Chapter 7: Kill The Ally!

Tatsumi felt something within him buzz, Incursio was stirring from within him, he sat up yawning. Esdese was already up, her bare breasts pale in the ghastly moon light. She yawned and eeped in surprise as Tatsumi slipped a warm hand over her pale hip. She turned to him with a sly grin, which seemed to falter, even in the darkness.

"You felt it too then ?" Tatsumi asked

She nodded "murderous intent, let's go..."

Tatsumi ceased her arm before she could move away "You know what has happened, don't yet ?"

She turned to him with a pained expression "The Teigu inside me is very familiar with the smell of blood ... I know"

He smirked "You aren't planning to go investigate wearing my shirt are you ?"

She smirked back "I like wearing your clothes, Plus I like you better when you're naked"

He rolled his eyes "I'm not sure how to take that ..."

She slid her hand under the cover and squeezed, he jerked and let out a small gasp "Take it as you please, I'm certainly pleased"

They slid out the door and down the hallway, Esdese only dressed in shorts and Tatsumi's shirt, Tatsumi bare chested and freezing. The headed towards the kitchen, where the feeling was strongest. Tatsumi wondered what had happened, was it the blood of an ally or an enemy ? Was the enemy an old ally or was the ally now an enemy ? The questions plagued his mind, he had last seen Wave and Bols in the kitchen, but that had been hours before, anyone could have gone to the kitchen in search of food, it was not uncommon for burglars to raid the houses of the wealthy in order to survive.

The thought was torn from his mind, when he hear the shrill scream of a woman, Kurome. Esdese and Tatsumi picked up their past, charging through the kitchen doors, swords drawn. What they saw made them both loosen their hold on their weapons. Wave was slumped against the kitchen cabinet, all of his blood drained from a single hole opened in the middle of his throat, seeming to puncture all the from the base of his neck. Kurome was on her knees, his blood staining her pajama's. Her hands trembling over his pale face. Esdese looked to Tatsumi, shocked to see his entire face was pale. He reached out to steady himself, his legs trying to buckle beneath him, he pulled a chair and sat down hard, his mind screaming the same words that had haunted him since losing his two friends

'I could not protect them, I can't save my comrades from dying. Another friend, dead ... all over again' his mind screamed

Esdese braced her hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes, he stared back blankly.

Kurome was weeping "Wave ... Wave, why ... Why did they kill wave!"

Seryu and Ran entered the room and froze. Seryu's face contorted into a silent scream, Koro whimpered. Ran only covered his eyes and look away. Esdese regarded them sadly. Seryu went to Kurome's side and held her close.

Esdese, sad but not affected, sighed "Night Raid, they are trying to cut our numbers, They know Tatsumi is alive, they will try to kill us all"

Tatsumi shook "Night Raid ... They ...They know"

Kurome clenched her fist "I'll kill her ... I'll kill my sister for this"

"It was not your sister, Akame. It was a Teigu user able to disguise themselves as whoever they choose"

"Chelsea ..." Tatsumi whispered

Kurome turned on him "YOU KNEW ABOUT HER ?!"

Tatsumi recoiled "She was a member of Night Raid, I knew her yes"

Kurome sneered "YOU SHOULD BE DEAD, WHY ARE YOU PRETENDING TO BE ONE OF US !" She screamed

"Enough, Kurome. Can't you see Waves death is hurting Tatsumi also ?" Esdese barked

Kurome saw the pain in Tatsumi's eyes and looked away "May I use Yatsufusa, Captain ?"

Esdese bit her lip then nodded "If that is your wish, may he serve us in the future perhaps"

Tatsumi looked up from his hands "Yatsufusa ? Her Teigu, what does it do ?"

