Chapter Six: The Capital- Part One

Tatsumi and Esdeath both couldn't believe their eyes. A massive 18 meter wall; strongly built from: stone, steel and wood, proudly stood before them. The two couldn't tell where or when the wall ended as it stretched on for miles and miles, as far as the eye could see. A well fortified tower, three meters above the wall, overlooked the wide, square opening underneath it.

Coming in and out of the large opening were tons of diverse people. Most were merchants coming in to sell their wares, trying to keep and thieves from stealing from their horse drawn carts, as they entered into the city.

Others happen to be travelers or families returning from their trips. Tatsumi could notice one family, in particular, coming back with sour looks on their faces. The man seemed to be complaining to the wife over something while the small child, no older than one-years-old, was crying. However, its noise was cancelled out by the loud chatter from the numerous citizens and travelers, alike.

"So this is the Empire's finest capital?" Tatsumi couldn't stop gawking with amazement. "Now I'm starting to think those shattered ribs were worth it!" He smiled as Esdeath quickly wrapped herself around his arm.

"And let's not forget who nursed you back to health." She whispered into his ear, sending a chill down his spine.

He nearly forgot the one downside to nearly being crushed and broken after his fight with SeaBiscuit and her father, Niclaus, and that one thing was Esdeath's nursing skills. To put simply, her hunting skill is like the sun while her ability to nurse others back to health was like the moon.

"Let's try and not remember too much of the past while we're on our vacation." Tatsumi suggested, placing his hand on her arm. "After all I'm still having nightmares from it." He consciously thought as the two began their walk towards the open gate.

"Ah, I there's nothing like visiting the capital from time to time!"

"Maybe I should've brought more fish to sell?"

"And I told him to find a job."

"And these two boys in my class both kissed each other and the girls got really mad."

"Hopefully the shop's still in one piece."

"Welcome to the Empire's grandest capital! We hope you enjoy your visit!"

"There sure are a lot of people." Tatsumi commented as the two walked through the gate.

"Well it is the biggest, and only, capital the country has." Esdeath told him. "But you're right! There are a lot of people here."

"That's because of the festival!" A woman's voice said from behind the two.

Tatsumi and Esdeath, both, turned around to find a red headed woman standing there. She mostly wore an almost red outfit with yellow going down the center of her shirt and along her armored leg plates. Her hair was tied into a simple ponytail that fell down a little past her neck. She was holding a wooden box that seemed to have something moving inside it.

"There's a festival?" Esdeath questioned.

The woman nodded her head. "There was a festival here but it ended yesterday. That's why there are so many people here and why my pockets are so filled with money right now!"

"Oh, so you're a merchant then?" Tatsumi asked.

The woman nodded her head again. "I'm known as the 'Sly Merchant', but you can call me A."

"A?" Tatsumi questioned.

"Yep!" A responded. "I'd rather not reveal my real name or else I'll have to find another country to trick- I mean sell my wares too." She awkwardly smiled. "Speaking of which," She held out the box to them. "Would you like to buy this rare creature found in the eastern continents only? I'll sell him to you for a measly 5g."

"5 gold coins?" Tatsumi questioned.

"She means 5000 coins." Esdeath whispered into his ear.

"F-Five thousands gold coins?!" Tatsumi blurted out, catching the attention of a few passersby.

A noticed a guard turns his focus on the three before making his way towards them. She quickly pulled the box away from a nearly fainted Tatsumi as she grabbed a large sack and made off; never speaking another word to the two.

"Tatsumi, snap out of it!" Esdeath lightly tapped his cheeks. "It's not like we were going to by it anyway, I'd probably kill it."

Tatsumi's eyes began to focus again as color went back into his face. He looked up at his fiancé who was sighing from the small event they just had.

"Huh...Tatsumi you don't need to faint at every little thing you know?" She said helping him up. "So let's make one rule: if you faint again you don't get any dessert tonight." She winked at him.

"Dessert?" Tatsumi wondered. "Is there a sweets shop that you want to go too?" He asked.

Esdeath sighed once more and grabbed his hand, pulling him through the massive crowd. The two made their way through the massive gate and exited out the other side into a wide open area surrounded by tall buildings.

In the center were several stalls filled with various items. Foods, jewelry and even some equipment such as bags and rope. One stall was even selling horses at a disclosed location. However, most people ignored the man trying to get their attention. It wasn't long before the guards arrived and chased him off, branding him a scammer.

Surrounding the stalls were large, tall buildings, mostly homes with shops on the first floor. The shops were packed with people to the point a long line began to stretch out. The more popular ones were basic restaurants Tatsumi and Esdeath have never seen before.

"Whoa! That's a restaurant?!" Tatsumi exclaimed, pulling his head back all the way to see try and see the top of the building. "It's huge!"

"I know, I thought they were mostly ground level buildings but I guess I was wrong." Esdeath admitted with a chuckle.

"Hey, what's that?" Tatsumi pointed to a bright red building.

It was the only building with three stories unlike the others that were stacked no less than five stories. On the side was a huge opened door with several men wearing the same uniform rushing back and forth. Some were carrying buckets while others moved several ladders.

"Hmm...I think my father told me those were called firehouses." Esdeath replied. "He said if you were to ever do anything funny I should come to these guys. But they don't seem all that interesting or attractive."

