"Haru, no," Akame said, taking his head in her hands, "You're going to be fine. You promised me we'd get through this, remember?" "I know I did," he said, cupping her face with one hand, "And I'm so sorry, Akame." Before she could continue to protest, he leaned in and kissed her, trying to convey all of his feelings, his love, into that one moment. He so desperately wanted to stay with her, to live the rest of his life together with her and their child.
But he felt the flames raging within, and knew that his time was limited. Releasing her from the kiss, he stepped back so she wouldn't be harmed by what was about to happen. "I love you, Akame," Haru said, trying to reassure her one last time as he felt the flames breaking free. Closing his eyes, he prepared himself for the end as they began to engulf him. This is it; this is how I die he thought as the heat grew more intense.
And yet, in spite of this there was a part of his mind that was frantically searching for something, anything, that could get him through this alive. There's nothing I can do he thought, trying to convince himself, there's already too much power built up. Then what if it was put to work that persistent voice suggested, and it was like a slap to the face. In the second that it took him to reconcile this internal struggle, the fire had practically broken free from his control. But if he could channel it, exhaust it on something, then maybe, just maybe, he could regain control.
Figuring he had nothing else to lose, Haru let the fire loose around him, forming it into a raging twister that reached meters into the sky. He poured all of the energy that he had bottled up into it, only holding onto a sliver of the fire that he let loose. The heat was intense, more intense than anything he had ever felt in training or a fight, and it was leagues above what he had endured to bind with this weapon. It was enough to drive him to his knees, and he could tell that the slightest slip in his concentration would result in this fire consuming him.
But as painful as it was, he could feel the volatile energy flowing out of him and feeding into the fire. I made a promise he told himself, gritting his teeth against the pain, and I'll be damned if I break that promise now. That single thought gave him the strength he needed, and after a while he felt the heat starting to subside. But rather than letting his guard drop at this sensation, Haru kept his body tense as he continued to poor energy into the fires around him. It was exhausting, and he felt himself balancing on the edge of unconsciousness as the last of the power left him.
Outside the twister, Akame was on her knees, her hands braced on the ground as she wept. Lubbock was at her side, one hand around her shoulders in comfort while he tried to control his own tears. They had just watched Haru go up in flames, and assumed he had died. As the tornado began to die down, Lubbock looked up in disinterest only to stiffen suddenly. Shaking Akame to get her attention, he whispered, "Look." But she didn't want to look. If she didn't look, then she could go on with the slim hope that Haru hadn't just let himself die. But if she looked up and he was gone, then she wouldn't be able to lie to herself about it, and she wasn't sure that she could take that.
But after Lubbock gave her another shake, she grudgingly looked up to see what had gotten his attention. The shimmer from the intense heat the fires had created was still around, and her tears didn't do her vision any good. She could have sworn she saw someone kneeling where Haru had stood, but the figure was blurred. Blinking a few times to clear her eyes, she inhaled sharply as she saw Haru on his knees, looking absolutely exhausted. "H-Haru?" she managed, trying to figure out if she was dreaming or not. Looking up at the sound of her voice, it took him a moment to figure out exactly where she was. He was close to passing out, and his vision was starting to tunnel. Finally, smiling, he managed, "I guess…I'm tougher than I give myself credit for."
And with that, he was out, slumping to the side without another sound. Lubbock and Akame were at his side in seconds. Akame quickly checked him for a pulse and found one. Unsatisfied with that, she brought her ear down to his chest. Sure enough, she could hear a heartbeat, and it was enough to bring her to tears again. But these weren't tears of sorrow; she was crying out of relief. He was alive. "He's still alive," she murmured, laying her head on his chest. Lubbock had heard what she had said, and he sat back and heaved a sigh in relief before chuckling to himself. "Damn, he is one stubborn bastard, isn't he?" he asked, smiling at Akame. She returned it as she wrapped her arms around Haru's shoulders, happy beyond words that he was still alive.
After a few minutes of basking in feelings of relief, they each took an arm and picked Haru up before heading towards the south gate. There were still several skirmishes in the city between the rebels and a few groups of loyalist soldiers, and the idea of one of those groups happening across them didn't appeal to either of them. After making their way through the ruined buildings, they finally got onto an undamaged street. This made the walk much easier, and they managed to go a few blocks before Haru began to stir. Moving to one side of the street, Lubbock helped sit him down against the wall before moving on, saying he was going to get them some more help.
Akame nodded absently, her attention entirely focused on Haru. His eyes fluttered a few times before he finally found his way back to the land of the conscious, and he blinked a few times to clear his vision before he found himself looking Akame squarely in the eye. "Am…am I…?" he asked, reaching up to touch her. Smiling, she took his hand and pressed it against her cheek. "Yes, you are," she replied, "Welcome back, Haru." Before he could come up with some smart remark, she leaned in and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to pull herself closer. He was surprised at first, but then he embraced her in return as his mind finally caught up. He had done it, he had lived.
