I rolled over on my side on the old bed of the ruins of Night Raid's former base. On one side was Leone, naked and still fast asleep while curled up in a ball as she nuzzled up under my arm. On the other... no one. My eyes fluttered open as I patted the empty space where Lubbock sould have been after our night together.
He was standing at the side of the bed, his bubble-butt still out as he pulled his shirt over his head. I reached out and pinched one of his ass cheeks as his shirt fell over to cover his chest.
"Ya-ouch! (Y-y/n)... what the hell, you horny bast..." I shut him up as he turned around, by grabbing his arm and pulling him down to kiss him.
"Leavig without saying "goodbye"? That's cold Lub..." I joked with a smug smile as we parted.
"I-It's not that..." He blushed, trying not to look me in the eyes. "I gotta leave for the capital to do some recon for our next mission, remember?"
"Oh, right... Be careful, okay? We'll see you later, bro." I said with a yawn before falling back on the bed with Leone.
"I will..." Lubbock sighed before turning back to finish getting dressed.
I could hear how careful he tried to be as he left the room as to not wake Leone and I up. But I was still awake. As fun as the night before was with both of them, I still hadn't gotten over my feelings for Leone. I watched her for a few minutes, as she just smiled through low breaths in her sleep. Moments like these were agony, because I wanted to tell her how special she was to me. But Leone wasn't interested in any of that. The risk of either of us dying at any moment while on missions scared her too much to want to deepen any relationship.
So if I wanted to be with her, I had to play along, and now we had gotten Lubbock involved in whatever this relationship we had was.
I sighed before moving over and kissing Leone on the forehead. I laid back down next to her while taking her hand in mine and tried to get a little more sleep before we had to go get Tatsumi and Air to meet up with Lubbock.
****
The capital's streets were crowded as Leone, Tatsumi, Air and I made our way to meet Lub. Most of my injuries had healed, although every time I looked at my new scars, I felt embarrassed by how lucky I was to have survived death. Truly, if Leone hadn't saved me, I would have died that day.
I could walk around without a crutch now, and my vision had returned to my beaten eye. I still wasn't back at my peak and couldn't go on missions yet. The most I could do now was exercise and train to keep my body from sitting around and doing nothing all day.
"You doing okay back there, (Y/n)?" Leone asked, her hands folded behind her head.
"For the umpteenth time, Leone, yes." She's been asking me the same question every few minutes since we left the base.
Normally, I'd be happy that she was so concerned for me. But that happiness wore out around the eleventh time she asked me. At this point, it was less touching and more annoying. Granted, I still had to wear braces on my arm and foot that were still recovering, and while I was still covered in bandages around my chest, shoulders and legs, that didn't mean she had to keep pestering me about my condition. I asked for a short break for my leg to rest when we reached the bottom of the mountain where our base was, so it's not like I was being stubborn. If the pain got to be too much, I'd let my friends know. So Leone asking over and over was unnecessary.
"Sorry..." She smiled with a bit of sweat running from her forehead. "And don't worry, you won't have to walk for too much longer. The place we're supposed to meet Lub is just up ahead."
We stopped in front of a bookstore with a sign reading "Sorry...Endless Adventures' Book Store" on top.
A woman with a child stepped out of the store. The woman had a shopping bag hanging from her arm while two books rested against her chest, and the boy running out in front of her had his face in a manga. "Thank you! Please, come again!" A boy with combed-back green hair and thin glasses stepped out to wave goodbye to them. "Oh! You guys are here! Just in time too. Come on in, the store just emptied out so we can talk. Leone, take everyone to the back while I close up the shop."
He was talking as if he knew us, but I didn't recognize him, although I did feel like I had seen him before. Maybe he was one of the Revolutionary Army's spies that I met while visiting one of the outposts?
Before I could ask where I had seen the store owner, I instinctively followed Leone and the others inside. She led us to the very back of the store, to a large shelf filled with manga volumes. Leone reached up, took out a book, and then reached in behind it. I heard something like a switch being moved and then the whole bookshelf slid back and then moved into the wall to the left.
"That's so cool!" Tatsumi, Air, and I said together, our eyes sparkling in amazement.
You really can't beat the classics!
