Here is the fifty-third chapter in this story released in accordance with the release schedule. Kiten has been defended, the Diamond Kingdom is in retreat, and it's time to return to the Capital as there are a few things to sort out there. After that, though, it's back to the hideout for some well earned rest and Yami has just the thing for it, providing he cleans up at the tables but he's feeling lucky. What could possibly ruin this planned party? Well let's see as that is all the administrative stuff I have for y'all and there are no questions to to answers or guest reviews that need a response so I will end this here. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate. That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the fifty-third chapter in Akame ga Clover.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.

Chapter 53: Arms

"The Diamond forces are in full retreat and I have reports that a number were captured or killed though we don't know exact amounts for each just yet." Marx said given the report on Kiten as the sun set outside. "However, Captain Vangeance has confirmed that this includes two of the three Generals who led the assault, Yagos and Lagus. Kiten is safe, sir."

"Thank you, Marx." Julius said as he looked out the window. "How did Yami and his Squad perform in support of Kiten?"

"By all reports they did their duty and then some." Marx said. "Yami himself saved William from a Smoke Magic user who we've identified as Lotus of the Abyss though he managed to get away along with General Brocks. Additionally, it would appear that Asta, Charmy, and Finral worked together to take down Yagos and save several citizens in the process though Yagos had lost his right arm at the hands of Langris Vaude shortly before that when he tried to attack Langris. According to the report, Langris was willing to sacrifice the citizens that Yagos was using as a human shield in order to kill him when they clashed a second time but the Black Bulls intervened."

"I see, that is both a good job by the Black Bulls and a disturbing report on Langris." Julius said his tone unchanged because he was aware that Langris was one of the many nobles who's mind had not been changed yet so an act like this wasn't out of the question for him. "I'll have to think on Langris, he is the Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn and a talented Magic Knight with a strong reputation but a report like this is troubling. We might need to keep a surreptitious eye on him, especially with what I'm currently working on."

"There is always Chelsea sir." Marx pointed out. "There's no one is better at covert information gathering in the Kingdom and only we and the Black Bulls know about her skills."

"True but she's on an important mission right now that I don't want to disturb." Julius said. "When she gets back I'll consider asking her to subtly surveil Langris. Speaking of the reborn souls, how about Akame and Tatsumi? How'd they do?"

"They were as ruthless as expected." Marx said his voice neutral as by now he was used to the kind of results that Akame and Tatsumi produced though this was a rare instance where they didn't have to be covert about them. "By all counts they killed around 50 Diamond soldiers between them including at least two Adjutant Generals. Additionally, Akame was the one who found Lagus unconscious after his defeat at the hands of Yuno and made sure that he was captured by Captain Vangeance's magic. Lagus, and Yagos for that matter, are both already in the VIP prison awaiting interrogation, which I will begin as soon as this is over."

"She didn't kill him? That's a surprising display of restraint for her during a battle when she had every right to execute him on the spot." Julius said surprised but pleased at the news. "That is very good to hear. Alright, for now let's focus on repairing damaged buildings and setting up temporary shelters for those who wish to remain in Kiten right away."

"Yes sir." Marx said before he turned and walked out.

"Now then, what was this invasion really about?" Julius muttered to himself as Marx left and he had a moment to think on the events of the day. "I remember their last invasion, this was nothing like that, it was much less serious. Invasion can't be their true goal with this so what are they actually after?"

It was a question that Julius would have to ponder when he could, and which he hoped that the interrogations of the two captured Generals would help with, but for now he had no answers and a town to rebuild so he walked back to his desk and began to work. The first thing he did though was pull out a blank piece of paper and began drafting something that was a couple months overdue but in the wake of the defense of Kiten necessary.

The delay in sorting this out hadn't been intentional but between the chaos caused by the emergence of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, Gueldre's betrayal, the need to send the Black Bulls to the Underwater Temple, and now this failed invasion by the Diamond Kingdom, Julius hadn't been able to sort it out. Well, now was as good a time as ever as all of those incidents played into what this was about, albeit with one slight hiccup in the midst of it, and as Julius had already made his decision on this matter he just needed to formalize it with the events in Kiten confirming it for him.

As Julius worked, he was unaware that many miles to the east of Kiten and deep within the Diamond Kingdom, Morris, the shadow puppet master there was assessing the information that Lotus had provided him from the failed invasion. It was good intel and the invasion had served its purpose, it had culled the three old Generals, even getting two of them caught which would provide false and misleading intel to their enemies, and allowed Morris to usher in his new age of Generals while also planting a few of his best assets deep within the Clover Kingdom.

That had been the purpose of the failed invasion and all the Diamond Kingdom had to do now was wait for their assets to set themselves up in the Capital and let their work bear fruit. Well, providing there wasn't a new General with an agenda of his own and a desire to change the kingdom for the better that is but Morris doubted that as he continued to enact his schemes in the Diamond Kingdom.

"Thank you two for joining me, I know that you'd like to be heading back to your base and taking a much needed break but before then there's one final thing I want to sort out." Julius said as Akame and Tatsumi stood before him as he sat at his desk in his official office the day after the defense of Kiten as they'd all spent the night in the border town aiding with the evacuation and initial rebuilding. "It shouldn't hold you up too long."

"That's fine, sir, now that we're back Asta's being checked over by Owen now and Captain Yami's off gambling." Tatsumi said. "We've got some time; we'll meet up with them in a few hours."

"Ah that's good to hear, then this will really be a time to celebrate for you then." Julius said with a smile as he reached to his side and picked up the rolled paper that was there and sealed with a wax seal bearing his symbol of office. "Here, this if for you Akame."

