Chapter 3 revision is here at last. Well, my chapters should be about this length from now on. I might just post a new chapter if I get it done. (this weekend that is)

Just letting you guys know that I've re-thought out the pairings.

Tatsumi will have Esdeath as the main pairing, with Akame and Mine occupying the second place equally. I decided against Seryu being part of the harem. Honestly she is bat shit crazy and she hates Mine. So that's a no on crazy robot girl… besides at this point I'm not sure I'm interested in writing "lemons" for her. They wouldn't actually be lemons… they'd be…Iphones….

And Leone will also be in the Harem. I decided to take back my earlier assertion after looking though the plot for the story again. However she will come in later on.

Lastly I will most likely add Chelsea.

Now… you guys know I don't own any part of Akame ga Kill…. Right?

Chapter 3

Mine an Akame were in the main chamber of the Night Raid base when they heard a massive boom echo down the halls. Akame and Mine whirled around, their hands already going to weapons. Then they heard a voice, "Akame!? Leone?! Mine?! Lubbock!? Where are you guys?!"

The two girls looked at each other in shock. Then they were running through the base to where Tatsumi's voice came from. When they realized he was in the infirmary they slowed down. Neither of them too eager to see if he had escaped unscathed or injured.

They walked through the door and stopped dead. Tatsumi was lying a girl...with blue hair...and a general's badge, down on the bed. He turned to see them enter. Akame looked utterly shocked. It was the first time he'd seen that expression on her. Mine's face was a carbon copy of Akame's. If he hadn't been worried about Esdeath and their reaction to her, it would have been funny.

The first words out of Mine's mouth were not the ones he expected, "Damn you Tatsumi, Why did you have to let her drag you off like that. We wore worried sick about you!"

He said, "Yeah I know, but can one of you help me?" He really didn't think this was the right conversation to be having at the moment. What was Mine thinking. The first reaction she had to a severely injured person was shouting at him?!

Akame stepped forward. "She is the enemy. Why did you bring her here?"

Tatsumi said, "Because she isn't the enemy anymore ok! Just help me heal her. Then I'll explain everything." Akame nodded, though she wasn't too pleased to have the Empire's general of ice in their home base, she would trust in Tatsumi this time. However Mine was not so accepting.

"YOU IDIOT! Do you have any clue who she is?! She's the BUTCHER of the north. She would kill us all without a second thought if the Capital asked her to. And she'd probably torture us for fun while she did it! You Idiot, stupid stupid stupid! Bulat was wrong, you aren't worthy of Incursio. Your Imperial Arm had a mental breakdown after he died!"

Mine seemed to run out of breath. Tatsumi said, "Esdeath defected from the capital. She's under my protection until she recovers."

Mine didn't seem to hear. She glared at him and said, "I hate the capital, and that means her too. Heal her Tatsumi, but if she makes so much as a wrong move, I'll blow her to pieces!" Mine turned to Akame before leaving, "I'm going to report this to the boss."

Akame watched her go and then turned slowly back to him. She looked to the pale sleeping Esdeath. Sometime during Mine's explosive shouting she must have drifted into unconsciousness. Her wound looked deep, but not all together life threatening. She had seen much more grievous wounds. And in fact had suffered worse in her life. Akame asked Tatsumi who looked stricken, "How was she injured?"

He shook his head, "I don't know. She went off somewhere after we talked and when she came back she had that wound. Then the palace guards showed up and knocked down the door. I jumped off the balcony to escape."

She nodded and stepped forward to inspect Esdeath. She quickly removed her own sword and armor. Then peeled back the fabric over Esdeath's belly. It showed a deep clean cut, like a red crescent, just below her belly button. Tatsumi winced and Akame said, "It's very deep, but she will recover, as long as she doesn't lose to much more blood...Tatsumi, get me those bandages over there and wet some washcloths." He jumped to it, gathering supplies and depositing them with Akame.

