"Good morning, Tatsu-bunny…"
Tatsumi knew waking up next to a voluptuous young woman and her affectionate words is one of the ultimate fantasies of every young man. However, falling asleep in Esdeath's arms was a very nerve-racking experience for him, and he spent almost the entire night wide awake. The night was made only worse by Esdeath's frequent slumberous mumblings. While most of what she said was completely insensible, there were moments when Tatsumi could swear he heard her say things such as "you look so cute in those chains, Tatsu-bunny", "I love it when you whimper", and the occasional "Ohhh, Tatsumiiii…"
"Mornin'" Tatsumi groaned.
"Did you sleep well?" asked Esdeath, rubbing her eyes.
"Yeah" Tatsumi lied.
"The dragon is ready and everything is packed, Lady Esdeath" called River's voice from outside.
"Good, thank you River" acknowledged Esdeath, her commanding tone returning.
"We must return to the Capitol now, Tatsumi" Esdeath ordered. "I recommend that you reacquire your shirt before leaving my tent.
Confused, Tatsumi looked down only to see his bare chest. His gaze returned to Esdeath, not knowing what to say.
"I was curious" Esdeath stated. "I wanted an idea of what you would look like naked"
"Don't sound so matter of fact about it!"
"It was for… your profile papers"
Tatsumi couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lying on her lap was fine, even though he was forced to do it, sleeping with her was alright, Tatsumi could get used to that, but now this? Despite her beauty and affection for him, he had to show her that there were boundaries in this relationship, and that she needed to respect them.
"Esdeath" Tatsumi said, his eyes stern and unmoving from Esdeath's.
Esdeath only stared at him, her face completely emotionless.
"Please know, I hold you in the greatest respect. If it weren't for you, I would have had to travel to the Capitol on foot. And thanks to you, my chance of success when I get to the Capitol has increased greatly. But please, don't…" Tatsumi's hands were shaking, he feared he was acting very ungrateful to this woman who he owed so much. "… Don't take off my clothes without asking…"
Esdeath was silent for only a moment, but if felt like several minutes to Tatsumi.
"The last person to refuse me something I wanted- no, needed- died beautifully" Esdeath remembered aloud, her poker face remaining. She stood up out of the bed. "I formed a ball of ice inside her stomach. I made it project in different places, so that it looked like a leave less tree, and her organs were impaled on the branches with the trunk forced out of her vagina. It all happened so quickly that it seemed like she just… imploded. And the next thing I knew, she looked like a Christmas tree. Her body parts the ornaments, and her head the star on top. I was, I think… 17 at the time."
Tatsumi was speechless. How could a woman so gorgeous be so cruel? His first impression of her was of a dazzling young woman who was direct with her feelings; a woman who was stern yet affectionate when appropriate. But now that image seemed to be degrading much too quickly, it didn't feel real.
Tatsumi quietly gasped when Esdeath's hand touched his cheek, slowly stroking down towards his chest.
"I'm sorry, Tatsumi. Please don't get the wrong idea, I would never harm a hair on your head like that, I was just remembering something, and accidently let it aloud" she confessed, finding his shirt in the corner of the tent and tossing it to him. "Forgive me. And I will take you up on your request; it may have been too soon for me to have taken your shirt off like that."
The sinking feeling in Tatsumi's chest dissipated slightly, but he still felt unsure of what he had gotten himself into.
"Of course, you can tear my clothes off me all you want, as long as we are in a private setting" Esdeath proclaimed, attempting to comfort him.
But something still ate at Tatsumi's mind, he had to ask.
"What did… that woman you killed… what did she do?"
He thought he could see anger alight in Esdeath's eyes, but it was gone in a split second.
"She… it's not important" Esdeath replied. "But we need to leave, now. Pack up the blankets and pillows, we will depart the second you finish packing.
After brushing his teeth with water from his canteen, Tatsumi packed the pillows and blankets in a large box, which River strapped to Talon's back with the rest of the luggage. Esdeath mounted onto the dragon's saddle, helping Tatsumi up and River following behind. Esdeath insisted on Tatsumi holding on to her waist, explaining that it was necessary to avoid falling off. Tatsumi didn't believe her, but held on anyway.
"Now, Talon, go!" Esdeath urged, swinging the reins.