"Oh, er, thanks?" Akame asked a bit confused as she took it, the paper looked official and for the couple that meant that it was usually orders for their specific missions but the way the way the Wizard King was talking it sounded different though Akame still had to ask. "Another mission?"

"Just open it." Julius said not giving anything away.

Akame was a little confused by that but she did as she was told and broke the seal before opening the paper and looking over it. As she did her eyes went wide and she started to tremble slightly as she read the contents and Tatsumi looked over to her to see tears in them which startled him.

"Akame?" Tatsumi asked. "Are you ok?"

"Y, yeah." Akame said as she handed the paper to Tatsumi and rubbed her eyes and got herself under control. "Here, see for yourself."

Tatsumi did just that and looked over the paper. His own eyes went wide as he read what was written in the Wizard King's now familiar hand.

Notice of Pardon

Under my authority as the 28th Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom, I, Julius Novachrono, officially pardon Akame of the Black Bulls of the crimes of attempted murder of a Magic Knight Captain, membership in a criminal organization, and any other crimes associated with the first two charges. She has fulfilled her obligations under the terms of her plea deal following her arrest and after contemplation has passed her second sentence review. As such and in following with the plea deal, she has earned a full pardon for her crimes. All rights and privileges afforded to her are hereby restored in full.

That was it, that was all the paper said, well other than Julius's signature at the bottom accompanied by another seal to make it all official, and Tatsumi handed it back to Akame as she finished wiping her eyes. When she did, she was smiling and took the paper before putting it away in one of her belt pouches.

"Thank you sir." Akame said with a deep bow to the Wizard King. "I, I don't know what to say."

"You've earned this, even that little mistake with the Diamond officer a few months back wasn't enough to be an issue as the circumstances of that attack made it such that you weren't aware of his position." Julius said smiling back. "I should have sorted this out before the Underwater Temple as your review period occurred around the time you were helping out in Nean but with the need for haste after the incident in Nean and learning about the Magic Stones I forgot. A little late but it's official, you're free and can choose your own path now. I hope that…"

"I said that I'd serve you and Captain Yami when you offered me the chance out of the life I'd been sold into and I meant it." Akame said as she snapped up and executed a perfect Magic Knight salute to the Wizard King. "Even now that I'm no longer a convicted felon and my memories have been restored, my katana and magic is yours. I will continue to serve you and the Clover Kingdom as a Magic Knight in the Black Bulls, both my official duties and the ones that Tatsumi and I do behind the scenes to make this Kingdom a better place for everyone."

"That is what I had hoped to hear." Julius said still smiling as Akame lowered her hand and with that he reached down and opened a drawer on the desk from which pulled out two medal cases and placed them on his desk before him. "Usually this would be in a special ceremony like the one we had after the attack on the Capital, but, well, given your actual duties to the Kingdom I can't do that. However, because of all that you did in Kiten in an official capacity, and factoring in your service while on probation, I can officially promote you to the rank you actually are and present you with this award, Akame."

"Sir?" Akame asked but Julius ignored her for the moment.

"Tatsumi, yours is for your recent service both in retrieving the Magic Stone from the Underwater Temple and for aiding in the defense of Kiten as you never had any restrictions other than being unable to be recognized for your special missions." Julius continued. "So please come forward."

"Sir." Tatsumi said with a nod before he walked forward and Julius handed him one of the medals.

"Tatsumi, for your services to the kingdom in the Underwater Temple and Kiten, I hereby promote you to Intermediate First Class Magic Knight." Julius said as Tatsumi took the medal. "We're still counting the stars the Black Bulls earned from both those missions, and deciding how many each of you should be credited with, so I don't have an exact number yet but suffice it to say that it's going to be a lot for the Squad as a whole."

"We started at a disadvantage but I'm sure that we'll surprise the other Squads come the Star Festival." Tatsumi said stepping back. "Asta's been great for that, gotta give credit where credit is due and he's the one who's really turned us around."

"That he has, once that's over and the little thing I have planned after that, his promotion through the ranks should be staggering." Julius said and he meant it because short of something serious coming up Asta was about to really get noticed for the results that he'd produced. "Now Akame, it's your turn and this is long overdue for you."

"I understand why, there were limits due to being on probation." Akame said as she stepped forward and Julius held out the second medal to her. "And it never bothered me anyway."

"Correct but those limits have been lifted and in accordance with the law you will now be recognized for all the official acts that you've done since you reached the highest rank a Magic Knight who was on a probationary sentence for felony convictions could reach." Julius said as Akame took the medal. "So, Akame, for all your services while under probation, which include defending the Capital and Nean from terrorists and stopping a Diamond Kingdom attack on a Magic Knight Squad to name a few examples, as well as your critical role in securing the Magic Stone in Underwater Temple and your action in defense of Kiten, including the capture of one of the Eight Shining Generals, I hereby promote you to Senior Fourth Class."

"Come again?" Akame said her hands shaking slightly as she looked at the Wizard King her eyes wide. "Senior Fourth Class?"

"Yes, before the last few days you would be an Intermediate First Class Magic Knight had you not been on probation, so now that you're not your going straight to that rank with an additional promotion for your actions in the Underwater Temple and Kiten." Julius said with a nod. "This is one of the largest jumps ever in fact. This is just from your official service; your unofficial service is vastly more consequential and if I could both of you would be higher ranked because of that but as you know all I can do for that service is express my personal thanks and as that you keep it up."

"We know, sir." Tatsumi said as he helped a still slightly shellshocked Akame back. "Thank you for recognizing us and don't worry, we will continue to serve you in that role as well. We understand how important it is and will do whatever is necessary to make this Kingdom better."

