just...they told me what you did." She said through sobs. "You nearly died, you know that? Everyone says you should have, it was unheard of. When I woke up they refused to tell me what had happened to you, because I had to "relax." The last was said with some irritation. "Until I got pissed off and made them tell me."

Tatsumi had to suppress a chuckle despite the situation. He could just imagine it. He knew she didn't find it funny though.

"And then?"

"Th-then when I came here they told me you were in a coma and might just die in your sleep or...or revert back to what you were. The first week they had to resuscitate you, because your heart kept stopping and then...you were stable, but they said you might never wake up..."

Tatsumi didn't know what to respond. The doctors had told him earlier that he had been out for a month and that Mine had been by his side nearly all the time, even sleeping next to him (much to the irritation of some). However, they hadn't told him he had been so close to dying or...possibly something even worse.

"I always thought...if you didn't wake up...you're all I have..." she was getting less coherent, so he hugged her from behind and pulled her to his chest, letting her release her pent up feelings. Her words made him wonder for a moment. Were Akame, Leone and Najenda actually still alive? The doctors didn't know details from the final fight and later he had been too caught up in the moment to ask Mine. His heart sank at the thought that they might not have survived. Despite that, now was not the time to bring that up.

Mine cried quietly in his arms for a few more minutes, gradually becoming still.

Tatsumi kissed the top of her head. "I couldn't die like that when I had you to come back to."

"Idiot. You had no idea what was going on, so don't try to act cool." Her sharp tone instantly made him regret saying that. That was more like the Mine he was used to.

"Ok, maybe..." he scratched the back of his head. "But did they tell you how I managed to come back?"

She shook her head. "No one knows. They just said it should be impossible."

"Well, I'm not sure either and I can't remember anything except screams and noise, but...when I try really hard I can recall thinking about you. When Incursio took over me the only thoughts that were still my own were those of you. I wanted to stay myself so I could see you again and..."

She was looking at him wide-eyed now.

"It would take something very powerful for me to reverse a Teigu's influence and I guess it was you. There is nothing more important to me than you. I love you."

With a red face she leaned in and kissed him, to which he responded readily. "I love you too."

She kissed him again, pushing him down. He slid a hand under her shirt, stroking her bare back. This time there was no fear, anxiety or urgency, only showing their feelings for the other. She started taking his shirt off when there was a knock and the door opened, making them both fall down on the bed blushing.

"Excuse me, uuuum..." the nurse that peeked in seemed to guess what she had interrupted. "The chief-physician wants to see both of you. He said it was important."

"Thanks, we'll be right there." Tatsumi answered and the nurse left.

He looked at Mine. "You think he can uuuh... wait a bit?"

She shook her head with a blush. "If it's important, we should go now."

Tatsumi sighed and got up, to which Mine chuckled and did the same.

"Let's see what he wants then."

She pecked him on the lips one last time and took his hand, leading them out.

On the way to the head-physician's office Tatsumi took a few glances into the rooms of the other patients, seeing all the injured and crippled from the war. That made him halt his pace and return to his earlier thoughts.

"Hey, Mine…What happened to Akame, Najenda and Leone? Are they alright?"

She looked away with an unclear expression.

"Akame is ok. She actually beat Esdeath in the end. She came here to see you before me, but then left to take care of something personal, so we don't know where she is now."

"She really beat Esdeath, huh? That's her, I knew she could do it." Tatsumi couldn't be happier to hear that Akame had finally finished off their biggest threat, but strangely he also felt a tint of sadness. A part of him had always wanted to believe that Esdeath could make peace and change, but apparently she hadn't been able to. What was done was done.

Mine nodded. "Najenda was here a few days ago. She has a lot of work with all the rebuilding now, but…she's not so well. You know she used her trump card three times and the side-effects are catching up. She has maybe a few months left to live…"

"I see, just like before. And she still won't rest, will she?"

Mine shook her head.

"I'll go see her soon then. And Leone?"

Mine closed her eyes sadly before responding. "Leone is dead. The Prime Minister killed her while you guys were fighting the Emperor. Turns out he had a secret Teigu."

Tatsumi felt pain in his chest at the news. One more friend he wasn't going to see anymore - exactly why he had been afraid to ask.

"And the Prime Minister?" he questioned after a few seconds of silence.

"After Esdeath was finished he got captured and executed. I wasn't there, but I hope that piece of scum died slowly and painfully." Her voice was full of hatred and anger.

Tatsumi nodded, taking her hand and resuming their way.

"Let's see what we're called for, we'll talk more after that."

A few minutes later they were in the office of the chief-physician, who Tatsumi noted with a slight surprise was the same doctor who had consulted him about his first symptoms of overusing Incursio.

"It's good to see you again, Tatsumi." The doctor began once they had seated themselves. "We had our fears that you may never wake up."

"Yes, I heard so. I guess without you I really wouldn't have. Thank you."

The doctor smiled politely, but his expression soon became serious again.

"Unfortunately, I didn't call you here to give you good news though. I'm afraid your condition is yet to worsen."

"What do you mean?" asked Mine. "He woke up, isn't that a good thing?"

"Well, yes, but…" he pulled out a few sheets, which he put on the desk for them to see. "All tests we have been running until now show that his DNA is still mixed with that of the Teigu. Unlike before and during his transformation, it is dormant now and that is why it is not affecting his appearance or behavior. However, that is likely to change very soon."

"What are you saying? That he…"

"…that I'm going to lose control again?" finished Tatsumi horrified instead of her.