Kurome buried the sword into Waves chest, a red aura pluming from the stab wound, sucking into the blade. Waves body seemed to pulse, then turn cold, as his essence was sucked into the blade, to be used in another battle. Tatsumi felt his insides twist, the idea made him sick and depressed, wave would not pass on to the afterlife, would he ? Did Tatsumi still believe in a god and afterlife ? The questions lingered in a place in his mind he best not venture to. His vision became blurry, the smell of copper and burned onions filling his nostrils. His eyes fixated on the puddle of blood on the floor, He felt his stomach churn.

"Tatsumi ?" Esdese asked, worriedly

Tatsumi sprung from his chair, stumbling down the hallway towards the bathroom, his hand covering his mouth. He kicked open the door, puking through his fingers onto the marble sink. A lone tear coursing down his cheek. He could hear Esdese comforting Kurome in the other room, he ran the sink and wash water into his face and hair, his hands trembled.

"Why are you acting like this, they are our enemy" The hidden woman said from behind him

He whirled, reaching for his sword "Who Are yo-"

Chelsea frowned "Why are you helping them, why have you betrayed us for ...what ? ... The blur bitch ?"

Tatsumi snarled "Chelsea ... Watch your mouth, why are you here ?"

"To kill Jaegers, rescue you and save this damned country! Why are you here ?"

Tatsumi stepped closer to her, raising the blade "Why did you kill him ... He was not a target, he was a good person" He hissed

Chelsea shrugged "He serves the Empire, he is fodder who stands in our way, you know this ..."

"He was an innocent soldier, a man from the navy, most of his past work was expiring and fishing ... why .."

"To be honest, I don't agree with Night Raids ideals. All Empire soldiers must die or surrender, he would not surrender so I killed him, I'm here to collect you, alive or dead ... you are too risky an asset for them to have, Night Raid may not think it, but as a revolutionary soldier, this is a must"

"I'm not going anywhere with you, I can understand your hatred for the empire, I hate it to. I will change it from inside, their army is too strong to take head on. I'll take my chances here"

Chelsea gestured out the door "The army won't be strong without its general now will it ? Wave may not have been a target, but General Esdese is"

Tatsumi gritted his teeth "What are you saying"

"I'll kill her, I'll kill her and perhaps I'll feel bad for you ... but when the order comes, I'll kill you too"

Tatsumi snarled "You can't I..."

"You love her ... I know. That won't stop me from killing her, you can try protect her, but one night you will wake up to a bloodless corpse, then you will know the error of your ways, siding with this evil. I'll leave you to your decision, I'll see you again in a few days, make up your mind. Or I'll kill you both"

Tatsumi felt his blood boil, she killed wave, an innocent soldier only following orders and now she threatened to kill both him and Esdese, and perhaps the child she may be carrying. He gripped the hilt of his sword, then screamed towards her, letting out a roar of mixed hatred, despair and defiance. The Sword came down on Chelsea's shoulder, cleaving her arm off onto the floor and shattering the sink. Thick sprays of blood painted the white tiles crimson, soon after the drain pipes to the sink blew, turning the floor into a thin pink lake smelling of rough copper. She screamed and staggered. He did not give her time to escape. He drove the blade through her back and into the wall, burying all the way to the hilt, pinning her to the wall like an insect specimen. His eyes brimmed with tears, he fell back and met her eyes as she looked over her shoulder, shocked and dying.

He came to, now realizing what he had done in his anger "W...What ..H..Have I done.."

"M..Made your choice... T..Tatsumi" Chelsea said, with her last breath. She slumped over, still held tight by the sword.

Tatsumi looked at his reflection in the shattered mirror, blood from his hair to his chest. He tried to wipe the blood from his face, but only smeared it more and more until his skin glowed crimson. He shook violently, trying to scuttle away from the stare of her glazed empty eyes. He tripped over, the burst drain pipe showering the room like rain. He reached out for her, but she did not reach back

"C...Chelsea ...C...C...CHAAAaaAAAA !" He began screaming, his hands cradled over his temples.