"The Kingdom owes you two a debt it will never know, this is the least that I can do for you." Julius said. "Now go, enjoy a much needed break and a little celebration. I'm sure that Yami and the other Black Bulls will be shocked when they learn of this."

"Sir." Tatsumi and Akame said at once as they saluted, their awards in their left hands at their sides.

Julius just smiled at them and they took this as their dismissal and turned and left the room while the Wizard King went back to work. It was time to meet up with Yami, Asta, and Finral, Charmy had already been sent back as she had no reason to stay in the Capital like the others, and get back to the hideout. After all and they'd more than earned this time off. Hopefully Asta would be healed as well and the whole Squad could have a party.

"Oh, sorry Finral, didn't realize that you were still here." Asta said as he left the Magic Knights Headquarters tower to see Finral standing by the door. "Have you been waiting a while?"

"It's fine Asta, don't worry I had some time to try and find a few dates while waiting for the rest of you to be done." Finral said his tone a little nervous because of what he'd just heard about Asta's arms as he turned to Asta though Asta didn't notice the tone though he might have noticed Finral's state in his ki if he'd been paying attention to it. "It's not like we can go back yet anyway. We're still waiting on Yami, Akame and Tatsumi."

"Right, where are those two?" Asta asked. "Akame and Tatsumi I mean as I'm sure the Captain is busy with his gambling."

"I believe they're meeting privately with the Wizard King, so you know what that likely means." Finral said. "Best not to think about it."

"Ah, yeah, that's for the best." Asta said as he walked down the steps and into the courtyard. "Their special missions aren't something to speculate on. Well, we'll have to wait until…"

"Yo."

The call was from Yami and got their attention so they turned to their Captain as he strode towards them with a massive sack over his right shoulder that he was carrying without an issue. As he did Asta moved to stand next to but slight behind Finral as they watched Yami approach them.

"Wow, you cleaned up Captain Yami." Asta said. "Good day then?"

"Yup, knew that today would finally be my lucky day!" Yami said with a laugh as he came to a stop before them. "The tables were on my side and a good make up for not getting to cash in on my bet with that old geezer down in the Underwater Temple."

"Er, what's in the sack?" Finral asked deciding not to ask about what Yami and Gifso had bet on.

"You'll find out soon." Yami said not revealing what he'd bought for the Squad. "Once Akame and Tatsumi are back then you'll find out so get that portal ready."

"Yes sir." Finral said with a sigh. "When will they…"

"Hey, guys, looks like we're the last to arrive!" A familiar male voiced called out to them. "We expected the Captain to be the last one but looks like he did really well and left while he was up."

The call came from the entrance to the courtyard and they all turned to see Akame and Tatsumi walking towards them. As expected, they were holding hands, fingers interlocked and making Finral envious but happy for them at the same time. Tatsumi's free left hand was waving at them and he'd been the one to call out while Akame was just smiling in a way none of them had seen before as it wasn't like the smile she gave when with or talking about Tatsumi, or when she was about to feast on succulent meat, so it was a strange sight. Additionally, Yami and Asta noted that Akame's ki was really happy for some reason.

"Someone looks really happy." Yami said giving voice to what he was sensing a note of surprise in his tone. "After a private audience with the Wizard King you two usually look a lot more reserved and serious due to what he's asked you to do."

"It was a bit different this time." Tatsumi said with a grin as they reached their Captain and squadmates. "Show them Akame, no point in hiding it now, not that you were making an effort to in the first place."

"I'd hoped to let the whole Squad know but yeah, it's too good to hide and my ki would give it away anyway." Akame said still smiling as she reached her free right hand into a pouch on her belt and pulled out a small scroll of paper with a broken seal that she handed over to Finral while noting that Yami had a big sack of what Akame was sure was meat on his shoulder and that Asta's arms were still in slings for some reason but she was too happy to focus on that at the moment. "I got this just now."

Finral took the paper and unrolled it while Yami glanced at it and between the official looking paper and Akame's current state he put two and two together. Finral didn't so eyes went wide as he read the paper before he looked form it to Akame who nodded and then back at the scroll before handing it back to her.

"So, it happened then." Yami said looking at Akame as she took the pardon but didn't return it to her belt pouch just yet. "I was wondering when it would, it's been more than a year since Tatsumi joined and about 2 since you tried to kill me so your review was due around now."

"It's been a bit chaotic lately so there was a slight delay." Akame said. "But yes, it's official now."

"What is?" Asta asked lost now.

"This." Akame said holding up the scroll which she intended on getting framed somehow and put it up in her room at the hideout. "It's my official pardon. I'm no longer a convicted felon."

"What! That's amazing!" Asta said stars in his eyes as he looked at Akame though Finral was surprised that he could be so happy after the news he'd just received from Owen about how badly his arms had been damaged. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, it means a lot that I'm cleared of what I did in the past." Akame said as she put the pardon back in her belt pouch. "And now I'm free to make my own choices with all rights restored to me. Of course I'm sticking with the Black Bulls and my duties as a Magic Knight of the Clover Kingdom, nothing will change that."

"I expected that." Yami said nodding his approval. "And now I might have more than one of you who's ranked above the Junior Class."

"About that." Akame said flushing and not looking at Yami. "Um, it wasn't just the pardon that the Wizard King wanted to see us about. There was one more thing he had for us."

"Our promotions tend to be in private ceremonies with only him and maybe Mushroom Head present and now that the barrier for Akame's promotions has been lifted we got some new ones." Tatsumi grinned. "I'm an Intermediate First Class Magic Knight now."

"Oh come on, I helped a lot as well, can't I get promoted." Finral said crying. "It's not fair."