Almost ten minutes later, Lubbock returned with Leone and Chelsea in tow. They were both beaming, and Leone couldn't help but brag at taking down Onest. She seemed genuinely pleased with herself, and while Haru felt happy that it was finally over, he was more tired than anything. "Alright, we should probably find Najenda and report in," he said as he pushed himself back up. With Akame's help, he managed to find his footing again, and they made their way south.
The rebels had commandeered several buildings as they moved in through the south gate, and the five Night Raid members found themselves sitting in the common room of an inn after checking in with one of the captains. The wall had a large hole where the window used to be, but other than that the interior was in relatively good condition. Dropping onto one of the couches, Haru tried to stifle a yawn as his exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. Sitting down next to him, Akame took one of his hands as she tried to fully come to grips with what had happened. Squeezing his hand and feeling the warmth, she tried to convince herself that this was real, that he was still alive.
"I'm still here," he said suddenly, as if he had read her mind. Giving her a quick tug, he pulled her closer before putting one arm around her shoulders. While it was a little startling at first, she quickly relaxed and leaned into him as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Resting her head on his shoulder, she realized for the first time just how tired she was from the day's events. In a few moments, she was asleep. Looking over at her, Haru found himself marveling at her beauty, and he wondered just why he had been so prepared to die back there. The thought of leaving her behind hurt worse than all of the physical pain he had lived through. Feeling his exhaustion returning, he leaned into Akame and let sleep take him.
The next few days were spent recovering from injuries, flushing the few groups of loyalist soldiers out and helping to rebuild the important structures that had been damaged. Haru and Sheele ended up getting drafted into Garrick's clinic to help with the flood of wounded people, both soldiers and civilians. When he asked the old man why he had been chosen, Garrick had responded with, "Consider it a down payment on your tab. Now stop complaining and grab my tools, we got another gunshot wound." While Haru got to work with the doctor to patch people up, Sheele was in the recovery wing making sure they were all comfortable and well cared for. It wasn't really that bad, and since Haru was still feeling the exhaustion from his fight he welcomed the relatively decent pace.
Meanwhile, Akame was up on the palace grounds with Lubbock, Leone and Chelsea. They were searching the area for any other hidden tunnels or rooms. It went fine for a while; right up until Akame noticed that Lubbock kept stealing glances at her. Then she started to feel nervous as she remembered the conversation she and Haru had when they thought he was going to die. Finally, he decided to walk over and talk with her. Akame was in what remained of the throne room at the moment, examining one of the anti-chambers and unaware of his approach. "So, a baby, huh?" he said, causing her to jump slightly. Turning slowly, she tried to keep her face impassive as she replied, "What do you mean?"
"Don't try to bullshit me, Akame," Lubbock replied, crossing his arms and smirking, "I already asked Haru the other day. So, you have a kid already?" Looking down, she tried not to sound too embarrassed when she replied, "Yes." When she heard chuckling, she looked up at Lubbock and realized something. "You didn't talk to Haru, did you?" she asked, her face growing slightly red. He just shook his head, unable to respond as he continued to laugh. Punching his arm, she waited for him to run out of laughter before turning around to continue her search.
"Congratulations," he said, walking up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," she replied, smiling at him. "So, decided on a name yet?" he asked as he moved to help search the room, "Lubber is a pretty good name, you know." "We're not naming it after you," she said, smirking at him as they worked. "You're not naming who after who?" Chelsea asked, startling them both as she and Leone joined them. Before Akame could reply, Leone beat her to it. "Oh yeah, she and the matchstick are having a kid," she said, smiling sweetly while Akame's face got darker. Needless to say, there was a lot of girl talk afterword, which forced them to send Lubbock off into another part of the building.
A week later, they were all gathered on the hill before the memorial the Revolution had built for their fallen. Even Tatsumi had dragged himself out of bed to pay his respects, after swearing up and down to Mine that he wouldn't over-exert himself. They stood next to each other, and after a while Mine subtly took his hand for comfort as she read the names of the fallen. She had known some of these soldiers from the few times she had visited Revolution camps, and it was heartbreaking to see their names up on the wall.
Haru, meanwhile, was standing before another section of the wall and trying to keep his own emotions in check. He couldn't stop staring at one name on one of the latter sections of the wall, and he kept cursing himself for letting her go off alone. June had taken the wrong street at the wrong time and had gotten caught in the blast wave from one of the Giant Imperial Arm's attacks. The debris from the collapsing buildings had killed her instantly, and Haru found at least some comfort in the knowledge that she hadn't suffered. But it still hurt to see her on the wall, and he clenched his hands as he tried to keep himself from crying. They might not have been involved anymore, but they had still been close.