Esdese, Ran, Seryu and Kurome ran to the doorway, stepping back as a mixture of water and blood reached to soak them. Esdese stared wide-eyed at her lover, kneeling in the blood of waves killer, and shaking violently, his face pressed to the tiles as if praying. It was only when she stepped inside did she realize that Tatsumi was actually laughing, silently cackling like the dead. Tears streaming down his face, but laughing none the less. They were all disheartened to see him like this. The water pipe in the room stopped spouting water, as if it were a signal, Tatsumi stopped laughing. He only held his head low to the tiles. Then with utter fear and shock, they watched as his tongue lapped at the water like a dog to a water trough.

"Tatsumi ..." Esdese started forward, but Ran ceased her arm

"It's not him, look at his eyes" He pointed to Tatsumi, his eyes were yellow like dazzling fire.

"What's wrong with him!?" Seryu asked

Ran thought for am moment, calculating "Incursio ... It's Incursio, I'm sure of it"

"Look what he did to her ... she's pinned" Kurome gaped openly

Esdese shook Ran off her and strode forward, kneeling by Tatsumi and nudging him "Tatsumi ... Tatsumi look at me, Are you Oka-"

"CAPTAIN !" Ran shouted

Tatsumi lunged forward, ceasing Esdese by the arm with his teeth, locking on to her like a hound. She recoiled but held her hand up "Leave him"

"B...But captain ..." Seryu said worryingly

she flexed her wrist, opening the wound in order to let him to drink freely "Drink to your heart's content Tatsumi, I owe you one after all"

Tatsumi drank greedily, but within moments, he recoiled from her arm coughing and choking as if the blood had burned him, no ... as if the blood had froze him. Esdese figured this would happen, the beast inside her would not give up her blood so easily. The icy blood shook Tatsumi from his trance, his eyes changing back to their original color. He gagged and spat a mouth full of Esdese and Chelsea's blood on the floor, doubling over and breathing deeply.

Esdese ran her hand up his bloody cheek "Are you okay, my love ?"

He looked up at her through teary eyes, the tears cleaning a pale pathway down his bloody cheeks "E...Esdese...my...love"

He grabbed her wrist and stared, his eyes widening, his fingers tracing his bloody lips "You didn't hurt me, I'm already healing. Fear not ..."

He shook his violently "WHY DID I DO THAT ... WHAT HAPPENED !?" He was shrill now, catching sight of Chelsea and screaming again

"Come with me" Esdese said calmly, taking his hand and leading him out the room.

Seryu turned to Ran "Is he dangerous ...I mean, Is he stable ?"

Ran shrugged "I have theories about why this happened, but I'll explain them in detail soon... we have work to do tonight, unfortunately"

Kurome nodded "I'm ... I'm just happy Wave was avenged ...I'll have to thank Tatsumi, Incursio or not"

They gasped for air as they fell apart from each other. Najenda smiling at the ceiling, after go number three she was spent. By the flaming red blush on Lubbock's face, she could see he was spent too. Of course they had used contraception, Najenda enjoyed the intimacy with Lubbock, but a child was something for another time, certainly not with war on the horizon. She rolled onto Lubbock, resting her silver head on his chest, her breasts pressed against him. She looked into his eyes and smiled warmly

"Do you still think you need Mojo ?" she teased

"No mam, I can well and truly die happy now" he grinned

She flicked his nose "Don't die on me, I enjoyed this ... I plan on enjoying it more"

She grinding her body against his, finding the hardness rising again "As you can see ... so did I" He said shyly

Lubbocked reached down, cupping her butt on the way of course, and pulled the duvet over them. She rolled off him nestled in next to him, her legs further down the bed than his, he saw with humor and embarrassment.

"You're taller then I am ... I don't feel so manly" Lubbock pouted

Najenda giggled, then rose her over her body, using his side as a body pillow, their bodies equal height not "Better ?" she asked

"Better!" he exclaimed, a thin nosebleed taking form

They stared at the roof in silence, her hand crept into his, his hand crept to her breast which she swatted away with a grin. But their minds drifted to the issues that lay ahead of them, forever looking to the future, such was the way of assassins, looking to the next kill. Lubbock felt something wrong, things these days have always felt wrong in his mind. He voiced his worries

"Do you think she is alright ? Chelsea I mean ..."