Her expression set as she started to clean the wound. Fortunately there was no grit or debris that needed removal. She quickly ducked under the bed to grab a case with surgical tools. She opened the clasp on the black leather box and the lid popped open. She removed twine and a needle. "Tatsumi, Close the wound while I stitch it closed."

He nodded and stepped forward. He pressed his fingers to either side of the cut and Akame quickly and skillfully stared to sew it closed. It was a grisly feeling, her soft pale skin dyed red from the blood. Even in her unconscious state Esdeath's face twisted in pain. He felt bad for her getting hurt like this. When she had promised to help defeat the corruption in the capital he had anticipated that they would stay there to keep up appearances so he could contact his friends and explain the situation.

Then they would have had an easy time gathering information and launching attacks. But She had done something to get herself caught. And what didn't make sense was who could have injured her like this. By all measures she was the strongest Imperial Arm user in the palace. Was there some secret enemy that the Capital that was a match for Esdeath?

Akame completed the stitching and grabbed the roll of bandages. She instructed, "Lift her up." He did so and Akame wrapped her wound tightly. Then he lay her back down. Akame stood up saying, "She will be fine, but you should keep an eye on her."

He nodded, "For more than one reason. I've never seen Mine s angry before. She might have tried to kill Esdeath if I wasn't here." Tatsumi said, "Thank you Akame, I owe you one."

She blinked and said, "Not really. You owe me nothing. If she tries anything then you will owe me an apology but other than that..." She turned and left the room, her hands still bloody.

Tatsumi turned to look back at the sleeping Esdeath. As an afterthought he picked up the blanket and folded it over her. Then he took a seat next to her, keeping an eye out for a certain wrathful pinket.

Ooo

Ooo

Leone opened the door to the main hall and stepped aside letting an exhausted Lubbock in. He complained, "Jeeze. I've ever had such a hard time getting out of the capital after a reconnaissance mission.

Leone agreed, "That place was swarming with royal guards. I'm just glad we got out when we did."

He nodded and twisted his neck till he felt a satisfying pop. He groaned, "What I don't get is we didn't see so much of a blue hair from Esdeath and you didn't even catch a trace of Tatsumi's scent." Leone shrugged and kept walking, stretching as she went.

Lubbock saw Akame reading down the hall. He walked over to her grinning, "That's a great position for you Akame. You should sit like that more often."

She was sitting upside down in the chair, so her head rested on the seat and her legs draped over the back. She said, her face still hidden by the book, "Leone...would you break a few fingers. The pervert needs a lesson."

Leone cracked her knuckles, "As you command, since you are in charge it's an order right, so don't feel bad Lubbock. I'm only doing what I'm told."

He went pale as he shouted, "Wait wait! No need for that Akame!"

The black haired girl shrugged, "I was joking...don't break more than three Leone."

Leone burst out laughing, "Hey Akame, what has you in such a humorous mood?"

She didn't answer. Lubbock sighed and straightened up. "Well...now if you're done making fun of me, we have nothing to report, besides the palace being an angry beehive right now. We barely got in and we almost got caught escaping."

Akame asked, "Did anyone recognize you?"

He shook his head, "Nah, we were pretty careful. But we didn't see hide nor hair of Tatsumi or Esdeath."

Akame closed the book, "For good reason."

"Huh?"

Akame said, "Tatsumi convinced Esdeath to defect. They're both in infirmary. Esdeath is injured but she'll recover."

Lubbock pinched himself...no, he wasn't dreaming. He used a finger to clean the dirt out of his ears, "Uh...I'm sure I didn't hear what you just said, "Something about Tatsumi and Esdeath right?"

Akame said it again, rephrasing her words, "Tatsumi rescued Esdeath. She's sleeping in the infirmary and he's with her."

Leone and Lubbock looked at each other, trying not to let their shock take control. Leone asked, "What was He thinking?! Esdeath is the enemy and one of our most powerful foes. Why did he bring her here?!"

She shrugged. "Ask him yourself." Then she opened her book again.

