Second time around

Chapter 1

Tatsumi sank to the floor, Incursio falling away from him as the last of his energy ran out. His blood bubbled out of his wound, falling onto luscious locks of blue hair, staining it a deep red. Tears continued to spill down his cheeks as he looked at the woman before him and he could barely summon enough energy to press his hand to her cheek, prompting a small smile from Esdeath.

"Tatsumi," she said softly, struggling to press her own hand against his, "Don't be sad. I don't regret it."

He shook his head at her words, "No, it's all my fault. I should have-"

"That's what I liked about you, Tatsumi. You followed your heart and you never listened to me. I would have never fallen so in love with you if you weren't you."

He gazed down at her, despondent as he looked down at her dying body.

He had thought her invincible. Even if Night Raid had won, even if they had succeeded in righting the wrongs of the world, he never would have thought Esdeath would have died. For some reason, he still held on hope that she would change for the better, that she would finally realize what that she was serving the wrong people.

Some part of him loved her.

And he had realized it too late.

Everyone was dead. The Prime Minister had turned on Esdeath, just as she had always expected him to. Still, expectation did not stop the Prime Minister from winning. It was a simple enough tactic, one that Tatsumi never thought would've worked. He had drained Esdeath of most of her blood, taking away her teigu as well as her life.

It never should've worked, but the teigu was seemingly comptatible with the Prime Minister. As a result, he had used it to wreak havoc on the remaining Night Raid. Esdeath had always held back on them; the Prime Minister had sliced Mine, Leone, and Akame in half before they even had a chance. Tatsumi had barely gotten away thanks to Incursio, but even then he hadn't been fast enough to dodge a fatal ice shard.

"I never wanted it to turn out like this," he admitted truthfully as he slowly continued to stroke her cheek with care. "I just wanted to live in a world with peace. Where the rich didn't take advantage of the poor, and girls suffering from poverty weren't sold into the lives they didn't want. But it seems as if the rich always win."

"You mustn't blame yourself," said Esdeath sadly. "It's not your fault, Tatsumi."

"It is! I should've listened to you. I should've taken you up on that offer and stayed with you. I should've tried to change things from the inside. The Revolution was always a far-fetched goal, and I don't know why I thought it would be otherwise."

"Tatsumi," said Esdeath, and for the first time, Tatsumi saw tears in her ice blue eyes.

"I wish I did. I wish I could go back in time and make the right decision. Because," he paused here, coughing out blood before finding his courage and energy and slowly leaning downward and pressing chapped lips against her forehead. "I love you, Esdeath, and I think I always have."

The tears finally fell from her eyes as she closed them at his words, "Thank you, Tatsumi."

She was gone in seconds, but she died with a smile on her face.

Tatsumi couldn't stop the hysterical sobs erupting from his mouth as he let go of the rest of his energy, falling forward and landing onto her body. He had fought his feelings for so long before finally admitting them to himself, and now he would die before he could do anything with the revelation.