"I'm sure you will, to Junior First Class." Tatsumi said. "The Wizard King is still sorting things out but you played a massive role in taking down Vetto so I'm sure that there will be an official ceremony where you, Asta, Vanessa, Noelle, and everyone else for that matter get promoted a few ranks. We're just a bit different that's all."

"Wait so Akame's no longer a Junior Magic Knight?" Asta asked a bit confused.

"No, er, well…" Akame began she was still getting used to the sudden promotion and still a little flushed as she thought on it. "Because of my probation all my accomplishments kinda piled up, the ones I can be recognized for at least, so between that and what just happened, I'm now, er, a Senior Fourth Class Magic Knight."

"What!" Asta and Finral exclaimed.

"That's some jump." Yami said the surprise clear in his voice this time. "Well you are at that rank I'd say and Julius knows it as well hence why he's promoted you to it. So I've got a senior and near senior Magic Knight now, well that will shut some people up about the quality of the Black Bulls, not that it matters to us anyway. Still, this means that we've got even more things to celebrate."

"Thanks Captain." Akame said smiling.

"And on that, Finral, portal, now!" Yami said.

"Oh, right, yes sir." Finral said snapping out of his shock at Akame's promotion all the way to Senior Class. "Let's get home."

With that Finral made them a portal and Yami walked through it with his sack followed by Asta and then Akame and Tatsumi. Finral was the last one and now that he'd recovered from his surprise he was back to thinking about Asta's situation as he too walked through the portal and it closed behind them as they finally returned to the hideout.

Not long after they returned to the base, and while Akame was giving everyone the news of her pardon and promotion to much cheering from almost the entire squad, and hugs from Vanessa, Yami set up what he had planned for them. When it was ready, he called them all outside and the whole Squad gathered in front of the hideout facing it as Yami looked them over and began to address them.

"Alright listen up!" Yami said looking over his Squad. "As some of you may have noticed, we've amassed so many stars in the last few months that we've actually made it out of the hole that we were in and then some! Oh and this is not factoring in the stars we're going to get for the Underwater Temple and defending Kiten. Regardless, this all thanks to you knuckleheads and the hard work that you've been doing!"

At that several of the Squad cheered as none of them expected to get out of the red and into the black even with the recent successes that they'd had. Asta had stars in his eyes as he yelled in celebration at the news and even Noelle was flushed at the news though she was still reserved.

"So that means…" Yami said as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder and suddenly a massive pile of meat appeared there. "It's meat time! Let's barbeque and celebrate getting out of the hole, several successful missions that we didn't mess up in the slightest, and Akame's pardon and promotion to Senior Fourth Class, along with Tatsumi's to Intermediate First Class!"

That got even more cheers from the Squad and in moments two barbeque pits were set up and lit followed shortly by the sound of meat starting to sizzle on them. At the same time, what was ready to eat as some of the meat had been prepared while Akame was sharing her news was laid out on tables that had been laid out nearby.

Naturally, Akame was taking point with the barbeque as she expertly prepared the meat while trying, and failing, to not salivate at the smell of it. It was the smell of well cooked meat that also got Charmy out of her funk that she'd been in since returning to the hideout and she leapt up to join in with the preparations.

"Meat! I smell meat! Meat prepared by Akame, the best kind of meat!" Charmy yelled excitedly as she leapt up and was almost instantly at one of the barbeques inspecting the several hunks of meat on it that she was zipping around as she continued to cheer at the meat. "Yes, this meat! That meat! Oh and definitely that meat! All the meat! Yay meat!"

As Charmy finished she was holding two hunks of meat that had just finished cooking aloft by their bones smiling broadly. They hunks were gone in seconds and Charmy moved onto to more meat that she was praising as yummy as she ate it.

"This is a freaking holiday!" Magna cried as he maintained the fires so that the meat was nicely and properly cooked. "If Yami's treating us to all this meat then I'm gonna eat enough for a whole lifetime and then some!"

"So basically what Akame and Charmy individually eat in a week." Tatsumi said with a laugh as he enjoyed some. "Or less depending on what Akame's hunted."

"True but there is something to be said for standard meat that you can buy in the Capital." Akame said as she took over a whole table to serve as her plate and piled it to groaning with as much meat as it could handle while no one, not even Charmy, dared to get between Akame and the meat she'd decided was hers. "I like wild game and all, there's a taste of what you've hunted that just can't be beat, but the old classics are good as well."

"Oh Marie, I'd never allow you to eat such inferior meat." Gauche said as he stared at a picture of Marie and began to fantasize about feeding her perfect meat cooked to exact specifications so that it was safe to eat while also being delicious at the same time. "First you've gotta cook it to…"

"That's creepy and this meat is far from inferior but I'll give Gauche some props." Akame said as she swallowed more meat than should be normal for a girl her size though it was still nothing compared to what Charmy was doing while Gauche began to mumble with a nosebleed as he ate his meat. "He does know how to properly cook it; those are the right instructions but hard to pull off unless you know what you're doing."

"Hey Magna, how about a fight to the death for this hunk of…wait where'd it got?" Luck asked as there was a flash of black and the hunk of meat on a tray above his head was gone leaving him looking up at the now empty tray with a puzzled look on his face. "It was just here."

"What are you talking about?" Magna asked looking over at the missing meat. "Of course I wouldn't want to fight to the death over it."

"That's no fun." Luck said. "But seriously, where's the meat."

"No clue." Akame said as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "Was it even there to begin with? Oh well, we'll never know."

"You're not fooling anyone." Magna pointed out.

"Be thankful she didn't take that fight to the death literally." Tatsumi said. "You'd be dead before you realized it."

"It was a consideration but the meat was open." Akame said as she ripped off a chunk of her latest piece of meat her table still covered so she'd interrupted her feast to steal Luck's meat. "Can't pass it up."

