Chapter Four

Esdeath and Tatsumi

Love God was sweating all over. This was by far the most ridiculous request from his benefactor: make a jaded freedom fighter genuinely fall in love with the sadistic general who helped run the country that took advantage of people like him. The rebel Tatsumi had fought in a tournament of the empire's strongest champions, a plot to get information and get in deeper with the kingdom. However, the plan both succeeded and backfired when Tatsumi won not only the tournament but General Esdeath's heart.

The literally cold young woman was a brutal, bloodthirsty survivor who had pretty much crossed everything of note and value off her bucket list and now wanted to achieve something she feared was impossible: fall in love. The poor Tatsumi fit all the parameters of the man she was looking for. Tatsumi was a strong fighter and younger than her, which meant Esdeath had a chance to groom him. But most importantly, she made him genuinely smile.

Esdeath was head-over-heels for Tatsumi, but the boy clearly didn't reciprocate those feelings. However, according to the benefactor, there was an opportunity. It lay in a mistake and series of events. When Tatsumi and Esdeath found themselves on an experimental island and forced to spend time together and work together. Esdeath had already expressed her feelings that she loved Tatsumi but that she would never betray the kingdom that bred a monster like her. This set the rebel against her wholeheartedly, and yet there was a sliver of doubt that could be widened with the right kind of intervention.

According to the notes, Love God's benefactor had already tried a couple of different approaches, but the results were varying. It reminded Love God of what that man and his crazy woman had said earlier in the night.

He's obsessed with finding happy endings and he wants to know if it is possible to redeem a villain through love. Well, that's a misunderstanding of the whole process! You can force people to be infatuated with one another, but falling in love with all the sweetness, transformation, and uplifting goodness that came with it is another animal entirely.

But if he really wants me to give this a shot then I need to get creative. Love God checked his potions and considered his options. As opposed to what people like Mabel believed, he didn't force any romance, he just opened the eyes to the possibility. Ah, that's it! Possibility! It might be a little heavy handed, but let's see what I can do!

Esdeath checked out her reflection in the mirror. She was dressed in a very revealing, purple dress that plunged down her front and back. It was little more than a slip. She wore very stylish but light slippers on her feet and silky gloves that ran up to her elbows. Her hair flowed free with simple snowflake pins keeping her locks and bangs out of her face. Simple, elegant, and surprisingly her.

The fearsome general had never considered herself exactly beautiful or even girlish. She was a woman and soldier. An image in her mind that had never been challenged since accepting her Imperial Arms, or that was the case until she met Tatsumi. And now here she wore clothing so alien to herself and she quite enjoyed it.

She hoped with all her heart that he would as well.

Coming to this strange palace was another twist of fate that made no sense, but at least she had Tatsumi at her side. In the middle of their camp, two strange figures had appeared and with a snap and flash of light they were in an alien room surrounded by men and women in colored robes. She and Tatsumi lashed out against them, but these people had used the strangest powers she had ever seen to subdue their might. It didn't matter that she and Tatsumi wielded Imperial Arms, these warriors were so versatile and graceful in their counterattacks, wielding air, water, ice, fire, and stone itself.

Strangely, the room itself remained unscathed throughout the battle.

As she and Tatsumi fought back-to-back, a woman explained in a calm voice that they were being invited to enjoy a dinner. They had a gracious host who would explain everything to them if they only calmed down. Esdeath had pulled Tatsumi close to her. He blushed so sweetly, she couldn't help but feel herself grow warm, too.

"I would prefer to fight my way out of this, but they are giving us a hard fight. It might be best to gather intelligence before striking."

"Actually, I think if they meant to kill us, they'd have already done so," he muttered in a choked voice.

"What do you they want with us? Torture? To hold us hostages? I never expected that-!"

"No, we can't assume anything just yet," Tatsumi had told her. "We should do like you said and listen to them to gain intelligence."

The two agreed to meet their mysterious host. The creature that waddled in was a disgusting sight to behold! Morbidly obese and with little, crumbled wings projecting from his back, the dirty man introduced himself as Love God. He surprised Esdeath further by speaking plainly and telling both and Tatsumi was his intentions were.

"You have been selected for a night of romance and possibility. I have a customer who is keenly interested in seeing if you two can really fall in love. If you can't, a lot of suffering will be in not only both of your futures, but a lot of your beloved world will suffer as a result." He then wagged a finger at them and said, "But that doesn't mean you should force it. Choosing something that your hearts will not allow will not ensure others' happiness, but it will undoubtedly guarantee your own misery."

He let that hang in the air as the robed warriors backed away. Love God fixed them both with serious looks. Esdeath glanced at Tatsumi and could feel his squirming presence. She knew full well that he was hiding something from her. He had no love for the empire, which confused her. But he was the man she had fallen in love, and that would never change.

"I don't like what you're insinuating about us," she began to protest.

Love God cut her off with a sharp word, "Stop! What you feel is a deep infatuation, which I can see could grow and blossom into true love, but you hardly know the man at your side. And he doesn't know you either! You've both judged each other and haven't even begun to consider the other person in the slightest!"