Leone nodded to Lubbock and they headed to the infirmary.

Ooo

The door burst open as they rushed in. The first thing they saw was Tatsumi. He was snoozing in a chair by the bed. On the bed, now wearing only her white undershirt and panties...was Esdeath. A blanket had been pulled up to her waist, which bulged over the large bandage. The first thing that Lubbock realized was, "Holy crap, her breasts are even bigger than Leone's!" His second realization was that she was stunningly beautiful up close.

She was also asleep.

Leone stepped to the side of the bed. Esdeath looked so peaceful...and yes...attractive. Her hair was splayed over the covers and pillow. Leone saw her lips move slightly. She ducked her head to listen. Esdeath's voice rose and fell with her breathing. It was hard to make out...until she heard, "Tatsumi..kun..." Leone bolted up straight and looked down at Esdeath. She didn't know what to think. She turned to Tatsumi and put a hand on his shoulder.

He woke up immediately, but he was still exhausted, the use of Incursio had drained him more than he wanted to admit.

Leone said, "Go to bed Tatsumi."

He nodded sleepily and stood, before shambling out of the room.

Lubbock said quietly, "I've never seen him so tired since he started train with Bulat. Leone nodded and sniffed Esdeath.

"She is badly injured like Akame said, but it's not as deep as it seems. From the smell...she could be up and walking tomorrow if she's as strong as they say."

Lubbock shivered, "That's what I'm worried about."

"I know."

Lubbock asked, "What are we going to do with her?"

Leone didn't know but said, "That is up to Akame right now. Although if I know her, she's probably more worried about Tatsumi...she likes him."

Lubbock smirked, "Yeah, seems like ALL the girls are falling for him. What were saying earlier? If he turns out to be as handsome as you think...you'd steal him?"

Leone put her hands on her hips and she turned to leave the room. She said, "Yeah...so what... it's easy to like him. For one thing he's not a pervert...like you." Lubbock followed her out saying, "Hey that's not completely fair ya know!"

Ooo

Ooo

-the next morning-

Esdeath opened her eyes. She was warm under thick covers, but she missed her bed mate. Rolling on her side she examined the room she was in. "A small infirmary? Or a closed room in a larger ward? Hard to tell from here." She wanted to stay in bed but the sound of people... strangers, going about their business would be a hard background for falling back asleep. There was a shout from down the hall, away from her.

"LUBBOCK! Get back here! I'm gonna break your neck this time you pervert! Najenda isn't here to save you this time!"

Esdeath smirked. "It sounds just like a morning with the Jaegers. I guess all Imperial Arms users will have their own quirks...but Tatsumi, he's the most well adjusted one I've met so far. He isn't unstable... where is he?" She tested her power and found that she'd lost too much blood. "Damn...I won't be able to defend myself...I'll...have to trust Tatsumi..." Esdeath forced herself to sit up.

Pain bit sharply into her belly, but he paid it no mind. Someone had stitched and bandaged the wound so she wasn't in the red anymore. As it was though, it still took a few tries to get out of bed. When she was standing...barely, she reached down and found the micro thin necklace chain that was round her neck. Then she pulled it up till she could reach the tiny glass vial at the end.

She had made it a few days before and it contained a few drops of Tatsumi's blood that she had taken while he was sleeping. The necklace was another insurance against him leaving her. As long as he was within a few leagues of her, she could accurately track him. The vial would warm in her hand the closer she drew to him. She smiled and she steadied herself.

Esdeath moved slowly to the door, then opened it and stepped through. She was in a stone corridor with a high ceiling and long windows near the top which admitted light. She made her way to the left. Her intuition telling her to go in that direction. The vial heated up quickly and she made another left and then opened the door to her right.

Inside was darker, but still, Tatsumi was visible. He was asleep. Esdeath stepped inside and approached the bed. When she was close she bent down and pulled the covers back. Then she slipped in beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder. It was quieter down this way now.. Esdeath let herself drift back to sleep.