Taking one of his hands in hers, Akame stood next to him and looked at her name as well. She regretted never getting to meet the woman, and it pained her to see Haru so torn up. "It was worth it, right?" he whispered so only they would hear, "This new nation we're building; it was worth these lives, right?" Akame could tell that he wasn't really talking to her; he was pleading with some unseen force, hoping that all of this pain would be worth something in the end. The part of her that remained the professional assassin argued that in the end none of this would truly be worth it, that people would still continue to hurt each other for years to come. But another part of her chose to believe in hope, and it was that part that won out. "Yes, Haru," she said, looking at him and smiling sadly, "It is worth it, because we're going to make it worth it." Returning the smile, Haru took strength from that as they stood there and mourned.
-5 years later-
Stepping back from the furnace, Haru wiped the sweat from his brow as he beamed in triumph. He had finally managed to get the fire inside hot enough to work with the steel he had bought a few days ago, and he hadn't needed to use his Imperial Arms to do it. Now, I just need to work out the makeup of the blade he thought as he turned to the table with the various ingots and ore chunks laid out on it. It had been two years since he had put together his smithy, and he had spent most of that first year just learning the materials and tools he needed as well as how to use them properly. Picking up a chunk of dark ore with a few specks of white crystal in it, he wondered if he wanted brute strength or flexibility.
Before he could come to a decision, a small missile slammed into his left leg and almost knocked him off his feet. "Papa, we're back!" a small voice said. Placing the ore back on the table, Haru leaned down and placed a hand on the little girl's head. "Well, I can see that," he replied, chuckling, "Did you give your mother the slip again, Alina?" She just smiled sweetly as she shook her head, clearly lying. She had hair and eyes like Akame, although she seemed to have inherited Haru's more mischievous side. As if to prove Haru's suspicions, Akame walked in through the front entrance with a bag in one hand and wrapped meat in the other.
"Alina, you little trouble-maker," she said, trying to sound mad, "Next time you run off, you're going to get it." Her face scrunched up slightly, assuming that Akame was being sincere. Haru just ruffled her hair before kissing her forehead. "Don't listen to her. She just worries when you take off on your own," he told her, "We both do." "But there are so many neat places to explore!" Alina protested, "I can take care of myself." "I'm sure you can," Haru said. Then in one quick move he picked her up, getting an excited "eek!" out of her. "But we're your parents, so we're going to worry regardless," he continued before walking over to Akame, "You want any help with those?"
"I managed the whole way back, I can handle a few more feet," she said before leaning in and kissing Alina's cheek. Opening the door to the house, Haru led the way into the kitchen before putting Alina down to help Akame put the food up. He smiled when he saw that she had bought yet another large steak for them. "I hope she doesn't inherit your carnivorous taste," he teased as he put the meat away in an ice chest. Seeing the hunk of flesh, Alina's eyes lit up, and she nearly began to drool. "Too late now," Akame commented, laughing softly when Haru heaved a sigh.
But even with all of his grumbling, Haru was happy with his life. As he helped Akame prepare dinner, Alina pulled herself up onto the table behind them before sitting on the edge with her legs swinging. "Hey, Papa, when's the cat lady coming back?" she asked, causing both Haru and Akame to laugh. The first time Leone had changed for Alina she had been three, and the nickname 'cat lady' had stuck ever since. She passed through the town they lived in rather regularly while she helped Run with his school. He was always in need of materials to help build and expand the place, and Leone was more than happy to help him with it. "Well, let's see," Haru said, "She needs a fresh set of nails, since the last batch she bought was from some shifty merchant, so she'll probably be visiting us in the next few days."
"You sound so sure of yourself," Akame commented, "Even though you just figured out how to light that fire without cheating." "Hey, I do my best work with my own fire, thank you very much!" Haru replied, giving her a light shove. She just laughed softly as she set a pot of water to boil. "Papa, will you tell me a story?" Alina asked, her eyes growing wide and hopeful. "I'm not sure I have any good ones left," Haru replied as he walked over and pulled up a chair next to her. The moment he sat down she dropped off the table into his lap. "Can you tell me a story about your old job?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him. He and Akame had, naturally, told Alina what they had done previously when she had been old enough to understand. Although, they had taken care to water down the details so they wouldn't frighten her too much. "How about I tell you about the time Tatsumi and I took out a giant?" Haru suggested, getting an enthusiastic nod from her.
He then proceeded to tell her about the final battle for the capital, with Akame glancing at them occasionally. She was glad beyond words that he was still here, and she found that this was one of the moments she would cherish for the rest of her life; the image of her and Haru together with their daughter, in a home as a family.
Author's Note – This is what I get for completing chapter 27 three days before I posted it. I sat on it, and other ideas began to surface. I couldn't get them out of my head, so I decided to forge them into an alternate ending. I would also like to take this time to thank all of you who read, reviewed and followed this story. You guys are all amazing.