"Yeah even I'm not crazy enough to get between Akame and meat." Luck admitted as Vanessa laughed nearby, her cheeks flushed pink from chugging whatever alcohol was in her mug. "I'd rather have a proper death match with Akame without the meat in the way."

"And we've got something good to wash all this down as well." Vanessa said happily her voice carrying while Akame just ignored Luck as she continued to feast on her meat. "I love today, don't you Grey?"

"Ow, this is so hot." Grey said from next to Vanessa as she tried to eat the slab of meat she'd just taken from the grill and burned her mouth on it though at least Grey was remaining in her true form showing that she was at least comfortable showing her real self around them. "Ouchies. Ah Luck! What are you doing? Please don't watch me eat! It's embarrassing!"

"Huh?" Luck asked confused at Grey's outburst.

"You can only eat barbecued meat with people who are special to you." Gordon mumbled a meat skewer in his hand though no one could hear him as his voice was as soft as ever. "Asta and I are special friends sharing the same meat. The same with all of you, we're all such good friends to share this meat together like this."

"Um, well, I was thinking, and, er, I guess that it must be hard to eat with the state of your arms, Asta." Noelle said flushing bright red from where she was next to Asta her embarrassment at what she was about to say preventing her from being able to look at him as she spoke. "So, er, if you need somebody to feed you then, um, I suppose that I'd be willing to help you out but only this once and just as friends mind you so, so don't read too much into it or anything like that."

"Hey look!" Asta cried stars in his eyes and a meat skewer in between his toes. "With these on skewers I can eat with my feet now! That's pretty cool, right? I don't even need my arms for to eat!"

"Asta, you, you…" Noelle began as she pulled out her wand and blasted Asta, for his poor manners and not for not accepting her offer when she'd been so kind to make it, at least she mentally told herself that. "Vulgar commoner!"

"Man Asta, even I'm not that dense." Tatsumi said as Asta was blasted away while Magna laughed and Charmy caught all the meat that was blasted with him in her mouth before it hit the ground thus making sure that not a single piece was wasted, though she or Akame would have still eaten it if it had hit the ground anyway. "You've got a royal willing to feed you meat, if that's not a sign then I'm not sure what will get through to you."

"What did you say Tatsumi!" Noelle yelled turning to glare at him but Tatsumi just smiled. "I was merely trying to help out a friend who can't use his arms right now!"

"Relax Noelle, he'll get it eventually." Tatsumi said completely unphased by her glare and already prepared to make a shield if need be. "Just keep trying, no one can remain that dense forever."

"Tatsumi." Akame said and he turned to her as she held out a skewer of personally prepared meat to him her cheeks red while Noelle raged behind him, her own internal war regarding Asta rearing up again. "H, here, I chose some of the best pieces for you."

"Oh thanks Akame." Tatsumi said as he turned to it and ate the first piece off the skewer while Vanessa cheered and Noelle spluttered her war forgotten as the cuteness of the scene was exactly what she'd been trying to go for with Asta but as soon as Noelle thought that she denied it and her war resumed. "Mhm, damn babe, this is good but you do have the best taste in meat."

"Charmy might challenge me but thanks my love." Akame said as she continued to feed her boyfriend enjoying the experience. "We never got to do this in our previous life so it's nice to do it now."

"Any meat from you will always taste best to me." Tatsumi said causing Vanessa to gush even more. "Just a fact."

Akame smiled as she went bright red. Like Charmy, sharing her food was a big sign of friendship for her but this was another level. Then again Tatsumi was the man she loved and was dating so that was to be expected.

"And you can return the favor later Tatsumi!" Vanessa called out. "I'm sure you've got some 'meat' that Akame would love to have."

"Vanessa!" Akame yelled going even redder as she turned to her friend while Tatsumi blushed at the implication and Vanessa burst out laughing as this all what Vanessa had suspected about Akame sampling Tatsumi's 'meat'. "That's it! The booze it is!"

"Wait! Not my booze!" Vanessa cried as Akame's grimoire flew open and she drew Murasame and rushed at Vanessa going for the bottle of wine that was now in her hand. "Have mercy Akame!"

"Hey Finral." Yami slurred from the where he was sitting clearly well past tipsy while Akame began chasing a now fleeing Vanessa and swiping her katana at the older woman's bottle while Vanessa tried to keep it away from her. "Show us a trick!"

"Huh, oh ok." Finral said his mind still on Asta's current predicament but doing his best to get into the spirit of things as two portals appeared on either side of him. "Watch: The Self-Punch!"

Finral proceeded to punch through one of the portals so that his fist came out the other and tapped himself in the back of the head while his arm was still punching through the first portal. This set Yami off into uproarious laughter as Finral kept it up.

"Hah, that's a good one." Yami said the trick getting Vanessa and Akame to calm down and laugh at it as well. "You're turn Charmy. What you got?"

"My trick is the instantly disappearing meat trick!" Charmy said as a pile almost as tall as her was in front of her was suddenly blocked by two sheep cooks bringing a large plate to obscure it and then removed it revealing nothing left but a chewing Charmy who raised the plate above her head. "See, it's all gone."

"All you did was eat like you normally do." Yami pointed out. "That's cheating."

"But it was impressively fast." Akame said as everyone laughed at Yami's accurate point. "Even I can't eat meat that fast, yet."

"Yeah, I've seen your speed." Tatsumi said having recovered from his own embarrassment and nodding in agreement with his girlfriend. "It's disturbing to see someone that's faster than you."

"Agreed." Akame said.

"Ok, let's see something better." Yami said. "You're up Grey!"

"Ah! Please don't make me Captain!" Grey wailed as she leapt to the side in surprise at the call out. "I hate being the center of attention!"