Ooo

Tatsumi woke to the feeling of something warm and soft pressing against him...again. He opened his eyes slowly and turned his head. It was Esdeath. She was clutching at him possessively, her legs entwined with his and one arm over his chest. He could tell she was asleep. He thought, "How the hell. She left the infirmary and came to my room! Jeeze she's insistent. I mean...she doesn't seem..as bad..but still. Does she have to sleep with me?"

Almost on que she murmured and held him tighter. His cheeks flamed red. He was fighting the urge to turn and respond...wrap his arm around her... She was… enticing. More than he could say.

He shook his head. It might have been a natural urge, but if at any time he showed love or affection to her...she would hold on to him twice at tightly. Esdeath was used to getting her way in most things. And at the moment it seemed he was her sole interest...he wasn't at all sure how he was going to prevent her from having her way. He'd already promised to stay with her.

To his left the door banged open and Akame, along with Lubbock rushed in. They came to a screeching halt as they saw Tatsumi sit up. Esdeath came with the movement, sitting up as well. She muttered, "Too early again...Go back to sleep."

Tatsumi shook her gently, "Esdeath wake up."

A sigh escaped her, "Tatsumi..."

Akame and Lubbock were too shocked to move or speak. Tatsumi said, "Um...morning...?"

Ooo

Ooo

The main dining room was silent for breakfast. Akame sat across from Tatsumi. Esdeath sat to Tatsumi's right. Mine sat across from Lubbock who was on Tatsumi's left. They all sat with the heavy weight of expectation across them. Leone came out of the kitchen and took the seat to Esdeath's right.

She glanced at the blue haired young woman beside her. Esdeath had thus far, not spoken yet. She wondered why. Leone decided to break the silence. She said, "So Esdeath...you're not exactly what I expected."

Esdeath looked at her then the rest of the table. She admitted, "I was thinking the same thing actually." She paused for a moment, "So you're the infamous Leone. It's amusing."

Mine bristled but Leone decided to take it as a compliment. She asked, "And what's amusing about me?"

Esdeath looked back at their plate. "Most of my fellow generals think you're a man. Actually, most of the capitals higher ups do."

She snickered at that, grinning at Akame, "Hey I told you they have no clue who I am. They can't even get my sex right."

Esdeath coughed, "Don't get too excited. It's just the idiotic men who think that. The prime minister knows you're a woman."

Leone raised an eyebrow. "And how does he know that exactly?"

"The belt of Leonnel only chooses females. It's hasn't allowed a male to wear it in over 700 years. The chances that you were a man were very slim."

Leone grinned, "I wondered if anyone knew about that...I figure that the capital doesn't tell much to it commanders. Is that why everyone is wrong about us?"

She nodded, "Pretty much."

From across the table Akame asked, "How do you know the prime minister?"

Esdeath had to think about that one. Eventually she said, "He's been there as long as I've been alive...When I was first joining he was a distant shadow. He only became a part of my interactions when I was made a captain. Even then I only saw him once a month at general assembly or when I was called to court with my old general."

She took a bite of her food for the first time in ten minutes then continued, "After I started making a name for myself he offered me the chance to have an Imperial Arm. I accepted of course and soon after that I became a full general. After that he threw me at anything that wouldn't budge under his standard army. As you know my last assignment was to destroy the resistance from the north."

Akame nodded, "You defeated them far easier than anyone expected. How?" Esdeath smirked wickedly. She leaned back her blue eyes focused on Akame's red ones.

"The leader of the resistance was a young man with a powerful non Imperial artifact, but he had grown overconfident in his ability. He was a sweet talker though. He made a grand speech about not wasting lives and "How about us two settle this." The idiot challenged me to a dual. It's very simple. I won. But his men didn't take kindly to his defeat. They attacked us and with their greatest warrior already captured, they couldn't possibly win. The only reason we stayed so long was because he had allies from the east that kept playing catch at the borders."