The dragon roared in response and flapped its wings, sending snow flying in all directions. As Talon became airborne, Tatsumi realized that Esdeath was right; he needed to hold on to her to avoid falling. When he got used to the feeling of air blowing past him and the rocking of the dragon's great black wings, Tatsumi slowly craned his neck to look behind him. River was seated in front of the luggage, holding tight to one of the spikes on Talon's rough back instead of Tatsumi, eyes shut tight and hair flowing disorderly from the wind.
"He must be really stubborn in his dislike of me" Tatsumi noted to himself. "Wonder what the hell his problem is."
Tatsumi looked forward again. Even when he couldn't see her face, he could feel her domineering presence again. It was times like this that made him feel like she could take on the world without even trying, and not a single drop of her own blood would be spilled in the battle. Cowards and braves alike would be struck with fear and awe when they saw her, their deaths would stand insignificant next to her dominant stance. She was the glory and thrill of the fight, personified.
"God help me, she's beautiful. I can't help it; her allure and charm have this affect on me that I can't explain. I know she seems a bit crazy, but she genuinely cares about me, and I like that" Tatsumi admitted to himself.
…
The countless buildings seemed to stretch out to cover the entire land, looking like red squares from Talon's altitude. In the center was the residence of the Prime Minister and the Emperor, a titanic palace. The green domes reminded Esdeath fondly of Tatsumi's eyes- those lovely, large green orbs. Her center always wanted to burst when she thought about him, her Tatsumi, the first young man to ever make her feel this way.
"I used to think that these feelings would make me weak. However, now that they have taken control over my heart, they may grant me a new, different kind of strength. I cannot wait until this happens."
Her thoughts returned to Tatsumi.
"His potential is astounding. He took down an earth dragon in Fisher Village all by himself. The fact that it was one of the rarer, stronger breeds of earth dragon makes his feat all the more impressive. I cannot wait to test his ability myself tomorrow."
Even though it was raining, the Capitol looked even bigger than in the rumors Tatsumi heard at his village. Talon landed on a large balcony in the Emperor's palace. Esdeath attempted to dismount first, but Tatsumi's arms were still wrapped around her. Esdeath turned her head to face Tatsumi.
"As much as I want you to continue touching me Tatsu-bunny, I need to give getting off this creature to report to the Prime Minister higher priority than both of our…" Esdeath flashed her sinful smile. "…physical desires…"
Tatsumi blushed heavily and quickly stuttered; "No th-that wasn't what I w-was thinking, I-I didn't know you wanted to go down so soon that's all."
River coughed, but Esdeath pretended not to hear it.
"River, send for a rider at once. Tell him to go retrieve Ieyasu from Fisher Village immediately. Afterwards you are free to do whatever you wish" Esdeath commanded.
"I shall do so at once, my lady" River responded.
Esdeath hopped off her dragon and promptly made way inside the palace. Tatsumi followed, but not before watching Talon flew away, disappearing behind the wall surrounding the palace.
"That dragon must be very loyal for Esdeath to trust him enough to never leash him" Tatsumi reflected.
The Emperor's throne room was almost as grandiose as he had previously visualized. The room felt much more like a wide hall with a high roof, such was the size of the throne room. However, he had not known that the current Emperor was a child. He was also ignorant of the fact that the country was under control by a Prime Minister until today, as Esdeath gave him a brief overview of the politics of the country. The Emperor was seated in his gold throne at the north end of the hall, his face trying to possess the same powerful expression as those seen in the paintings of the former emperors that hung on the walls to the left and right. He reminded Tatsumi of a piglet practically drowning in royal clothes too big for it. Behind the throne, away from the light stood a bearded man who almost wouldn't have been noticeable if it weren't for his enormously rotund shape and incessant chewing of a piece of raw meat. He reminded Tatsumi of a great hog feeding off pork sausage.
"We are glad you have you return to us, General Esdeath" the emperor blankly stated, as if he were reading lines off paper.
"Esdeath is a general?!" Tatsumi realized. "This whole time I thought she was just some kind of imperial officer or something."
Esdeath took her cap off her head and kneeled. Witnessing Esdeath kneel to the Emperor and the Prime Minister felt like seeing a wolf grovel in front of a dirty rodent to Tatsumi. Nevertheless, he did the same.
"I am delighted to report that my mission was a success" proclaimed Esdeath. "I have found an excellent candidate to join my Jaegers in the fight against Night Raid."
The Prime Minister crept out of the shadows with a new piece of beef in his hand.
"What teigu does he possess?" He inquired from Esdeath.