"Shut up and do it already." Yami said. "Captain's orders."

"O, ok here goes…" Grey said as she wailed and then turned into her usual big guy from when they all met her.

"Oh come on that's just your usual guy, Grey, you've gotta something else now that we know that that's not you." Yami said as he and everyone laughed while Gordon mumbled that everyone had such great tricks that they could pull off and that he had one he'd been practicing and asked if they wanted to see it but like usual no one heard him. "Akame, salvage this. Show the rabble what a Senior Class Magic Knight can do."

"I'll try Captain." Akame said as she held out her hand towards one of the largest hunk of meat that was just finishing cooking and several blades appeared around her. "Meat Carving Sculpture!"

At that the blades shot out and sliced the meat with a fine, fast, delicate touch that looked like a series of gray flashes to the naked eye and sent strips flying though Akame had accounted for that as Charmy leapt up and caught all the meat that was now in the air in her mouth. It only took a few seconds to before it was done and the final blade used its flat to flip the meat up and at Akame who caught it in her right hand above her head.

"I present…Meat-ursamae!" Akame said blushing as she held aloft a meat katana carved in the shape of her own katana, the juices leaking out and onto her hand before running down her forearm but she didn't mind. "The only katana that you can safely eat!"

"Ha, that's how it's done!" Yami roared as Akame proceeded to eat said meat katana while the Black Bulls cheered. "Who's next?"

"Me! Me!" Luck said as he grabbed Magna, charged him with lightning and spun him creating a human vortex of lightning with a screaming Magna at the center. "The Crackling Magna Typhoon!"

"Alright I got a new one!" Charmy said as everyone laughed at Magna before looking at Charmy to see that she was now wielding two hunks of meat in her hands, two in her mouth and had three of her sheep holding 7 more behind her, one in each hand and the middle one in its mouth, all by the bone. "Meat Sheep Peacock!"

Everyone laughed at that and in seconds the meat was gone. Tatsumi followed Charmy's second attempt by making a meat shield that Akame proceeded to leap on and eat as he held it, and her as well, aloft as if it was an actual shield. It was all a good time and Asta even said he could do some weight training as his trick but a no longer crackling Magna pointed out that it wasn't a special trick at all.

It was a good time and they kept it up for a few more hours as they laughed, ate, and drank together celebrating all of their recent success as a Squad. It had been some of the best times for the Black Bulls, professionally speaking as the several missions had all been terrifying life or death battles for them, and they were enjoying this moment to kick back and throw down with each other. Finally, though it began to wind down as the meat began to run out and in the end it was Asta who was the first to break the fun.

"This has been great, guys, but I'm actually pretty beat now." Asta said his eyes closed as if he was tired though he had a smile on his face. "I'm going to call it a day."

"Yeah alright, you have been busier than the rest of us lately." Magna said. "Go and get some shut eye, Rasta. You've earned it."

"Great job everyone, night." Asta said as he turned and walked off to the hideout.

As he did Noelle got concerned. She knew Asta best, not because she studied him or followed him or anything like that, well except that one time to Nean for the mixer and again when he went to see that Rebecca woman on their day off as she had valid reasons for those incidents, but because she was always with him and she could tell that something was off with Asta.

"Hey, does Asta seem a little off to you guys?" Noelle asked looking around. "It's just, well, he's not being his normal self I feel."

"Yeah, come to think of it you're right." Magna said thinking on Noelle's words for a moment. "I don't think I've ever seen him go to bed early before, he's usually training or chilling late with the rest of us. Usually he's not the first to call it a night."

"His ki is a bit…down." Tatsumi agreed as he focused on it. "That is odd, I didn't notice earlier because we were having so much fun but yeah something's definitely off with him."

"Certainly not its usual vibrance that's for sure." Akame said as she chewed some more meat and focused on Asta's ki as well. "That is odd, it's gotta take a lot to get to him."

Noelle was glad the others agreed with her because Asta was always so happy and focused on his goals or training or just having a good time but today it seemed like he was faking it. She could tell, he just felt off for some reason.

"I could see if a drink would help cheer him up." Vanessa offer the slur clear in her voice as Finral got up and walked over to the rest of them. "I have always wondered what drunk Asta would look like. I bet he's a happy, laughing, drunk who's a lot of fun to be around."

"Maybe all he needs is a good death match." Luck said. "That would cheer me up if I was down."

"It's obvious!" Charmy said raising her arms. "The problem is that he didn't eat enough meat. Let's get some more and bring it to Asta!"

"I can procure more quickly if that's the case." Akame said. "But as good as meat is at cheering people up, I feel like this is a bit more than that. Bit out of my wheelhouse unfortunately."

"I wonder if something happened to him." Grey said and that got everyone's attention causing her to blush and hide her face in her hands. "Ah, forget that I just said anything!"

"Now that you mention it, the corners of his mouth curled up a little less than usual when he smiled this evening." Gordon mumbled though they still couldn't hear him. "I was paying close attention and noticed that but I failed to notice how bad it was, I'm a terrible friend."

"Marie." Gauche whispered his nose bleeding and everyone opted to ignore that as it was clear that Gauche wouldn't be helpful at all.

"Hey, um, listen guys." Finral said getting their attention and they turned to him where he stood a bit behind them having not really gotten involved in the whole party either beyond his little party trick that Yami had him perform. "Earlier, when I was at HQ, I overheard something while Asta was being healed and that's the reason why he's down. The thing is, his arms, they're, they're never going to get better."

That stunned everyone and no one spoke for a moment as they thought on Asta and his usually irrepressible grin and the way he lifted them all up with his drive and determination to never give up. This was a bombshell none of them had expected.