Najenda shrugged "She works alone, she's not like the rest of us ... she knows what she is doing, she knows the risks"

Lubbock nodded "It still does not feel right for her to be out there alone, out there in the capital"

"Perhaps you're right, I'll have her return to us, we can draw up new plans as a team"

"I just hope we can resolve this ... I don't want to face him as an enemy" Lubbock said, laying his head down against her

She did not need to ask who he meant, she hoped not to fight him also.

Esdese returned to the boardroom where everyone sat, the surgeons had already taken Wave and Chelsea's bodies to the Jaeger infirmary for dissection and preparation for burial, although it was obvious Chelsea's body would be displayed as a warning, to both Night Raid and anyone else who dared rebel against them. Tatsumi was in their room, she had put him to sleep with a well training squeeze in his shoulder, he had babbling madly and shaking uncontrollably, Esdese figured it was more than just Chelsea's death or his violent outburst, there was turmoil inside Tatsumi now. Ran sat at the head of the table, the windows a faint red as dawn rose to greet them. Ran had made rough sketches and small notes which he seemed to arrange like a puzzle. They all sat and waited for him to finish.

He stood "Gathering all I can from what we know, what he has told us and mostly speculation, I have an idea of whats wrong here"

Esdese bit her lip, things had slipped out of her control in the last few hours "Let's hear it then, Ran"

"Incursio is a Teigu made from the power and flesh of the Danger Beast Tyrant, it is still very much alive. Similar, no, almost identical in nature to Grand Chariot, used by Wave. The Teigu chose Tatsumi because of his will and determination to protect his friends, it thrived off that power and helped boost his abilities in combat situations. The Teigu user before Tatsumi..."

"Bulat" added Esdese

"Yes, Bulat was accepted by the Teigu for much of the same reasons, his will passed on to Tatsumi when he inherited the armor after defeating the Three Beasts, hired by you, Esdese. What happened tonight to me, looks like a Teigu trying to either take over its user, or separate itself from its user. Rejecting him I guess you could say. This lead to Incursio fighting his will within his body, making him lose control over his body, mind and sanity. I can only deduce that Incursio rejected its host when Tatsumi killed Chelsea. Wave was also Tatsumi's friend, so to avenge his friend he killed his friend, I can't imagine how that distorted the Teigu's will. But this is a very real thing ... we have all seen Teigu reject owners try to wield them, but I doubt we have ever seen a Teigu reject it's owner after fighting with them for so long, which ..."

Esdese sighed "Which makes this all the more difficult to understand, if possible, cure"

Ran nodded "Incursio stabilized itself when it came into contact with the Demon's Extract in your blood, Esdese. Still speculating, but perhaps that can act as a form of anecdote or tranquilizer ... But I fear if we use it too often the Teigu might adapt to it, even worse, it might try to bond with your Teigu"

"Could you make an antidote ? or perhaps perform a blood transfusion ?" Esdese asked, excited.

Ran shook his head "Unfortunately, as a teacher in an old life, I only majored in Science, History, Philosophy and Mathematics. An anecdote is not out of the question, but an operation ...no ... Times like this I wish we still had Doctor Stylish with us"

Seryu nodded and sighed sadly "He was a talented man, I'll miss him dearly"

Esdese paused, then spoke almost regretting her suggestion "There is a girl, she specializes in Alchemy ... The minister has her in the depths of the palace, giving her freedom to do whatever experiments she likes"

Kurome cocked an eyebrow "More so than Stylish ?"

Esdese nodded "Perhaps not as good... but perhaps better, I'm not certain. Her name is Dorothea, if anyone can help stabilize Incursio, it's her"

Ran took notes then gestured "Let's do that then. I can only imagine Incursio will become unstable if he fights Night Raid or dwells on dark thoughts ... we should be safe until this Dorothea sees to him"

"Very well, I'll speak to the minister immediately"

Ran Interrupted "Wait one second ... You know that operating on the host of a potential unstable Teigu could be dangerous right ?"