"He holds claim to no teigu at the moment" answered Esdeath. At seeing the Minister's eyebrow raise, she continued; "he holds vast potential for a man his age. He has honed his skills hunting countless danger beasts. I watched him with my own eyes take down a special variant of earth dragon by himself in less than ten seconds of counting. He also will prove himself in other, more immediate concerns."
Tatsumi could feel the Prime Minister's dark gaze swallow him, scrutinizing him. After a short silence, the Minister spoke.
"I can see he is skilled in fighting. But what are these immediate concerns that you speak of?"
Esdeath did not hesitate.
"He is to be my partner in love, Prime Minister Honest. He meets all of the requirements I have mentioned before."
Tatsumi felt something warm in his chest and his face get hot.
"So Ieyasu was right, she does want me. I guess I should have known all along" he thought.
"I trust in your judgment, General Esdeath. You may do as you wish with him. You both are dismissed" Prime Minister Honest said.
When Tatsumi and Esdeath left the throne room Tatsumi felt like a great pressure left his shoulders. He definitely did not want to be in a room with Prime Minister Honest again anytime soon.
"Esdeath, how do you feel about that Prime Minister… Honest, was it?" Tatsumi asked, wondering if she thought of the Prime Minister any less than he did.
Esdeath looked at Tatsumi, smiling.
"I know I take orders from him, but you don't have to be jealous, Tatsu-bunny."
Now Tatsumi was getting annoyed.
"No, I'm just wondering if you see him as a superior to you. Seeing you bow to anyone, especially someone like him… it doesn't sit right with me."
"Aww, how cute. I knew you'd open up to me eventually, Tatsu-bunny."
"Oh my god, just answer me."
"Ooh, temper, temper" teased Esdeath, lightly flicking his forehead. "Don't worry; I know he's a slimy little weakling. However, he allows me to crush rebellions, fight countless battles and kill as many people as I want."
Tatsumi could relate to Esdeath's love of battle, but he wasn't sure he could get behind such a love for taking the lives of others. However, Tatsumi felt that she did not truly enjoy killing other human beings. He could not comprehend how anyone could truly take pleasure in ending other lives.
"She must say these things as a front to hide her true guilt over hurting so many human beings" Tatsumi hoped. "That's the only reason I can imagine why someone would say that they enjoy killing people."
"Where are we going, anyway?" Tatsumi asked.
Esdeath only chuckled ominously.
"Where are we going Esdeath?"
"Well… we both have no immediate business to finish… and River's gone, we're all alone…"
Tatsumi felt his chest well in excitement but his heart sink at the same time.
"…there's only one place we can go, Tatsu-bunny…"
"N-no, please…"
"My chambers, Tatsumi" Esdeath stated, grabbing him by the hand.
"…and you-" her grip on his hand got tighter.
"Can't-" her grip made his knuckles crack.
"Stop me." Tatsumi now thought his hand was going to burst.
They entered her chambers and she quickly led him to her bedroom. Grabbing him by the throat, Esdeath forced him onto her bed. She threw her cap to the cold tile floor and leaned in to lick his cheek when Tatsumi placed his finger across her grinning lips.
"Esdeath, please, I don't want this yet" Tatsumi thought saying "yet" would make her think he promised to let her have her way with him later, which would delay his predicament further. "I'm not ready; after all, I've only known you for two days."
Esdeath took the hint, to Tatsumi's pleasant surprise.
"Tatsumi, do you remember what I said to you when we first met?" Esdeath asked, straddling his waist.
"Yeah, that was only two days ago."
"I said that I will satisfy you and you will satisfy me." Esdeath slid of his waist. "If pleasuring you with my body will not satisfy you yet, than I refuse to do so. I want everything we do to leave us both satisfied, not just myself."
"She can be selfless, it seems" Tatsumi thought.
"However…" Esdeath countermanded.
Tatsumi wasn't prepared. Esdeath's soft, cool lips were speaking in front of him one moment, the next; they were implanted on his own. Not exactly used to being kissed out of the blue, Tatsumi just stared wide-eyed at Esdeath's closed eyes. Her soft, porcelain-gray gradient skin filled his vision, and he could feel her inhale through her nose, as if he emanated a special rare scent only when he had her lips connected with his own. Tatsumi gained the courage to close his eyes, keeping them open slightly. He opened his mouth to return the kiss, when her head, that sinfully alluring head of hers, retracted from his view. Tatsumi felt himself get turned over on his side as she rested his leg on his, holding him close to her breast, Tatsumi's crown nestled comfortably under Esdeath's chin.
Somehow, Tatsumi slept that whole night.