Down the steps was a large room with a couch on both sides of a table in the middle of the room, a map of the Agarath Empire on the back wall, and a small bar off to one side. It was the definition of cozy.
"Wow! This place is awesome!" Air cheered, jumping over the back of the first couch to sit on it. Akame must have started her acrobatics training. "Doesn't it remind you of Lilith's Nest, big brother?" Air looked over the back of her seat to smile at me.
"It does feel like my VIP lounge." I agreed, looking around the place. "Actually, I think it's nicer than my lounge."
Leone took the seat next to Air, slinging one arm across the back of the couch. And Tatsumi sat on the other couch by himself, I'd join him in a minute after looking around the room a little more.
"Hehe, you think so?!" The green-haired owner of the bookstore chuckled while scratching the back of his head as he walked down the steps to join us. "I had it a little differently before, but after hanging out with you, I kinda wanted to fix this place up to be a little cooler. I'm glad you like it, (Y/n)!"
"Sorry, but when did we hang out?" I asked. I originally thought that he was just someone I met once for a few minutes before a mission, but could he have been a regular at Lilith's Nest and I just didn't remember him?
"What? (Y/n), it's me, bro."
I just stared at him. I wasn't usually so bad with faces. "I'm really sorry, buddy. ...And please don't call me "bro". Only my close friends can call me that."
"Wha-?! (Y/n), c'mon, are you having a go at me? It's me!!"
My eyes darted all over the place, scanning the room in the hopes of some hint as to who this guy was.
"Tatsumi, you know who I am, right?!" The green-haired boy looked to Tatsumi, who just looked away and tried to whistle.
"I mean...."
"Oh, come on!"
"Sorry. You do look familiar, but I just can't remember your name." He grinned nervously.
"Guys! It's me! Lub!" The bookstore owner shouted.
"Nope." I shook my head at the idea.
"Yeah, just because you have the same hair color as Lub, doesn't mean you're him." Tatsumi agreed. He got up from the couch and walked over to the bookstore owner, pinching some of the short boy's green locks between his fingers.
"Lub doesn't comb his hair back like that and he doesn't wear glasses." I pointed at the boy's face.
"Oh for the love of..."
The bookstore owner removed his glasses and ran his hands through his hair, messing up his combed-back hair.
"Ah! It's Lub!" Tatsumi and I shouted in unison as Lubbock suddenly appeared in front of us.
"Are you two serious?!" He snarled at us.
"Did you guys seriously not recognize him until just now?" Leone giggled, still relaxing in her seat, leaning her head onto her hand.
"Heh! Big brother's always been weak to disguises. Once when we were kids, I tied my hair up in a bun and wore all black. I was able to sneak out of the house to sleep at a friend's house."
"Air, you what?!"
"Oops...."
After we all settled down, Lub sat across from Leone and Air, while Tatsumi and I sat on the stools at the bar. We both had on pairs of Lub's glasses as we spun around with our visions blurred. Leone made herself at home in Lubbock's secret lair, laying out his snacks on the table and bringing out a bunch of drinks.
"Man, Lub, I didn't know you had such bad vision."
"Are those goggles you're always wearing prescription too? Is that why you always have them on you?"
"I don't have bad vision. I just use my glasses to read." Lub sighed. I could understand why he got a little annoyed with Tats and me at first. But he sounded like he was still annoyed with us even though we were just goofing around now. "Do you two mind if we get to work?"
"Sorry."
"Yeah, we'll focus up." As I said, Tats and I took Lub's glasses off to join the others. However, we lost our balance as our eyes adjusted and the barstools stopped spinning. We fell off the stools, hitting our heads together as we hit the ground.
"Ouch!"
"Now, then..." Lub continued, ignoring Tats and me. "Wanted posters of Mine are all over the place." He took out a wanted poster with Mine's face painted on it, citing her as an assassin of Night Riad. "...So we five are the only ones who can walk freely around the capital now."
"My face was also seen back on the ship though..." Tatsumi pointed out. "...So I thought it'd be dangerous for me out there."
"Same with me. I attacked Esdeath in broad daylight and it's not like our fight was subtle." While on our way to Lub's bookstore, we had to take a detour because some of the streets were still closed for repairs in the aftermath of what had happened during my fight.