No one was overly surprised by her story. Though she sounded like the overconfident one. Lubbock asked, "Why did you tell your men to loot and pillage their entire country!? That wasn't necessary was it?"

"Two reasons. First and foremost the strong do what they want. The weak either put up with it or become strong themselves. We won so why hold back? And Second, I control a massive army. It would be impossible to order everyone to have restraint even if my chain of command was perfect. It's far easier to tell them to do what they would have done anyway. Also...their more loyal when I give them what they want. I'm sure all of you understand that much."

Esdeath raised an eyebrow at Akame asking, "How long do you think my army would be effective if my men resented me?"

Akame shrugged, but her expression didn't change. Lubbock thought, "So that is what Najenda meant when she said she was ruthlessly efficient. She doesn't waste time with morals it seems. I can't imagine what kind of people her parents were for her to turn out like this..."

Leone stared at her for a moment. Then asked, "But we heard that all the money you were rewarded for the quick victory was sent north to your troops. If you don't care about them, why give them that money?"

Esdeath turned to look at her. "You misunderstand me. I don't care about money. And besides, I'm already rich. Sending the money north to the army just makes them trust me and want to serve better." Esdeath smiled thinly, "Besides it allows me to keep a normally impossible combination of perceptions at the same time. My men love me because we win, because I reward them, let them do what they want, and at the same time they think I'm modest and humble. However...they still fear me because I have a reputation as an interrogator and a vicious warrior."

Esdeath finished speaking and bent to eat before her breakfast was cold. Without warning Mine jumped up and shouted, "WHY ARE YOU ALL BEING SO DAMNED FRIENDLY!"

Tatsumi caught most of it and Leone put hands over her sensitive ears. Esdeath weathered the blast without so much as twitching. Eventually Tatsumi said, "She left the Capital, ok Mine. She's not really even a General anymore. She's helping us."

Mine glared at them. Then put her foot on the table, swinging around her weapon to point at Esdeath's head. "And how do we know that's the truth?" Mine's finger was poised over the trigger. It would only take a little push for her to blast half the table away.

Esdeath looked up into the barrel of Pumpkin. She said, "Because of Tatsumi." Mine raised one eyebrow dangerously, "EXPLA..."

Esdeath leaned over and kissed Tatsumi deeply. He turned red and even her own cheeks tinged pink. Mine's expression went from angry to surprised, to disbelieving and back to angry faster than a bullet. She tightened her grip on her weapon, her mouth tightening into a line of rage.

Akame blinked at the same time and dropped her fork. Her light red eyes focused on Tatsumi as her own cheeks were dusted with crimson.

Leone almost fell off the bench before she caught herself. Her delay in speaking making her and Lubbock's reply synchronize perfectly. "WHAT?!"

Esdeath twined her hand around Tatsumi's arm. She said, "He's the only reason I left. I will stay with him and since he wants to destroy the Capital, I will help." Her eyes fixed on Mine's. "Do you have a problem with that?" Her voice had gone suddenly cold, like a deep running frost flow. Lubbock and Leone inched away from her. The aura that had enveloped her was like a physical force.

Mine's finger tapped the trigger of Pumpkin as she said, "Yeah...I do have a problem with that. Are you trying to tell me you...you love HIM?!"

She nodded and let her aura dissipate, "That's right. I love Tatsumi." Mine's dark pink eyes met her blue ones. An invisible yet well perceived line formed between them. Mine was the first to blink. She put Pumpkin down and resumed her seat, seeming to ignore Esdeath. Tatsumi looked at Esdeath who was now frowning.

Leone coughed uneasily, "Hey...uh...don't mind Mine. She's usually like this."

Tatsumi looked across at Akame. She was still staring at him...she hadn't blinked. He asked, "Something wrong?" Akame shook her head and bent to finish her breakfast.

Eventually everyone finished eating. It was then That Mine asked, "So tell us all Esdeath...What does your Imperial arms do exactly?"