Tatsumi looked at the firemen carrying all the stuff in front of them. All of them were built muscular and bigger than him. He was almost positive they could kill and revive him with just a finger. Even their lungs could take out an entire forest fire with just one breathe.

"Uh...y-yeah! So not attractive." Tatsumi awkwardly agreed, examining his own small, skinny body.

"Well duh…" Esdeath giggled. "You are a boy. You should be interested in girls and what they have." She said, placing a hand on her breast. "Besides, I'd be concerned if you were interested in other men."

"You would?" Tatsumi asked but Esdeath never responded. Instead, she grabbed his hand and placed a small, brown bag in his palm.

"What's this?" Tatsumi asked, examining the mysterious bag he was just given.

"Shopping money." Esdeath answered before pointing at a large clock tower in the distance. "We're to meet at the Earth Dragon Inn before that clock hits three so we can check out a room." She informed him. "Now don't spend all your money at one place." She winked before skipping off merrily into the streets.

"I'm not a child." Tatsumi mumbled quietly to himself. "Who does she even think she is? Giving me an allowance and telling me to not spend all the money in one place. I'll do whatever the hell I want!"

With a new sense of pride beginning to glow, Tatsumi marched proudly through the capital's streets. He admired all the shops he passed by, occasionally entering in a few to see what they were selling. Of course, one shop, in particular caught the young boy's eye.

In front of him was a one-story, brown building with two windows on opposite sides. Curtains were blocking the other side so he couldn't get a peek what was inside the building. In the very center was a large brown door that nearly blended in with the wall it was against. On the front of the door was a small lion with a knocker attached to its nose.

"Is this someone's house?" Tatsumi questioned, looking around for any clue. His gaze soon met a small sign on the side of the house. "Crematorium." He read. "I wonder what that is. It sounds delicious. Maybe it's a sweets shop?"

Nodding his head silently, Tatsumi approached the brown door and knocked several times on it. Minutes passed before he knocked again. No answer. Gripping his hand around the tiny doorknob, he slowly turned the handle and heard a small clicking noise.

"It's open." He said surprised. He carefully pushed the door open, hoping he wasn't breaking into anyone's home. "H-Hello?" He quietly called. "Is anyone home?"

Not single noise could be heard from the building leaving Tatsumi to believe it was abandoned.

"Oh well…" He sighed, closing the door. "I guess I'll just continue…."

He was cut short as he turned around and found a large man behind him. The man was wearing a white mask that wrapped around his head and white pants. His upper body muscles were large enough that Tatsumi would've assumed he was a member of the firefighters he saw before.

"Um…." Tatsumi was at a loss for words. His body was shaking at the sight of the large man in front of him, quietly staring at him. "Is he looking into my soul? Is he going to eat me!?" He began to panic as he looked around for something to help defend him.

Suddenly an idea popped into his head as he quickly grabbed the small bag of money Esdeath gave him and offered it to the large man.

"Please don't kill me!" He begged. "I didn't see anything! I swear!"

The silent masked man looked at the pouch of money before taking it and motioning Tatsumi to walk inside the building.

"Crap! I'm dead regardless!" Tatsumi thought as he began walking into the building with the large man behind him.

Tatsumi's pants nearly felt wet as he heard the sound of the door being slammed behind him. The large man soon made his way to the counter that was in front of the two before pulling out a small piece of paper and handing it to Tatsumi.

"Sign this." He said.

Tatsumi shakily took the paper and read it before turning pale white.

"Name of deceased to be….c-cremated…" He repeated the first line. "This isn't a candy shop. It's a place where bodies become ashes!"

Tatsumi looked at the man who hadn't removed his gaze from him. To him, it seemed to be a natural process. Catch someone entering in. Force them to pay then write their name. Then cremate them.

Without much options left, Tatsumi did the last thing he could do.

"Please don't kill me!" He begged in front of the man. "I don't wanna die! I still have a woman I have to marry!"

"Marry?" The man repeated in surprise.

Tatsumi nodded his head before he felt the man pick him up in his arms.

"This is it." He prepared for what the man was going to next. "So long cruel, unfortunate world."

Suddenly, to his surprise, Tatsumi felt the man hug him tightly. Opening his eyes, he noticed the man tightly wrapping his arms around him in a strong bear hug.

"Congratulations!" The man cheered. "I wish you would've said that before! Here let me show you the flowers we have!"

Without wasting much time, the man pulled Tatsumi into the back, behind the counter. In the room was a wide variety of flowers, some Tatsumi has never seen before.

"Which flowers will your fiancé like more?" The man happily began showing Tatsumi. "Roses, Lilies, or how about my personal favorite Orchids?"

Tatsumi was shocked by the change in behavior from the man. He was just about to kill him, but instead he's showing flowers.

"What the hell is going on?" Tatsumi accidentally shouted, stopping the man.

"Why, I'm showing you flowers for your wedding." The man said in a calm tone.

I think this would be a good stopping point for the story. Don't worry, I'll have the next chapter ready in a month like a promise. Oh, and sorry for it being short, I promise to try and make it longer next time. Anyway, please leave a review and also favorite the story. See ya soon!