While I was wearing a mask I had made to hide part of my face, I assumed I'd be fine. However, with how intense our fight had gotten, there could have been a chance that she saw what I looked like.
"You all just walked down a crowded street without a hitch, right? If someone had recognized either of you, we would have known by now."
I was able to relax somewhat after hearing Lub's reasoning. Looking at Tats next to me, the same could be said for him.
"Even if Tatsumi and (Y/n) are safe, that doesn't mean we're in the clear," Air said, leaning out from the couch. "The whole capital's buzzing about this security squad, The Jaegers..."
"That's because Esdeath is leading them..." Leone answered. "Of course, people are going to talk... Just look at what she did to (Y/n). We all know how dangerous she is."
"There's something else you guys should know..." Lub solemnly, as if something sinister had wrapped its fingers around his heart. "Esdeath has been taking her Jaegers to raid rebel outposts near the capital. The survivors she let escape to fight another day all say the same thing, Esdeath has been using a new weapon..." Lub's eyes stuck to me "A blade made out of solid ice that freezes anything it cuts."
Niflheim Lævateinn.
The weapon Esdeath created in the final moments of our fight. She had somehow used her ice-manipulating Imperial Arms to harness the power of the blizzard she had unleashed into a solid form that she could wield. If not for Leone saving me, it would have killed me.
"It's my fault...!" I slammed my hand on the bar counter behind me. "Esdeath became stronger after fighting me... She killed those people because she wanted to perfect her new ability. An ability she wouldn't have if I had just killed her when I had the chance!"
"It's not your fault, (Y/n)." Tatami placed his hand on my shoulder. "From all the stories I've heard about Esdeath, she's beyond twisted. She would have killed those people a different way if you hadn't pushed her to come up with a new ability."
"All the more reason I should have killed her instead of letting my feelings get in the way."
"(Y/n)...," Air looked up at me from her seat. "You did mess up. But there's nothing that can be done about it now—no one's angry over what you did. In fact, we're all amazed by it really. You surviving your fight is just proof that you're our best chance against Esdeath other than Akame and her Murasame."
"Air's right," Lub added. "Even if you had killed Esdeath back then, it wouldn't have brought an instant end to the revolution, so we don't know what might have happened or what actions the Empire would have taken to retaliate. For all we know, they may have still killed tons of people just to show they still had plenty of strength without Esdeath."
"Besides, Esdeath lives to build up hatred in others to stir up as much turmoil as she can. If you go all bloodthirsty on us now, itching for the next chance to kill her, you'll just be giving her exactly what she wants." Tatsumi patted my back and smiled, trying to cheer me up.
"Ahhh!" A loud sigh came from Leone as she stretched out on the couch, resting her head on my sister's lap. "This is why I wanted to avoid taking Esdeath on when it was just the two of us, (Y/n). She is bad, bad news. How many millions of people do you have to kill to gain that kind of insane power?"
"I think it's more accurate to say that killing so many people drove her insane." I nodded along with Air's statement.
Thinking back to when I first fought with Akame against Zanko, he went insane after having to execute so many people in prison. The same could be true for Esdeath, the ultimate soldier, who thrives on the battlefield.
"Man, Esdeath sounds more like a beast than a person from the way you guys talk about her." Tatsumi shook slightly as he tried to imagine what kind of person Esdeath was outside of the countless horrifying stories he'd been hearing about her.
"If you're curious..." Lub rummaged through a bag at his side, "...You ought to have a look at her yourself." He took out a flier and showed it to us. It had Esdeath's mark on it. "Esdeath is hosting a Civilian Combat tournament! The winner gets a large monetary award! You could enter it, Tatsumi, and send some extra cash to your hometown, right?"
"Whoa! That sounds awesome! Great thinking, Lub!" Tatsumi went over and took the flier to read it himself.
"A prize money, huh?" I asked, still sitting at the bar. "Sounds like fun. I think I'll join you, Tats."
"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted.
"Tsk... Man, you guys can be loud..." I grit my teeth as I plug my ears.
"(Y/n), you are in no condition to be fighting yet!" Air shouted, standing up from her seat and walking to me. "You've just barely gotten the use of your arm and leg back, not to mention you still have a lot of stitches that haven't closed yet."