"I understand the risks of modern-day surgery, but I trust the she can do it correctly"

Ran shook his head "I'm not talking about the conditions of surgery, the Teigu could kill him Esdese ...Incursio could kill Tatsumi"

She left the other Jaegers to their grief and newly assigned missions, in the morning they would question Bols to see if he knew anything suspicious or came into contact with the spy. She kept rethinking Ran's last words "Incursio could kill Tatsumi" in her head, he mind drifting to Wave soon after, the two were quite similar, what if it had been Tatsumi who had stayed in the kitchen, would she have killed him ? The idea rose goose-flesh on her arms. She trembled, took a deep breath and opened the door to the bedroom. Tatsumi was up, staring at his hands he sat topless in bed, his eyes not blank or piercing yellow, but the soft green she had loved since they first met.

"You're up ..." Esdese said

"Your pressure point trick was effective, but we are taught to give in to it instead of resisting it, that makes it less intense"

"Night Raid ?"

He nodded, then clenched his fist "She...She was going to kill you, I lost my temper ... next thing I knew, I was falling into some darkness within me"

"Incursio Was-"

He nodded "I heard your whole conversation ... It makes sense, I'm not carrying out Bulat's will ... I killed a friend"

Esdese sharpened "Would you kill us instead ?"

He whirled to her, eyes blazing. a small spark of yellow in his eye flared like an old sun "DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" He snapped

Esdese recoiled at the ferocity, felt a deep pang of regret and something else, excitement ? "Y..You're right, I'm sorry ...Tatsumi"

He walked to her, completely naked. He wrapped his arms around her and shook his head "No, I'm sorry for snapping. It's not like me"

"No .. It isn't. But you need to realize that your old friends are going to become your enemies"

"I know ..." He said, head cocked down to his feet

"If you forget them, forget and sever your friendship with them, Incursio won't struggle against you ... you won't have to go through this"

"I just don't see a reason to hate Night Raid or the Jaegers ... I hate the capital, I want to change it and kill the minister, but I can't bring myself to hurt either side to this war" Tatsumi said glumly

Esdese sat on the bed and folded her arms "Will you sit idly by as Empire Soldiers and Revolutionary Soldiers kill each other ? Sit and watch as civilians from both sides are slaughtered in the hundreds caught between brutal fighting ? There is no neutral side here Tatsumi, you can stay with me and hide under my wing and pretend all this is not happening, or you can stop the fighting and save lives" Esdese asked

"War won't change the world, not unless the Revolutionary Army wins and restructures the government and its people" he replied

Esdese sighed, she craved power and reputation, the ideas i her head were things she had executed people over. A coup d'état would throw the empire into chaos, someone would need to take control quickly, was she ready for the task ? She felt sick even thinking about these things, but the more she gazed into his eyes, the more it all seemed okay. She gestured to the bed, removing her clothes.

"I'm going to have a shower, I'll be in bed soon, I need ... Time to think" She said

Tatsumi kissed her on the cheek "Yes, of course. I'm sorry to put so many things on your plate ... We can discuss this another time"

She let her shirt drop to the floor, walking to the shower room "No .. I do intend to talk about this when I return"

"You do ?"

She smiled "I'll have my answer ... no ... Our answer"

Authors Note:

Quick chapter, I was interested in getting it out and ready for you guys sooner, seeing how a lot of you demanded blood n all XD

What do you guys think ? I want there to be more of an emotional struggle for Tatsumi, who in my opinion, still has not decided his place.

And also I hope you enjoy the idea of Incursio being a little more alive than just a weapon, it reminds me alot of the Nine Tailed Fox and its influence over its host.

I hope you enjoyed it and I can't wait to deliver you guys the next chapter!

thanks guys

~Phillip