"Complete control over Ice." Esdeath hoped she wouldn't demand a demonstration. She wasn't anywhere near recovered yet and her strength was not up to a test."

Mine said exactly what she didn't want to hear, "Prove it then."

Esdeath tried to think of what would satisfy them. She couldn't create ice out of nothing in this state. "To much blood loss, but I can do this..." Everyone noticed after a moment. It was getting colder. After Esdeath had focused her power for five minutes it was near freezing in the room.

Lubbock shivered. "We get it already...stop dropping the temperature." Esdeath released her powers gratefully. It was almost more than she could do. Sweat was beading in the small of her back under her clothes and her palms were damp. But her face and body language never changed.

Mine nodded and asked, "So that's interesting, but what's you weakness. We all have one. Lubbock has a limited amount of wire, though it's indestructible. My Pumpkin only gets really strong when I'm in trouble, and Leone smells like a wet dog after using her power. Even Tatsumi has a few weaknesses. He can gain resistance to almost anything, but only slowly. And it is extremely draining on his body."

There was a long silence before she said, "My attacks have drawbacks...but I have no major weakness. If there was an Imperial Arm that could match mine...as in fire to match my ice...I suppose that would be my weakness, but to my knowledge no such artifact exists."

Akame asked, "Do you know nothing of the Imperial Arms? The Emperor who made them built in a weakness to everyone just in case an enemy got a hold of one."

Esdeath sighed, "Perhaps I merely have yet to discover my weakness, after all I have only ever been defeated once."

Tatsumi asked, "But...I thought you were undefeated?!"

She shook her head and her shoulders dropped. "If that was true today...you wouldn't need to do any of this. I was defeated yesterday attacking the Prime Minister."

Everyone gaped at her. She said, "Tatsumi said that you wanted Prime Minister Honest dead. He's your biggest target so I called an urgent meeting with him. When I made my move he was ready. I don't know how and I didn't see how he injured me. I used one of my trump cards to escape."

The shock that she had directly attacked the Prime Minister was overshadowed by her statement of "one of my trump cards". Leone asked, "You have more than one!?"

Esdeath nodded. I have three. One can only be used once a day. The others take far longer to recover from."

Akame asked, "What are they?"

Esdeath bristled, "Their my trump cards! Why would I tell you!?"

Mine said, "You love Tatsumi right...and he's one of us. If you don't tell us it might put him in danger..."

That made Esdeath go still. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Fine...but don't expect to cajole me like that again. My first trump card allows me to freeze time. The minimum recovery is a day. If I freeze time for an extended period then it could take longer."

Tatsumi's eyes widened, along with everyone else's. Leone asked, "Wha...? How..? Why...?"

Esdeath looked at her amused. She said, "I made it for a special purpose..." She grinned and rested her head on his shoulder affectionately, "...preventing Tatsumi from escaping." He gulped and tried not to feel uneasy. It was very...distracting to have her hanging off him like that. And with her feelings towards him and the way she usually was, it was almost like she had a dual personality.

Mine looked over at Akame. The girl was staring fixedly at Tatsumi again. She nudged her and Akame blinked slowly and turned to her confused, "What?"

Mine muttered, "You were being weird again. It's freaky enough having her here so cut the creep factor." Akame paused, staring intensely at Mine until she started to feel like her skin was crawling.

Eventually Mine looked away and blew the hair out of her eyes. "Ok...be weird. It's not my problem after all." She really...really didn't like Esdeath. She was confident and powerful. She was attractive and tall. She was dominant and bossy and at the same time she was so...SO... close...to Tatsumi. It made her want to shoot her between those...pretty...blue eyes of hers. And not to mention that if she..."No she wouldn't...no...she would...I wouldn't put it past her to try as soon as she recovers. ...Slut... If I...if I ..."

Mine was violently jarred from her thoughts by Esdeath saying, "Yes...we slept together. It was... the night before last..." Mine's head whipped to look at her so fast there was a loud pop! and everyone stopped talking to look at her in turn. Lubbock chuckled and Akame blinked twice.

