A/N: Another early release. Yes, I'm on quite the roll right now. Bonus points to you readers who caught the reference in the second scene.

The memories…oh, the memories were quite varied. Mine had killed…had hopes and aspirations…had a person she cared for deeply. The most recent memory gave the fox a pause.

There had been no way for Mine to know that her memories were being studied. She was regaining consciousness, so the fox's time was quickly running out before she had to fade into the dark corners of the girl's mind.

But there were many things that she learned just from a cursory glance.

She needed more.

This wasn't enough to act as a human.

She could possess the body anytime she wished, but she wanted to live as this girl now. There were so many emotions in this girl. So much anger. So much sadness. It was quite intriguing.

'Who …?'

The fox faded away into the girl's subconscious. No, the girl would panic if she sensed something in her mind, and Kitsune would be forced to find yet another host. Too many burnt out bodies…it was already difficult enough finding somebody she could truly be compatible with.

No, she would not waste this chance again.

Watching from the shadows…that was this one's goal.

Everything hurt.

Was this what Heaven felt like? Because it was starting to feel like she was in Hell. Maybe the peaceful surroundings that resembled her little room would give away to the true nightmares. Maybe her bed was actually full of spikes.

Or spiders.

Or spiky spiders.

"…Spikers…"

She shivered.

The door opened and what she saw didn't make her shiver – her heart jumped several beats. The young man had walked through.

"T…Tatsumi…?"

Tatsumi froze in place. Clearly, he wasn't expecting her to be awake. But she wasn't expecting to actually be alive, either. Unless this was just a trick – and the devils living Hell had a sense of humor before proceeding to torture the souls that just happened to land down here. But even if it was a trick, seeing him again…

As she sat up, the enormous pain she felt coursing through her body paralyzed her actions. She could only get halfway up before collapsing back on the bed.

"Mine!"

Tatsumi was at her side immediately.

At that, she chuckled.

"I didn't know that being on the winning side would hurt so much."

She felt his hands in her own – the warmth of his skin seemed to take away some of the pain. Tears were forming at the corners of his eyes, and she wanted to wipe them away, but her vision blurred from the tears that were forming in her own. "Stop it…men aren't supposed to cry. You're making me cry now…"

"I can't help it…you're alive," he said to her, kissing her knuckles.

"I really thought I was going to die…" she forced from her lips, choking back the sobs. "I really thought…"

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Two assassins trying to hold back their tears at the reunion. She was watching Tatsumi intently, unsure of where to begin what to say. She had made a confession to him – one that she didn't think she would live to see the results of.

Her mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened.

"About what I had said…"

Their lips had come together. Neither of them were sure who made that first move – was it Tatsumi who leaned in of his own free will, or was it Mine gently pulling him closer…either way, they enjoyed the warmth of one another's lips.

His arms embraced her tightly.

"Ouch…" she tried to hold back the groan of pain.

Tatsumi immediately backed off. "I'm sorry…I…I didn't know you were hurting…"

"It happens when I have to save my boyfriend because he got himself captured."

"B-B-Boyfriend?" Tatsumi exclaimed.

Mine nodded. "You stole my first kiss. So I expect you to act like a man with me…"

Tatsumi smiled.

It was those same smiles that warmed her heart, even after a tough battle. How could he continue smiling like that? Even with all that had happened, Tatsumi hadn't changed one bit. She liked that.

"Tatsumi…please promise me something."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"Don't ever let that evil woman get near you again."

General Esdeath. The Empire's Strongest. It was said that it would take armies to defeat her. But Tatsumi was a weak spot for her for some reason. And yet, even she was going to execute him publicly. No…her boyfriend would not be the victim of that cruel woman.

"I promise," he said.

He told her of the mission that had been given to him and Akame. Naturally, she didn't want him to go, but they still had a mission to complete. She wished him well and he had gone on his way, leaving her to her thoughts.

She survived somehow.

And she didn't understand why.

Esdeath…

Esdeath…

Who is this Esdeath, Kitsune wondered. There was pain…and a rage that was bubbling beneath the surface. And fear. There was definitely a hesitation whenever the girl thought of this blue-haired woman.

"What is your connection with her? I don't understand. This woman…she loved Tatsumi as well, and she was going to kill him?"

Kitsune could only make sense of the recent memories before Mine's near-death.

"Who…is this?" she heard the girl's voice.

Kitsune lurked in the girl's subconscious, but the girl seemed aware of her. She felt different emotions rising. More than just fear. Panic? Was it caution?

"I am the bargain made by Tatsumi to save your life," she answered honestly. Perhaps this girl could be reasoned with.

"What are you…what's in my head?"

Kitsune felt the confusion. It was much too early, but she could take over the girl's body for some time. She needed to understand…had to understand the thoughts running through her host's mind. It wasn't a question of if she needed to know. No, she needed to know these things now.

"Sleep now...I will take control."

Like all of the other hosts, it was relatively easy to take over for the first time. Mine's thoughts faded away, her consciousness slipping away to slumber. There was a compulsion that took over Kitsune – a need to gain more knowledge. She couldn't fight it, nor would she fight it, for her nature was that of curiosity.

Esdeath…yes, this woman would provide the answers to the mystery that ran through Kitsune's mind.

Esdeath would answer the question that now dominated her thoughts.

Why would you kill someone you loved?

Confident that Mine's consciousness would not pose a problem, Kitsune awakened in Mine's body. She sat up for the first time, feeling all that pain that the girl's body had just went through. It was pain she could ignore for the time being. Questions needed answering.