"These are injuries I got from Esdeath. Do you really think anyone at this tournament will be remotely strong enough to hurt me this badly?" I shot Air a stern look, letting her know that not even she could talk me out of doing this. "Besides... I've been on bed rest for too long. I'm bored of just sitting around doing nothing. My naps aren't as satisfying if I don't move around a little beforehand. Not to mention that since I haven't gone on any missions, I haven't been earning any money."
"Those are your reasons?!" Lub looked at me with a slack-jawed expression.
"Yeah, and hasn't Air been picking up your share of your bar's earnings? How can you be hard on cash?!" Tatsumi asked.
"You idiots keep asking for me to lend you all the money. Just the other day, I had to give Tatsumi some money because Akame's barely sent any of us on missions since Najenda left." Suddenly everyone went quiet as they remembered they were all guilty of asking me for money at least a few times.
"Fine..." Air sighed, "If you want to join the tournament that badly, I won't stop you, (Y/n)." She wrapped her arms around me and laid her head to rest on my shoulder. "Just promise, you'll be careful."
"I promise."
****
While making our way to the stadium Esdeath's tournament was taking place, Leone took my hand and pulled on me to lead me off to the side.
"Psst. (Y/n), let's you and me walk the rest of the way on our own."
"Sure, I don't mind." My heart 0started pounding at the chance to be alone with Leone after so long, and I was doing my best to stay calm so she wouldn't realize it. I focused on the mild pain still coming from my leg with each step I took to keep from letting her see how flustered she usually made me.
"Hrm, where are you guys going?"
"Chickening out of fighting me already, (Y/n)?" Tatsumi grinned nervously, a bit of sweat trickling down the side of his face. He had been shaking since I said I would be joining the tournament with him.
"I just want some alone time with (Y/n)!" Leone smirked, wrapping one arm over my shoulder and the other around my side. "We'll meet you guys at the stadium. See ya!"
"Geez, Leone... At least have a little more class in front of his sister." Lub grumbled.
"You're the one who should get his mind out of the gutter, Lubbock!" Leone turned on her heels to wag her finger at him. "Besides... with how banged up (Y/n) is right now, if I were to try anything quickly with him, I'd probably kill him."
An odd chill shot through my spine at her words. Dying while being with Leone wouldn't be so bad as deaths go. But if that was how I would meet my end, I would much rather it be from an intimate night together, rather than her being quick and rough with me.
"It's okay, Leone. I trust you to take good care of my big brother." Air waved to us with a wide smile as Leone led me to another street.
****
The street Leone had taken me to was just as busy as the one we were just on with the others. Seeing so many people go about their lives practically unaware of all of us who were risking their lives to determine this country's future. As I watched couples and families go about their days, I thought if I was like them whenever I chose to just wait out this war and only protect Air. Looking back, I honestly couldn't say if feigning ignorance was the easier choice or not.
I wonder if this is what it means to be an assassin.
"Geez, (Y/n)!" Leone suddenly bumped into my side, locking our fingers together and her breast poking into my arm as I regained my balance. "What's with that frown? You should be smiling and showing off how happy you are to be walking around with a beautiful girl like me."
"S-Sorry, Leone..." I stammered, "I got a little distracted looking at everyone else."
"So you've already gotten bored with me, and started to look for the next girl..?" Leone's voice changed, she sounded like she was actually upset.
"Wha-...?! N-No! T-That isn't it!"
"Pfft! Hahaha!" Leone went from staring at the ground as if she were on the verge of tears to laughing loud enough to make some of the people around us turn to look at her. "I was just messing with you, (Y/n). I already told you, we're friends. We have a lot of fun in bed when we need to blow off some steam, but I'm not looking to get serious."
"So you worrying about me these last few days... That was just you being a friend?" I wanted to be anywhere else but here right now as that realization dawned on me.
Leone pulled on my arm, taking me into an alleyway, away from the crowded streets.
"As your friend, and as your teammate." Leone corrected, "(Y/n)... I froze up when I saw Esdeath in person. I was too scared to make a move, but you didn't hesitate. You knew what needed to be done, and you went after her. If I had joined you-"
"I would have been killed in an instant." I interrupted her before she got ahead of herself.
Leone punched me in the arm after that.