There was an undeniable truth to his words that had cut Esdeath to the heart and deepest marrow of her bones. Tatsumi likewise looked ashamed and unsure. Love God shook his head, like a master trying to be patient with his pupils.

"Tonight, your task will be to be 100% honest with each other. Yes, that means revealing everything to the other. Only by being true about your feelings and seeing where you both stand, will you be able to find out if you're in love or not. After we've determined that, you will get your dessert and you both will finally have your answer!"

So now Esdeath was before the mirror. Dressed to kill, thanks to the help of the women in colorful robes, as Tatsumi was being dressed by the men. They would then be escorted to their table for a meal, where they would have to be completely honest with each other. Esdeath didn't know why Love God was going to such great lengths when she was being truthful from the start! It did make her happy that she could learn more about Tatsumi, but this was not the way she wanted to do it.

Get more information before you strike. Love God is not the final boss to this place. And these warriors are very good wat what they do. Tatsumi and I may be ourselves very powerful, but I cannot g all out without risking him. And I have no idea what they are all capable of either. So, I'll go through with this dinner and learn everything I can before making my move.

Esdeath left the dressing room and returned to the waiting room to find Tatsumi waiting there. He was in a dress shirt and pants with polished boots. His shirt was left unbuttoned halfway down. He was visibly embarrassed. Esdeath found herself swooning.

"You look really nice, Tatsumi," she said, desperately resisting the urge to blast everyone away so she could be alone with him.

"Um, er, um… You look nice, too," he finally managed to say.

She was elated! Walking on cloud nine! He liked the way she looked.

For his part, Tatsumi was just trying to survive. There was no way Night Raid was going to get to him any time soon. And there was no way he was falling for this fiend, no matter what the strange, little, fat guy said.

Before either of them could say anything more, female monsters come into the room, wearing glittering black dresses and inviting him and Esdeath both to follow them outside. Esdeath took his arm. He tensed under her touch, and she steered him out.

They both gasped as they saw the main room where they would be dining. It was beyond anything Esdeath had ever seen in empire. Not even the capital held something so grand! Tatsumi couldn't even believe a place like this was real. He pinched his cheek to see if he was asleep. Esdeath took the chance to kiss his cheek to make it feel better.

The stars outside, the musical, crystal-clear waterfall, the amazing floors and painted walls, along with the gigantic trees and golden balconies took his breath away. He couldn't even stammer or feel too embarrassed.

They were led to a table where Love God awaited them with a fantastic spread of exotic meats, spiced vegetables, sumptuous soups, and hearty breads. Both of them felt very hungry. They had eaten just fine on the island, but this was an inviting feast! The servants pulled out the chairs for them, seating Tatsumi and Esdeath together.

Love God began serving them food onto their plates, saying, "Our chefs have worked hard to provide you with only the best food! Don't worry if you don't recognize most of it. Many of our guests are from off-world."

"Off-world?" Tatsumi repeated. "What does that mean?"

"That you two aren't our only oddities," he answered simply. "Which further means that you two need to focus on each other! Now, try the dragon flank. It's positively falling apart!"

Esdeath sniffed the meat, trying to detect any poisons laced into the spices. She couldn't sense anything, though her instincts said that none of this was right. She took a nibble, letting it rest on her tongue. She stopped Tatsumi from taking a bite while she waited for the burn on her tongue, a tell-tale sign of something wrong.

Nothing.

"It's safe. You can eat this," she said, cutting a chunk of meat for him. He nervously took a bite and she asked, "What do you think?"

"It tastes good. What kind of dragon is this?" he asked.

As he spoke, Esdeath saw two other versions of Tatsumi, one glittering pink and the other glittering black. The black one poofed out of existence and the glittering one bent down to take another bite of meat before vanishing. Esdeath felt in her bones. He sincerely meant that the dragon meat tasted good.

"Version 3.5 Blue Dragon," Love God said. "Now, I want you two to be honest with each other. Tatsumi, do you belong to any rebellious group?"

"No!" he protested.

Esdeath was about to berate the chubby man for sticking around when she saw the two versions of Tatsumi return. The pink one poofed out of existence while the black one remained, becoming the armored vigilante and rebel of Night Raid. She gasped.

"What?" Tatsumi asked.

"You belong to Night Raid," she whispered.

"How can you tell?"

She took his face and said, "Tatsumi, know this, I love you no matter what! It doesn't matter if you're a rebel, I can save you!"

They both experienced two things at the same time. Tatsumi saw two version of Esdeath, a sparkling pink version of her and a sparkling black clone of the general. The black one vanished instantly while the pink one stooped down and planted a kiss on him before poofing away. And he felt it deep down that she was telling the truth. This insane woman loved him and always would!

Esdeath saw both versions of Tatsumi. She witnessed the black one resisting her and the pink one dying gruesomely. Esdeath was cut right to the heart. How could this fat man next to her be so cruel? Deep down, she could see that there was no way she could force Tatsumi to be safe.

But before she could lash out and kill the man, Tatsumi stammered, "Esdeath, how can you love me so much? You hardly know me!"

