A Rest Well Earned

"Helen, you would just have to sit still, close your eyes and think of me, and I would turn the universe inside out to find you. I would go anywhere and fight anything to get to you—witches, dragons, and even pirates. If I have to pass through a hundred lifetimes, I will do it to find you. I may be an old man and you may be an old woman. You may not even recognize me by the time it happens, but you will know and I will know, because nothing can separate us. We will always be together. I promise you. Now stop worrying."
― Linda Becker, Where There Is Love

Tatsumi was warmer and more comfortable than he had ever been in his life. Despite most of the bones in his body being broken and his blood leaking out of him, there was no pain. A small part of him tried to feel sad, tried to be angry, but instead he just felt content. He had done everything he could, he had done his best.

Shocked, Tatsumi realized that he could see his broken body being cradled by Akame. It was as if he was floating above his body, disconnected from himself. A flash of worry pierced the haze surrounding his consciousness, he was dying. He had promised to survive, Akame needed him! He couldn't die! Not yet!

"He is still so full of himself."

"Thinks he's better than death, huh. Go figure."

Tatsumi was startled to hear two voices he was sure he would never hear again. He whipped his head around and saw a vast wintery forest, and standing on a dirt path right before him was Sayo and Ieyasu with bemused expressions on their faces.

Tatsumi didn't know what to say, "How? What?" he stuttered. Tears started to form in his eyes as his heart was filled with happiness.

"Well that's a first. Tatsumi, lost for words" Sayo smirked.

"Maybe he doesn't recognize you?" Ieyasu quipped, "Now that you're not covered in dirt."

Sayo swiftly launched a precise kick between Ieyasu's legs. "If there had been enough clean water, I would have gladly taken a bath!" Sayo snarled. She continued to mercilessly kick at Ieyasu as he curled into a fetal position to try and avoid Sayo's attacks.

Despite everything that had happened, despite all the pain and loss Tatsumi had gone through today, Tatsumi started to smile. Then he started to laugh. Before long Tatsumi was laughing uncontrollably as he clutched his sides, unable to breath. He was finally reunited with his childhood friends. It was so much like the time before he knew about the Capitals cruelty, back when life was simple. He and his two best friends just enjoying their simple village.

Soon Tatsumi brought himself under control, just as Ieyasu was picking himself off the ground and Sayo was standing at a distance with her arms crossed defiantly across her chest. Tatsumi moved forward and pulled them both into a tight hug. He was so happy to see them again. Sayo and Ieyasu returned his hug, happy that their trio was finally together again.

"We told you we had to go on ahead" Sayo said.

"We just didn't go far" Ieyasu added.

The friends separated from their hug so they could all see each others faces. Sayo and Ieyasu simply smiled at Tatsumi. Tatsumi, however, could only think back to when he had found his friends trapped in one of the capital's many hellholes. He remembered Sayo's mutilated body hanging from hooks and Ieyasu riddled with diseases trapped in a cage. Rage started to fill his heart. All they had wanted was to help their village, to try to make life better. Now they were all dead, killed by a cruel world befiore they had a chance to truly live life. "How can you guys be so happy, you… we lost our lives. The rotten Capital took everything from us." Tatsumi heaved air into his lungs, his body shaking with anger and sadness.

Sayo and Ieyasu looked first at each other and then at Tatsumi. "At first we were a little angry" Sayo admitted.

"But anger didn't bring us any peace and it certainly didn't bring us back to life" Ieyasu had a faraway look in his eye. He seemed to be remembering some things he would rather forget. "We gave up being angry and instead focused on the happy parts of our lives."

"You only get to live so long, you have to be happy with the time you had, you have to accept that you lived your life how you lived it. Nothing can change that." Sayo spoke quietly, but her voice carried a lot of weight. Tatsumi thought back to how happy he had been when he was with his friends. Hanging out with Sayo and Ieyasu, being a member of Night Raid. His life had a lot of painful memories, but he also had so many memories that he would never trade for anything. Tatsumi's anger receded as he digested their words. He looked over his shoulder and saw his body still clutched tightly be Akame. Tatsumi still wanted to run over to her and try to help, to finish the fight they had started, but he realized that he no longer could. There was no longer anyway he could help her. He had to accept that he had tried his best and trust his friend to be okay without him. His anger died down as he accepted that although his dreams were cut short, he was still proud of all he had done, all the people he had helped. Tatsumi had to let go, he had to move on. He turned and faced his friends, "I think I understand. I think I can let go."

Sayo and Ieyasu smiled at Tatsumi. They moved to either side of him and threw their arms across his shoulders. "Come on Tatsumi," Sayo lightly nudged him further down the forest path, "There are a lot of people you still need to see."

Together the trio continued deeper into their forest, just as they had at the beginning of their journey. As they walked the blood and damage from Tatsumi's last battle started to fade, until all signs of the battle erased themselves. They crested the top of a small hill, and for the first and last time Tatsumi turned and looked back the way he had come. He could still make out Akame's form hunched protectively over his own. Silently, Tatsumi made another promise with Akame, "This isn't good bye. We'll see each other again, one day." With that Tatsumi turned and walked down the hill, no longer able to look back.