"Not necessarily, but…it's very probable. You have to understand that your case is very special, there is no other such recorded instance and therefore we are mostly just speculating. A Teigu is an extremely powerful entity with a will of its own and no one has ever freed themselves from its hold once it has progressed this far. The fact that you reversed the transformation even once is unbelievable, to put it mildly. Apparently the human side of you was still intact enough to push away the outside influence somehow."

"Ok, if we assume you are right..." Tatsumi was trying to wrap his mind around what he was hearing. "Then what do you think will happen to me next?"

The doctor sighed.

"If we are right, then the Teigu's DNA in your body is simply suppressed right now. It can't stay like this forever. Gradually it will start taking over again until you revert to your previous form. And then you will not be able to change back anymore."

Tatsumi slumped on the desk with his face in his hands. That was just too much. Was he going to become a monster again? Would he have to be put down before he endangered other people? Just when he thought everything was over and he could start anew.

"You can't be serious!" Mine stood up slamming her hands down. "First he could never come back, then he could never wake up, now this? What do you even know?"

"As I said, it is mostly speculation." The doctor remained calm. "Believe me, I would be very happy to be completely wrong."

Mine attempted to say something else, but Tatsumi squeezed her hand, making her purse her lips and quiet down.

"How much do you think I have left until that happens?"

"It's hard to estimate. It could be anywhere from a few months to a few years if you lead a peaceful life, avoiding stress or combat."

Well, that was some time to come up with something at least.

"Does that also mean I won't be allowed to leave the hospital at all?" he asked, making Mine look at him wide-eyed at the proposition.

"No, you can leave as soon as you feel well enough. There is very little more we can do for you here. All that is left now is for you to rest and not overexert yourself."

"I see. Thank you, I'll go now in that case."

"You can find me any time you have more questions. Good luck."

"Wait, what?" Mine spoke up again with a mixture of concern and anger. "You just tell him he's practically going to die in the near future and you let him go? And you're ok with that?!" she looked at Tatsumi disbelievingly.

"No, of course I'm not ok with it, but…"

"It's outside of our control now." The doctor intervened for him. "There is no way to stop a Teigu's influence through any means we are aware of, we can only nurse him when it becomes necessary."

"And if I become a threat for the others around me?"

"I trust that, when the time comes, you will make the right choice and prevent that from happening."

The two looked at each other, quietly acknowledging that they both understood what the physician meant. Mine's eyes watered and she grabbed Tatsumi's hand.

"No, no way in hell that's happening!" she said pulling him out of the office.

The doctor got up and closed the door after them. So that was what was left of the infamous Night Raid. The deadliest assassins who almost singlehandedly caused the fall of an Empire were mostly just in their late teens. It was remarkable and unbelievably sad at the same time. Hopefully now these two would get a new chance at life and no more kids would have to give up their life for others.

Once they were back to Tatsumi's room Mine closed the door and threw herself on his neck. He hugged her back and they remained like that for a while, neither one saying anything, until she let him go and looked straight in his eyes.

"I don't care what they say or what they think they know, this is absolutely not going to happen. I will go anywhere and do whatever I need to. Think what we can do, now." Her gaze was determined and unflinching. They hadn't been through everything for it to end like this, not after they had just come back to each other. She wasn't losing him again.

Tatsumi smiled to himself, realizing yet again how lucky he was to have her. She just wasn't going to let him give up on this, no matter how hopeless it seemed.

"Well, they can't treat this here, but…maybe someone else somewhere can." He said thoughtfully to Mine, who was looking at him in expectancy.

"…and?"

"Yeah, actually," a memory suddenly resurfaced, "Wave told me of this place a while ago. Where they practice a special type of medicine and heal things that others can't. That's where he took Kurome for her…uuuuh…" he noticed Mine's strange expression. Her eyes narrowed.

"Kurome is alive?" she asked simply. "You didn't kill her?"

"Well, um, no. She and Wave sort of quit and started anew. It's a bit of a long story."

Mine didn't answer. Wave quitting was one thing, he had never directly done anything to them. Kurome, on the other hand…

"Mine? Is something the matter?"

"What? No, I'm fine." she shook her head hastily. That talk would have to wait. "So Wave took her to that place and you think it will work?"

"I don't know, maybe." He scratched his head. "It's worth a try. Although…"

"Yeah?"

He sighed. That was not going to be easy to say.

"If they can do anything, I'd surely have to stay there for a long time, if not for good. So I'm not going."

"What?" she snapped. "Are you stupid? You'd rather die than take a little treatment?"

"It's not that! I'm just not going anywhere where I won't be with you, that's all. So I'm looking for something else."

"And why wouldn't you be with me there?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Because I don't think you'd want to come so far and live there all that time until I get better or…you know."

Mine stared at him like he was crazy. "Of…of course I'm going there with you. Where else would I go?"

"You'll really do that?"

"Duh."

Without another word he leaned in and kissed her. She made a small sound of surprise, before closing her eyes and wrapping her hands around him. When they released she looked at him with a bit of sadness.

"I have no one else. No friends or family. Night Raid was all I had and now it's you. So of course I'll go where you go and don't ask me such stupid questions again." She poked his chest with her finger and he laughed embarrassed.

"Ok, I got it. So I guess we'll go to the city first to see Najenda and to ask around a bit, because I'm not sure where it is. We leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Mine dropped down on the bed absent-mindedly.

He moved over her, drawing her eyes to his face above hers.

"I love you." He said, feeling a little pride when he saw her blush.

"I love you too, stupid."