"Because, you made me really smile," she answered, desperate to somehow change the truths she saw. "Because I want to love. You're strong. You're young, eager, ready to learn, and to improve! You've far exceeded my criteria for the man I'd fall in love with. I want to keep getting to know you!"

Tatsumi was overwhelmed by pink Esdeaths, but then one came out that was golden. It was the truth of the last thing she said. It kissed him and he could feel it deep within his soul. It got him thinking.

"Esdeath, if you want to get to know me, then you're going to have to listen."

And so, they spoke.

Tatsumi at first reluctantly, but then eagerly told her all about his personal journey to the capital, and how he wanted to find adventure, bring wealth to his hometown, ad be of service to others before his friends were imprisoned and tortured to death. He told her about Night Raid and the family they gave him. How he witnessed so much death and debauchery around the entire empire and how it needed to stop, for the good of all.

Esdeath countered by telling him about how her father, a great and loving man, had trained her to survive in this cruel world. Her people were all dead. The minister had given her a chance to claim true power and survive and get revenge. She was not blind to the empire's current ills, and the corruption deep within, but overthrowing the entire government would just lead to more suffering and death. You could not overturn an ecosystem and just hope that the fluffy bunnies would come out on top.

Tatsumi wanted to know if she thought it was all pointless then, if she would not step in to make a real change.

She said she was making a difference.

Pink, black, and a few golden versions of themselves swirled around the dinner table. A few blue, red, and green versions of themselves blossomed from their conversation. Esdeath was the one to share this observation with Tatsumi, stirring something in his heart. Their food grew cold as they continued to speak.

She really wants to make this work! She's telling me everything, Tatsumi realized. What if I used her feelings for me to get her to…

He then saw sparkling red and black versions of Esdeath, turned into an absolute monster by him or using his mind games to reel him in closer and use him as a weapon. Or worse, they fought and got lots of his friends killed…

Did that mean there was no way forward? Were they just bound to be enemies? Love God had suggested that such a thing was possible.

But he couldn't shake the number of golden Esdeath that swarmed him. When she expressed her sincere love for him. When she spoke of her father. Even when she professed a sense of patriotism and even said that she cared about her Jaegers. It made Tatsumi wonder about himself. Esdeath had only seen golden version of himself when he told his story of sadness and his desire to change their fallen world.

Am I the one who is missing something? Tatsumi began to wonder.

Esdeath took his hand. "Is there something wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You look confused and unsure of yourself. Please, tell me what is wrong."

There was no use lying. "It feels like we can't come to an understanding Esdeath. It looks like we're destined to fight, but I can see and feel a good person somewhere in the tangled mess of what the empire made of you. Fighting you, knowing all of that, would be hard and it will get so many people I care about killed!"

Esdeath saw golden versions of Tatsumi blossom. It made her happy. She saw this forlorn, young man struggling. From the shades she had seen from him as he spoke and she spoke, it was clear that their worlds were ruined and headed for a disaster. The chances for war got her excited. She couldn't wait to prove herself! But this clashed with her feelings for the boy whose hand was in her own.

What if?...

She swooped in and kissed him on the lips, looking for an answer.

When she had first seen Tatsumi, she had not really expected to find someone to fall in love with at the tournament. No one had caught her eye and they were all so weak. Indeed, Tatsumi hadn't impressed her with his strength. It was his smile. Everything just fell into place, giving her loads of excuses. Taking him had been a risk. Loving him had been a risk. And sitting here now, surrounded by so much she didn't understand, laying her heart bare, Esdeath knew she would do it all over again.

If the poets were right and love was an unknown journey, then she was willing to have this adventure with him. Even if it meant taking unexpected risks. Even if it meant doing things that went against her initial vision.

Esdeath pulled Tatsumi into her. Breaking the kiss, she whispered to him, "Tatsumi, I swear I will listen to you better from now on. I will help your vision become a reality. But I need you to also listen to me and have faith in me. Can you do that?"

Tatsumi saw enveloped by both the real Esdeath and a shimmering, golden illusion of her. She was speaking the honest truth once again. What was this excitement that was beginning to fill him?

"I… I can do that."

"Then please, let me show you."

"I think you'll want to get a key down there to Esdeath and Tatsumi real fast," Love God's benefactor laughed, looking over the side of their balcony. He was sharing a chocolate fondu with his woman.

"They just got started. Those two have so many problems to work out, they-"

"She's getting ready to mount him," the green-eyed woman remarked, cutting him off.

Love God sputtered and flew to edge. Sure enough, just below them, Esdeath had Tatsumi on the table. He was submitting to her rough guidance. All senses of decency and propriety were gone. Clothes were coming off fast.

Unbelievably, they had reached an understanding. Love from her end and a willingness to give it a shot from his. But this was happening so fast!

"I don't think I can handle this!" he muttered.

"Unless they are the dinner show, I think we should get them a room," the lady said, agreeing with her date.

"First teens taking over a room after breaking in! A lovers' quarrel! Too many couples! And now gross violations of PDA! I think I'm going to have a heart attack!" Love God said, hurrying off. All of this drama was making him forget, there was another problem brewing out there in the dining hall, as three couples planned an escape…