Esdeath seemed to freeze solid for a second. Then slowly...a look of suspicion crossed her face. Her eyes narrowing and her smile disappearing. Mine and Esdeath locked gazes again. A thought crossed Mine's mind, "Oh...shit...she's gonna kill me. If she thinks I like him...she'll kill me to get rid of her rival. The moment no one is looking...I'm dead..."

Esdeath thought, "That little...She likes my Tatsumi. If she thinks I'm going to let her steal him from me she is SADLY mistaken."

Mine squeaked, "I'm going out for target practice!" She grabbed her weapon and swung her leg over the bench, standing up in the same motion. Then she was gone. Tatsumi watched as Esdeath relaxed, to the point where her smile returned. He sighed gratefully. She was almost pleasant company when she wasn't agitated.

Lubbock asked the room humorously, "Hey...doesn't it seem a bit early for her training today...you know, by like two hours?"

No one answered and Leone asked, "Well Akame... What is out move from here? Do we pull back to the reserve base or do we stay here and wait for the boss?"

"We will stay here." She turned to Esdeath, "Will you tell us what you know of the capital? You will have a perspective that we don't have."

Esdeath agreed saying, "Of course. It wouldn't make sense if I didn't share what I know." She said, "But there are a few things I want to make clear. The first is that I am not part of Night Raid. I will...not take orders from Najenda. I have already defeated her once. She is beneath me. Second, "I will need your help retrieving some items from a secret room in my wing of the palace."

Lubbock asked, "What kind of help? Retrieving what?"

Esdeath explained. During my time as a General I have collected many things. I have several powerful artifacts that I stored in a chamber under my bed in my room." Two of them are Imperial Arms that I withheld from the Capital. But more importantly...I have an old Grimoire that was written by the last Emperor's head researcher. It lists every known artifact, Imperial or not, that has ever been used. It is far more extensive and detailed than any other I have seen."

"That would be useful, but from what we had to deal with, I doubt that we could get in there now. Is that room hidden well enough for them not to find it?" Leone paused thinking, "I don't think the Empire has ever experience a worse turn of luck then you defecting. They might just burn your whole wing of the palace.

Esdeath shrugged at that, "It won't be found.

Leone grinned, "Well then, until that time we can train and you can get your strength back." She said, "Hey Lubbock, Go scout the capital, but make sure you don't get caught...so no taking chances."

Lubbock sighed, "Yeah...got it, but I want some time off after this run. Honestly, I spend more time in the capital then I do here."

A moment later he too had left. With Lubbock gone Leone deemed it safe to go to the hotspring for a long soak. She asked, "Akame, you want to take a long soak in the hotsprings. Since we don't have any real assignments at the moment, we have plenty of free time.

Akame nodded, "I'll come.

She was about to leave with Leone when Esdeath said, "I had one more thing to add." Akame waited for her to speak. she said, "I want my room to be Tatsumi's."

Leone snickered and Akame nodded. They both left after that, Leone already joking about recent events.

Ooo

When they were out of sight Esdeath took his arm and pulled him out of his chair. He followed her as she led him back through the halls of the hideout, till they came to his room. When they were inside she closed the door behind them and then proceeded to drag him to the bed.

He sat down with her next to him. He asked, "Uh...what do you want?"

She smiled, "What I want? What I want is a lot of things. But right now I needed to tell you something."

Tatsumi felt his heart rate spike as she pushed in close. She said, "I lied back there. I do have a weakness, but I only want you to know it." She blushed and her hand slid inside his shirt. "My weakness... what makes me vulnerable...it's three different things..." She nuzzled him, "Pain...,blood loss, and... pleasure..."

His eyes widened, both from her statement and from her sensuous movements. "What do you mean by tha...at...?"

Her fingers traced his muscles on his chest as she said, "When I get hurt...it interrupts my command over ice. I'm not able to summon new ice to manipulate...and since my Imperial arm is in my blood, losing it weakens me greatly." She had opened the front of his shirt by now, "And pleasure..I can't focus my power when...I... when I feel...like this."