"What?" Vanessa asked breaking the silence, the news sobering her up instantly. "That's not possible, right?"

"No way, that, that can't be it." Magna said shaking his head. "Something like this can't happen to Asta."

"This is a world of magic where someone can regrow their arm." Tatsumi said. "Surely there's something that can be done for him."

"If there is then it's not something anyone in this Kingdom can manage." Finral said as he began to explain what he heard back in the Capital. "Owen's the best healer in the Kingdom and he can't heal Asta. I heard what Owen said and he believes that Asta was hit with ancient Hex Magic which I for one have never heard of. On top of that, his bones aren't broken, they've basically disintegrated. Owen doesn't believe that his magic can heal Asta, that's how bad it is. Owen said that he'll, he'll never wield a sword again."

There was another pause as they all digested Finral's news and what Owen had apparently said to Asta. Finally Yami broke the silence.

"So it's a curse then." Yami said as he thought back on Vetto and all that had happened after that creepy forehead eye appeared on his head following Noelle's spell hitting him. "If the best Recovery Mage in the Kingdom says that Asta was cursed then that's the most likely diagnosis for his arms. Can't really argue with his diagnosis."

"It can't be." Noelle said staggering as the news sunk in. "Asta, I just…"

"I, I thought that I'd found somebody who I could fight with." Finral said his hands clenched and head bowed. "Somebody who'd showed me how my magic could be useful in battle and now…"

"No, I can't, I won't believe it." Magna said. "This can't be real."

"He had no magic to begin with." Vanessa said. "But because of that he has Anti-Magic which made up for it and then some. Now, now he can't even use his swords that have it. That monster took that from him."

"Oh no, so sad." Charmy said.

"Vetto's a bastard." Akame snarled. "Even after death he's got a gift of despair for us despite us never despairing when we fought him. To take a swordsman's arms, unforgiveable."

"This is awful." Gordon said.

"What the fuck are the Eye of the Midnight Sun." Tatsumi said. "This, this isn't normal. Even in a world of magic, there's something not right with them that goes beyond what this world deems natural, there has to be."

"Asta…" Noelle said fighting back tears at the news.

"He's not in the hideout." Akame said as she suddenly realized that Asta's ki wasn't there and getting their attention as she quickly scanned the area and found where it was. "He's staring at the sky over there."

Akame pointed and they all saw that Asta had gone somewhere into the trees behind the hideout. As one they all moved out, silently going through the woods in the direction that Akame had indicated until they came upon Asta sitting with his back to them on a boulder overlooking a cliff with Nero sitting on it next to him. By now the moon was in the sky, it's crescent arc casting a soft glow over the area and they all crouched down, hiding behind rocks and trees as they watched Asta contemplate what was going on, being there for him but giving him space as he clearly needed wanted some alone time.

"What now?"

Noelle was the one who asked the question, her voice soft and low so that Asta didn't hear them, but no one answered it as it sounded like Asta was about to cry where he was. At least it did until he started to yell in the way that only Asta could.

"Like hell I'd give up!" Asta roared out and into the night causing them all to gasp as they watched him leap up onto the rock. "You've got me again, Fate, you big jerk! First it was denying me magic and now my arms but all that's done is get me even more fired up than I was before! Never wield a sword again? Fat chance that! I'm going to find a cure for my arms if it's the last thing that I do! Do you hear me?! And if that's not possible then I'll just have to figure out a way to fight without them! I found a way to fight without magic didn't I?! This is nothing, nothing you hear me!"

Noelle smiled at that as Asta panted where he was. They were all stunned by Asta's words but they were just like him at the same time.

"I almost gave up back in Hage when that chain bastard had me after the Grimoire Ceremony so I know the feeling and I know that I'm never going to let it happen again." Asta said grinning now. "Just you wait and see fate! I'm still going to be the Wizard King!"

"He's fine." Noelle said still smiling as the Black Bulls smiled or in Magna's case cried manly tears at Asta's outburst. "We were worried but Asta wasn't, that's so like him."

"You tell Fate, kid." Yami whispered. "Don't let something as inconsequential as that hold you back."

"It doesn't get much manlier than this." Magna said through his tears as Asta began to devolve into incoherent ranting at the moon while they watched. "I'm totally hyped up by this."

"That's our Asta, there's no one like him." Luck said grinning. "I can't wait to fight him."

"Sure is." Finral said. "Only Asta can see the light in this."

"Fate can fuck you hard, I know that first hand with what I've been through, but there's always a way around it." Akame said. "Not even death prevented me and my love from being together in the end."

"We did show Fate that much." Tatsumi agreed. "And Asta's not one to let silly things like logic, reasoning, or the natural laws of this world stand in his way now is he? He never does after all."

"I'll share my dessert with him later." Charmy said smiling. "And the next one after that as well."

"After all that's happened, he's still so hopeful." Grey said. "It's inspiriting in so many ways."

"I always believed in him." Gordon mumbled. "I knew that my best friend Asta can overcome anything."

"He is pretty tough, it's not easy to knock him down." Gauche said. "That said, I still won't let him anywhere near Marie, even if I give him this much at least."

The only one of them who didn't speak was Vanessa. Like the others she too was inspired by Asta's determination to not give up and she mentally told him to keep it up because she knew a place that could have the magic they needed to help him. It was a place she swore she'd never return to but Asta had done so much for her that this was the least that she could do for him.

Asta had been cursed by ancient Hex Magic and there was one person that Vanessa knew who not only would know about this kind of magic and how it could be reversed but likely had the power to do so. She hated who she had to go to for this favor and what it might cost her but helping Asta was more than worth it, if he couldn't give up on his dreams then Vanessa could face her own past.