The skirmish wasn't the problem, nor was it the number of Teigu weapons that this supposed Revolutionary Army brought along with them. Esdeath was unnerved by something. No, she'd been unnerved for a long time about a few things. There was a new type of passion that she hadn't experienced – love. Oh, she knew love; she heard about it, even read about it.

But up until Tatsumi, she had never experienced the feeling of a romantic love.

The field of dead bodies behind her reaffirmed her truth of the world – the weak are meant to be owned by the strong. And her love was certainly not weak. Otherwise, he'd have died at the coliseum. She wanted to show him the wonders of the world through her eyes – he was simply stubborn and too clung to the wrong beliefs.

She paused as she glanced behind her.

The wall of ice that had sheared a man in half still remained. The blood that stained it hadn't faded. Oh, there were many ways to harm a person. While she liked to savor the moment of a person's suffering, this war wouldn't pause for her indulgence into such pleasures. Though, seeing how that ice cut the man in half had given her a new idea for a torture technique.

Could that passion be translated into the bedroom?

The thought made Esdeath blush. Oh, yes…Tatsumi was surely the one for her. Enemy or not, he belonged to her.

She smiled, even as she watched more of the soldiers in tattered clothing gather to approach her. Soldiers of the Imperial Army gathered behind her, but they did not make a move – being such weaklings, surely they were awed by her display of true power. But Esdeath knew that she couldn't kill every single person on this field.

The feeling had been on her mind for quite some time.

The resentment had been growing for a long while, and her own unit's failures to eradicate Night Raid brought rebellion out to even the citizens. The very citizens she had commanded her special unit to protect. Perhaps that was her weakness...no, Najenda was simply a coward who fought from the shadows until recently. But the tactics that her old comrade was using – it was simply amazing.

The number of soldiers still on the field was amazing. So many had come here to fight. The general drew her blade, the hints of a smile playing at the corner of her lips. This was going to be a good fight. Certainly a much better one than what happened in the icy North.

"Show me your power…prove to me that you're stronger than me!"

The horse she had strode on in battle neighed. Esdeath thought it was because it was responding to her lust for battle. After all, horses certainly understood what it meant to stride into danger, feeding off its rider's command – and her commands were truly absolute. The thought made her smile even more.

But then the horse took off in a new direction.

Odd behavior.

Danger!

Esdeath leapt away from her spot on the ground – the crackle of energy that shot before her eyes smashed into the ground. The explosion that followed erupted into a dome of pure energy, searing the rocky ground and two soldiers unfortunate enough to get caught in the blast.

The shot hadn't been aimed at Esdeath.

She glanced towards the forest cliffs that bordered on the edge of the capital, where the shot had come.

A new ally, perhaps?

There was certainly a figure there, too far away in the distance for Esdeath to make out. But it was still there.

"Do not let the rebels advance any further," she announced to the soldiers under her command as the fiery dome rescinded into the ground.

She planted her palm on the warm ground. A pillar of ice erupted from the ground and lurched towards the cliff edge, propelling Esdeath and the saucer that she created. Her eyes remained on the mysterious person – she was unaware of any new Teigu users, and a shot with that kind of power was certainly a lost Teigu. It intrigued Esdeath, even in the heat of this admittedly boring battle. Perhaps the owner was trying to grab her attention.

"In which case, let's see what they have to say for themselves."

The vast forest on the cliff might've been easy for anyone to lose a pursuer. It was also perfect for an ambush if one wanted to take out their enemy.

The person had certainly been waiting for Esdeath.

There was no weapon in sight, only a young woman standing before her with a downtrodden gaze. Her pink skirt flowed in the soft wind blowing around them.

"Well…that's quite bold. Have you come to accept your death?"

She held up her sword and smirked. If this were a challenge, Esdeath gladly would've accepted it. But the target fought from long range and it was doubtful she had any close combat experience. The report from Seryu indicated that there were always close range fighters to compliment her fighting style.

The figure looked up at her.

"This is a fortunate day, indeed," Esdeath remarked. "What's your name? I would like to know the name of the person who killed General Budou."

Yellow eyes.

That was what Esdeath had seen.

"This one's name is Mine. But I am Kitsune. And this one has strong feelings toward you – hatred…aggression…my host wanted to fight you. Tatsumi…yes, the memories show that you were going to execute Tatsumi."

The excitement that had been building in Esdeath suddenly faded upon hearing that name. She did not expect to hear that name here. She felt even more cautious than before. She felt something powerful in this girl. "So what do you want to do about it?"

"I…"

"Get the hell out of my head!" the pigtailed girl suddenly screamed.

Whatever Esdeath had felt, it was long gone by this point. And now, she was face to face with a member of Night Raid – the girl known as Mine. Esdeath could have cut her down now. Instead, she waited as Mine seemed to struggle with something in her head. She felt to the ground, grabbing her head and whined. The struggle lasted only for a moment, but it was long enough for Esdeath to think of many ways to torture the girl.

It was a simple enough manner to kill her.

One swipe and she would be erased from the face of the planet.

But, a message still needed to be sent. The coliseum was supposed to produce an execution. Night Raid went out of their way to rescue Tatsumi…certainly they would do the same for another one of their members.

"What fortunes have brought to me today," Esdeath remarked, sheathing her sword.

The girl offered little resistance. Whatever struggle she had been battling clearly left her exhausted. Even as the general yanked her arms and placed them at her back, Mine showed no signs of even being conscious. Handcuffs formed by the very power of ice bound her wrists.

"You can bring Tatsumi back to me."

Mine's eyes shot open.

The fear that fell over her expression as she noticed her capturer…that made this day even better.