"Ow!" I grit my teeth as I felt a sharp sting on my arm. I wouldn't be surprised if Leone bruised me with that. Damn the pain meds Akame had me on. They were dulling my senses too much. Normally, I would have seen that punch coming and could have at least moved to lessen the impact. ...Leone would probably get mad if I fully avoided her attack. "Ouch... Leone, that really hurt!"
"You still think I wouldn't have been any help?" She pouted, puffing her cheeks up to make sure I noticed how upset she was. "I may not be a walking natural disaster like you two, but I'm strong enough to hold my own weight."
"I know that. Ah.. why did you have to hit me?" I hissed as I rubbed the sore spot on my arm.
"You just said I would have gotten you killed if I joined you in fighting Esdeath!" Leone growled, baring her teeth at me. I must have been taking all of her energy to not activate her Imperial Arm to hit me again.
"No. What I said was that "I would have been killed in an instant", not that you would have gotten me killed."
"You're not making any sense."
"Leone..." I stopped, thinking of the best way to explain my motives without insulting her again... and also avoid earning another punch. "...I was only able to fight so well because I didn't have to worry about you getting hurt!"
"Eh...?" Leone made a rather cute expression from how confused she was.
"Back then...." I started, but the words kept getting caught in my throat. "Samael is different from yours and the others' Imperial Arms. If I'm not careful, I could end up burning any of you with my flames or break your bones with a stray rock shot. I didn't expect things with Esdeath to get as chaotic as they did, but I knew that if a fight had broken out, I wouldn't have stood a chance against her if I was worrying over you. I would have either held back so that I wouldn't hurt you by accident or I would have focused more on protecting you than actually fighting..."
Before I could finish, Leone pulled me into a kiss. A quiet moan escaped her lips as she pressed our lips together. "That was for looking out for me."
"Wha-?" Before I could process what she had just done, Leone swept her leg under my injured foot, tripping me on my back.
"That was for everything else."
****
Tatsumi
No matter how many times I walked through the capital, I could never get over how different it was from my home village.
The sheer size of the city and how well made every building was and how many people were always out no matter what time it was was one thing. But the way life in the capital made my head spin so many times. I knew that if I mentioned this to anyone in Night Raid they'd tease me for a week, but I just couldn't help it. As Lub, Air, and I got closer to the stadium, the usual streets turned into what felt like a festival for the crowd that was quickly growing larger by the second. Food stalls, artists, and games were all set up along the few blocks leading to the stadium. Lub told me this tournament was announced just a few days ago, but there were already so many people ready to set up their businesses in such a short time. Back home everyone needed weeks in advance to get ready for our annual festivals.
"You sure look happy, Tatsumi." Lub nudged my side, snapping me out of aimlessly looking around.
"Oh... Yeah," I started, regaining my thoughts. "I'm just surprised with how many people are turning out for this tournament."
"It is pretty impressive, isn't it?" Air asked, spinning on her heels with her arms spread out as she looked around. "(Y/n)'s and mine village was so small that a festival like this was impossible."
Uh-oh... I should stop her before she says anything else that could embarrass herself.
"(Y/n), told me you guys come from a small village, but did you guys not have any festivals at all?" Damn, Lub was fishing for something he could use to tease her and (Y/n).
"Nah, at most we had a cook-out with the whole village when the hunters came back with a big enough catch that everyone could share in. We set up a few tables around the fire and everyone ate dinner together." Poor Air, she was so earnest that she was smiling as she told Lub everything. It was a good thing Mine and Leone weren't around, otherwise, they would have already started teasing her. "Even when we were kids, (Y/n) was super popular. All of the kids our age and even some of the older ones always waited to see where he would sit before taking their seats, even if they had already gotten their food."
"I thought (Y/n) only started standing out after he left your village to train here in the capital."
"Oh no, everyone back home always looked up to him!" Air's pink eyes glittered, and she beamed while pumping her fists close to her chest. "It didn't matter what someone needed, (Y/n) could do whatever was asked of him. Whenever he went fishing, he came back with a huge haul. When the men of the village asked him to go along to help them hunt, they'd always come back with something huge for the whole village. Everyone could count on (Y/n)!"