With that, and Asta still ranting at the moon about his arms and how he wasn't going to give up on his dream, they all turned and retired for the night. All of them wanted to help Asta and they'd do so first thing in the morning, before he even got up though other than the small groups they'd form when they got back, they weren't going to share their plans with the others just yet. There had to be a cure out there and each of them was going to do their best to find it as they got back to the hideout and to plan what they'd do and where they would search for a cure for Asta's arms.

As far as Akame and Tatsumi knew they were the first up the next morning and met in the common room packed and ready to head out on their cure finding mission. They had to wait a moment for Finral to get up but soon he was there and without a word they all left so that he could portal them to where they wanted to go unaware that Vanessa had woken up before them and already headed out to where she was sure there was a cure for Asta.

"I can get you as far as one of the most northern villages in the Kingdom, even further north than Hage." Finral said as he held out his arm and created a portal recalling what they'd asked him before bed claiming that after the barbeque there was now a shortage of meat in the hideout so they needed some more and as they wanted to get some training in at the same time they'd requested that Finral send them somewhere specific first thing in the morning. "I've never gone past that though so from there you've gotta fly."

"That's fine, I have." Akame said. "And we'll be alright, I survived it as a kid with no grimoire so now it will be a piece of cake, especially with Tatsumi by my side helping out. The hunting up there is going to be really good, been a while since I had that kind of meat and I bet it's as tasty as ever."

"Yeah I'm sure that we'll find just the right things we need there." Tatsumi said. "What better place to look for rare and unique beasts with potentially interesting properties to them than a Strong Magic Region."

"Well, good luck." Finral said not bothering to question their weak excuses for what they were doing to find a cure for Asta's arms and they nodded at him before they walked into the portal, bags on their backs and vanished. "And happy hunting."

The whole Squad was going split up and give their excuses to Yami if he asked where they were going that morning, or to Finral to get him to make them a portal to where they needed to go. In fact, other than Vanessa they were all going to use Finral's help making portals to take them where they wanted to go so even though they didn't tell him exactly why they were going to these various locations, he knew where they were going and could deduce from there.

As such Finral knew that after Akame and Tatsumi, Magna and Luck were planning to go dungeon hunting in the wastelands of the Forsaken Realm starting with a desert dungeon out there. Gauche and Gordon were going to head to the royal library to research hexes and see if there was a cure in the many books the library contained. Charmy and Grey had plans to see if they could find magical ingredients that might cure cures.

Lastly, Noelle had her own plan to seek out old man Zell and see if he, Mariella, and Domina had any ideas. Finral planned on joining Noelle on that but she wasn't intending on that, she was going alone and then Finral could go search on his own as well.

The only one who'd not requested a morning portal from Finral was Vanessa. In fact, she'd been up before any of them and had already left without telling anyone though Finral had seen her leave so he knew she was already out but not where she'd gone. That was because Vanessa was going to her homeland that she'd run away from, the Forest of Witches, to see her mother the Witch Queen. If anyone could help Asta then it would be her and Vanessa was willing to pay the price of being imprisoned for a second time by her mother until she learned to manipulate fate if it meant healing Asta.

Naturally Akame and Tatsumi didn't know what the others had planned, though they presumed that the rest of the Squad had plans to find a cure for Asta as well, because they were focused on their own plan. Said plan entailed Finral using one of his portals to transport them to the outskirts of a small village that was one of several that were less than a day from the Strong Magic Region that separated Clover from Spade in the far north of the Kingdom and served as one of the rest areas for the Purple Orcas who were stationed at the border.

Their plan was simple, enter the Strong Magic Region and see if they could find a cure for Asta's arms there. Their main targets were the beasts that roamed it and which had evolved strangely over the centuries thanks to constant exposure to high levels of mana. Hopefully one of those beasts had a cure in it and so with that in mind they headed off on their personal mission.

As they did, the couple couldn't help but wonder how the others would do on their missions and wished them their best. It wasn't just them though that the couple wondered about; they hoped that all their friends here were doing well even if some hadn't had their blocks broken yet. Hopefully, they were having success and soon they'd get to fully reunite with the rest of them but they all had their duties and right now Akame and Tatsumi were doing theirs to their friend and squadmate as they reached the village and entered to make final preparations for taking on the Strong Magic Region.

Well there you have it, Akame and Tatsumi will be spending the Forest of Witches arc on their own mission in the Strong Magic Region which will also have some unforeseen adventures. All that is to come but for the moment, and as mentioned in the final paragraph, let's have a look at how the other members of Night Raid are doing. This was a suggestion a while back that made sense as it has been a while since we've seen more than a snippet of either Najenda and Lubbock dealing with Sekke or Chelsea and Mine getting their orders so to make up for missing the Forest of Witches arc there will be a special arc (4 or so chapters) that shows how the others are doing and reveal more about their lives and magic in the Clover Kingdom. We'll see the missions that Bulat and Sheele were sent on a while back as part of the Highball fallout, some fun for Lub and Najenda, what Leone is currently up to in the wake of Mereoleona's recall to the Capital, and Chelsea and Mine's mission to investigate the Purple Orcas. This is why I asked for OCs who'd likely be killed or captured to flesh out these missions and that offer still stands for any suggestions so let's see how the others are getting along before circling back to what Akame and Tatsumi are up too. Other than that, the only thing to really say is that Akame's earned her pardon at last and can finally be recognized for her hard work (the official stuff) and is now the rank she actually is though she'll need to get used to it but all that will come in due course. That is all that I have for y'all, however, so I will leave this chapter and long post chapter note off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and I will try to answer any questions posed in reviews and PMs as best I can. Until next time.

Stringdog