Her lips...her body, they connected to his as she kissed him. She toppled him to the bed and straddled him. She pured, "I love you...and you promised to stay with me. I'll make you mine Tatsumi. You'll feel the same way once we really sleep together..."

He gasped as she bit down on his shoulder, sucking at it. He tried to speak, "Esdeath...what about your wound!?"

"That's healed by now...but it will take days for me to regain my power again. My blood replenishes like normal." She bit him near his neck then smiled adoringly, "You make such lovely sounds Tatsumi...do you want me to continue?"

He opened his mouth, but she kissed him before he could speak. When she drew back he seemed slightly dazed. She whispered, "You talk too much..." She bit him again, watching him closely. "If you keep making faces like that it just makes me want to tease you more." Esdeath's hands moved from where they had opened his shirt...to her own. A few seconds later her bare breasts pressed into him. She murmured his name, "Tat...su...mi..." He shuddered, she was too good at this. Everything she was doing made his body want to turn traitor. He closed his eyes.

Esdeath took his hand and trailed it down her own body, between her perfect breasts, over her tone stomach... his eyes stayed closed until he felt something moist. She whispered in his ear, "Please Tatsumi...I'm ready..."

She brought his hand back and opened his mouth. A moment later he tasted something sweet. Esdeath asked, "How do I taste...?" He couldn't speak. The moment his hand was out of the way she was kissing him again.

She realized that he was still too...uncomfortable around her. He didn't love her, so he wouldn't respond to her affection. Esdeath decided on a new tact. She pulled back. "I won't let you go until you kiss me back." He looked up at her. His face was red and he was breathing hard. She leaned in close and said, "Don't be so hesitant..." Esdeath wrapped a leg around him and rolled them over.

She found herself looking up into his green eyes. This new position was...exciting...

Tatsumi felt her soft skin as she rolled them over, ending with him atop her. Here blue eyes were pleading...he'd never seen her...like this. Her hand pulled him down. "Kiss me damn it." He took a deep breath and forced all other thoughts out of his mind. He kissed her.

When she didn't respond to it he tried harder, his own hands sliding over her smooth skin. A second later he pulled back. He asked, "But I thought you wanted?"

She cut him off, " Tatsumi...you see what I mean now... Kiss me again."

He did and her response was immediate. Her fingers tangling in his hair as she returned the kiss. She opened her mouth as his tongue push into hers. Tatsumi let his instincts take over. He pulled her hands from his hair and held them to the bed, either side of her. Esdeath moaned in approval as he released her from the kiss and bit her neck, nibbling downward, marking her pale skin. He kept her pinned as he kissed the tops of her full breasts.

Esdeath squirmed as he softly bit her nipple. She didn't know how he had suddenly become... interested... Her breathing came in short gasps. It was a few moments before the pleasure she felt died down and she realized he had stopped. He was breathing hard too. He rasped, "I'm...sorry...but I can't...I know what comes next...I'm not ready..." She felt him release her arms. Tatsumi rolled over beside her and tried to slow his own rapid heartbeat.

She smiled, pleased that she had broken through his reluctance at least a little. Esdeath shifted to where she could rest her head next to his. "Thank you. She kissed him on the cheek. His blush, which had slowly started to recede, came back. It made her giggle.

Then she stopped... horrified that she had actually done that. Tatsumi had turned his head and was looking at her funny. She thought, "I didn't just do that...well...I guess only he heard me." Esdeath leaned over him and caught his eyes. She said slowly...deliberately, "Don't tell anyone I did that...ok." He nodded fractionally.

Tatsumi mumbled, "Um...I should probably be training now. Could you..." She smirked and slipped off him. As Esdeath redressed herself Tatsumi found his shirt. He pulled it back on and left the room.

And there is the next chapter ended! Remember to review and be on the look out for chapter 4!