"D-damn it!" Lub cried, falling to his knees while slamming his fist on the ground. "Not only is he strong and skilled enough to survive fighting people like bro and Esdeath, but now you're telling me that (Y/n)'s always been a reliable guy with tons of fans?! ...The guy's favorite hobby is napping!" Lub flew to grab me, tears ran down his face as he started shaking me. "The other day (Y/n) said he wouldn't mind getting seriously beat up if it meant that he could just lie in bed with everyone taking care of his lazy ass! The only thing he complained about was that it was annoying not being able to get out of bed without hurting himself since spending too much time in bed was boring!! Why is someone like him so well off?! Was he blessed by every god in existence?!"
"L-Lub... I get it. But you gotta calm down. People are starting to stare..." I placed both hands on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him. But the more hysterical he got, the more nervous I got.
"Not to mention he's handsome! You saw how all the girls looked at him! And we've been in the bath with him, Tatsumi! You know what he's packing between his legs! It's not fair for one guy to have it all!!!" Lub buried his face in my chest as he kept crying his heart out.
"There, there..." I stared off blankly as I tried to comfort him.
"Wow, Lub..." Air looked over with a sort of smug grin, "So you think my brother's handsome? I'm sure he'd be flattered if you told him that. ...I didn't need to know your thoughts on what you guys see while in the bath though."
"It's okay, Lub..." I tried again to comfort him as he finally stopped crying, but still clung on to me before could face us again. "(Y/n), might have all that stuff going for him. But like you said, he's got a shitty personality. If he were some smug pretty boy, then we wouldn't be friends with him, right?"
"I guess..." He sniffed, finally lifting his head from my shirt. Thankfully, he didn't get any snot on me. "Oh, and Air... Please don't tell (Y/n) that I said he's handsome. I'm in no mood for him to tease me today."
"Your secret is safe with me!" She smiled with a thumbs up, placing her other hand on his shoulder as he let go of me and turned to face her.
"But I'm surprised you're staying so calm, Tatsumi." Lub Said as he whipped his tears with the sleeve of his jacket.
"Huh? Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Well, (Y/n) might still be a little banged up, but I agree with what he said that there shouldn't be anyone at this tournament who can actually beat him. Are you gonna be okay if you have to face him?"
"Yeah, no offense, Tatsumi, but as strong as you may have gotten in the last few weeks, I don't think you can beat my big brother, even if he's still recovering. The only way I see my (Y/n) losing this tournament is if he gets bored and forfeits so he can take a nap."
"That does sound more likely than Tatsumi beating him in a head-on fight with or without Imperial Arms."
"...Eh?" With the huge crowd and Lub's outburst, I had nearly forgotten about the tournament... "N-Nah... It'll be fine... Right?" The two of them looked at each other for a moment, then when they looked back at me they just shrugged their shoulders. "Screw you guys!"
I stormed off, making my way through the crowd to reach the stadium. Air and Lub like (Y/n) more than they like me, so they were obviously gonna be on his side. I know that (Y/n)'s stronger than me, but I've been training harder than ever before ever since Bulat entrusted me with Incursio. With (Y/n)'s injuries and how strong I've gotten recently, I should be able to defeat him if we face off.
No! I'll definitely win if we fight! I got a good feeling about this tournament! I may not be able to use Incursio, but I'll use this as my debut. I'm not the same naive Tatsumi that lost all his money after barely arriving in the capital. I'm a proud member of Night Raid. I've proven myself over and over, now I'm a new man and today is gonna be my day!
"I hear General Esdeath is going to be watching the tournament herself!"
"Huh?" My ears perked up from hearing a couple of guys walking in front of me mentioning Esdeath.
"What? I thought she was just sponsoring it."
"Someone said they saw her at one of the stalls earlier. She was buying some snacks and had this guy with blue hair and some girl in a sailor uniform carrying a bunch of lunch boxes up to the VIP box."
"Wow, I hope the fighters today put on a good show. I hear she even killed some of her own soldiers because they fought horribly in one of her campaigns."
"Oof, the front row's gonna be a splash zone of blood for sure... Let's hurry before all the good seats get taken!
I shook my head as I saw the two of them take off running into the closest entrance. Hearing Esdeath's name made my feet heavy. All this time I had only heard rumors about her. I was in no way ready to meet the infamous demon face-to-face. But I couldn't walk away. The reward for winning this tournament could really help my village, I couldn't just turn my nose up at it because of a little stage fright at fighting in front the biggest threat to me and my friends.
"I heard that whoever wins in the finals will have to fight General Esdeath to claim the prize money."
"Eh...?" Another chill shot up my spine as I heard another rumor from a group in the crowd.
"Heh, no way the Empire's strongest is just gonna sit by and watch the whole time as a fighting tournament plays out in front of her, right?"
"I wonder if the tournament's champion gets the prize money regardless of if they beat Esdeath or not?"
"It's more likely she sends the money to their family. Have you ever heard of anyone who's fought General Esdeath and lived?"
"Good point.... Yeesh, I don't envy whoever has to get in the ring with her."
"Hehe, imagine if it's that assassin from a couple of weeks ago?"
"What? Do you think he'd be crazy enough to come back for a rematch? If that guy has any sense at all, he's on his way to some remote mountain somewhere, hoping that no one ever finds him."
On top of my feet feeling heavy, now my legs wouldn't stop shaking. There was no real way Esdeath would challenge a civilian. ...Right?
...Right?
Oh crap, she totally would, wouldn't she?!
There's no way I can go into the tournament knowing that!! She broke almost every bone in (Y/n)'s body and he's much stronger than I am!
"Hey, Tatsumi!" Lub called out, approaching behind me with Air walking beside him. "Sorry for teasing you so much before, bro. We know you're going to do great out there."
"We'll be cheering for you the whole way! ...Except if you end up going against my brother. Then I'm cheering for him because otherwise, he'll cry if I cheer for you instead."
I was still reeling from the idea of possibly fighting Esdeath that I couldn't answer them. My words came out as indecipherable mumbling.
"Uh, Tatsumi... Are you doing okay?" Lub asked, reaching out to me.
"You look really pale," Air said worryingly.
"Did you get anxious knowing that you'll be fighting in front of a bunch of people?"
I still couldn't say anything... Well, anything they could hear or understand. I think I was just repeating "I don't want to die" over and over again.
"C'mon Tatsumi, there's nothing to be nervous about." Air cheerfully patted my back. "The first time (Y/n) competed in one of these he told me he was nervous too. But you just gotta trust yourself. Just focus on your opponent and you'll be fine. Your body will react out of instinct if you just block everything else out."
It was sweet of them to try and help me, but knowing that there was a chance that Esdeath could enter the ring as a surprise last fight, was just too terrifying.
Before I knew it, I was running as fast from the stadium as I could. Lub and Air had jumped onto me, to try and slow me down.
"No way am I going to that tournament! You saw what happened to (Y/n)! Do you guys hate me or do you want to see Esdeath kill me?!"
"Lub, come on! Stop him! He's dragged us five blocks already!"
"I'm trying! He's crazy freaking strong!"
Even with the two of them grabbing onto the back of my jacket, I was still able to run through the crowded streets with ease. As much as I like them, it would take more than a twig like Lub and a little girl like Air to stop me. I was up to pulling twenty times my own weight while running back at the base. I'm strong enough to run while dragging another five of each of them before I start to slow down.
****
(Y/n)
Leone and I heard Tatsumi's voice screaming from a few blocks back so we started running to see what was going on. As we got closer, I could finally make out him screaming something about Esdeath as well as Air and Lub being mean to him. We couldn't have Tatsumi attracting any more attention than he already had so when we finally caught up to him, I punched him in the chin as he reached the corner. It was an instant knockout.
"We left you guys alone for a few minutes, what happened?" Leone asked as she rounded the corner with me.
"Tatsumi overheard some rumors that the tournament winner might have to fight Esdeath to secure their prize. He got so scared that he wouldn't even listen to Lub or me." Air explained.
"If I can still kick his ass after Esdeath beat the hell outta me, then he shouldn't worry all that much about making it to the finals." I picked Tatsumi up and threw his dumb, unconscious ass over my shoulder, and started walking back to the stadium. Once he woke up I'd talk some sense into him, but for now, a nap will help him relax.
"Lub and I couldn't even slow Tatsumi down..."
"But (Y/n) knocked him out with one punch..."
"Pfft!" Leone tried her best to keep from laughing at Air and Lub's reactions to what they all saw. "Surviving Esdeath is one thing. (Y/n)'s full of surprises. This tournament is going to be fun!"