Hello everyone,

Hext9 here.

This time i bring you a new adventure that explores a 'What if' scenario of Tatsumi becoming an imperial soldier after reaching the Capital, instead of joining Night Raid. However, there will be a lot of surprises, twists and more. Also, Tatsumi will get a cool new teigu and great abilities.

Suggestions, advices and constructive critics are welcome, so don't be afraid of leaving a comment in the reviews section.

Enjoy the chapter!

The Fire Within Our Hearts

- Chapter I: Kill the Reunion -

"I love you!"

Exclaimed with happiness a beautiful girl who was standing before me and whose long silky hair was flowing with the chill breeze of a typical day of winter.

The girl slowly approached to me, stopping by just a few inches away. She gently touched my face with her small and delicate hands, i could feel my heart beating at an extremely fast pace. Both our looks met and i couldn't help but to feel attracted by her gorgeous eyes.

As we slowly got closer and closer, our lips were a couple of centimeters of distance. I immediately noticed that she was looking at me with a flush of red on her cheeks. The young woman then closed her eyes and despite me feeling somewhat confused about this situation. I slowly let myself to seal my lips into hers. As we kissed i could taste her sweet and soft lips in a passional yet innocent kiss that filled my being with a magical feeling.

However, as soon as our mouths separate she told me two words that pierced through my heart.

"Goodbye Tatsumi."

I immediately got shocked by her sudden statement while i notice a stream of tears that began to run down her cheeks. The girl's body then started to vanish with no logical explanation.

"Wait! Who are you!?" I ask her while i desperately try to reach her, but it's futile as her whole body is disappearing in front of me.

"Don't leave me!" I plied to her once again to no avail.

"Thank you for everything." The girl says with a melancolic voice as she smiles to me one last time before closing her eyes and getting engulfed by a gust of cherry blossom petals.

As a leave my arm extended trying to stop her from disappearing, one of the petals lands on my hand. I look at it feeling completely heartbroken while snowflakes began to fall around me.

I experience a mix of sadness, despair and anger flowing through all my body. I collapse into my knees on the soft and cold snow with the cruel sensation that i lost her forever.

Suddenly, my body begins to get engulfed in a fire that comes from my interior. The flames then turn to blue color and my whole being is burning without signs of stopping but i don't care. I'm already broken and death inside.

I let let out a scream of pain.

The pain of losing your most loved one.

I suddenly woke up on my bed confused by the events of my dream and i notice that tears are falling from my eyes despite of having no idea about the identity of the girl who appeared in my dream.

"Who are you?" I ask in frustration as i wonder if said girl is someone i forgot from my past.

Tatsumi is a young man of average height who is in his middle to late teens. He has medium-lenght brown hair with a cowlick on top and vibrant emerald green eyes.

Six months ago, he joined the Imperial Army after his two childhood friends were killed by a group of bandits that attacked them while they were on their way to the Capital in hopes to earn money and help their village to pay for the high taxes that were imposed by the Prime Minister, with the excuse of strenghten the Empire's military force to combat the ongoing Revolution that started to take full force in the whole country.

After the death of his dear friends. The young man vowed to avenge them so he offered himself as an army recruit in hopes of finding the culprits and getting money to help his village.

During his short time as a trainee in the imperial academy; Tatsumi displayed combat abilities that were deemed as outstanding by someone of his age. However, he was too rash and naive but his instructors saw a lot of potential in him. The young man was promoted from cadet to private just a couple of months after he enrolled the army.

After he woke up and recovered from the cruel dream he experienced. The brunette took a bath, ate breakfast and put on his military uniform. After leaving the barracks where he lived, the green eyed needed to go back to his room because he forgot to bring his sword. The same sword he was given by his elders before leaving his village. In the academy instructors told him to pick up a new weapon. However, he refused argumenting that it had a strong sentimental value, besides being sharp enough to bring down an earth dragon so they had no other option but to accept.

Tatsumi then headed to the Imperial army headquarters, a series of tall buildings with several training fields in between where thousand of soldiers prepared for all kind of combat situations. He reunited in one of the meeting rooms with some fellow members of his squadron who were awaiting for his superior; Captain Maddox, a veteran soldier who bravely fought against the belligerent northern tribes and countless invaders from other countries.

Great motivator and excellent tactician. He often told Tatsumi stories about his time as a proud soldier who always did his best to protect the Empire in several wars. However he was in disagreement with the cruel and brutal methods employed by several high ranking officials, as well as the rampant corruption inside the Empire. Nonetheless, he had no other option but to follow orders and tried his best to cope with them. Unluckly for him, superiors noticed his reticence and stopped him from climbing to higher ranks.

Even with this obstacle, the man continued to fight for his ideals and was optimistic that someday the Emperor would notice and change the things that were wrong inside the Empire.

When the tall and buff official entered the squadron planning room, everyone stood up and saluted their superior. The imposing bald man who was in his mid fifties had a medium lenght grayish beard and a walrus style mustache that gave him an aura of manliness. But what standed from him aside his beard and mustache were his right missing hand and several scars all over his body, that served as a frequent reminder of the countless battles he fought in the past.

"Good morning, fellow soldiers!" Exclaimed the war veteran to about twenty soldiers under his charge.

"Good morning, captain!" The brown haired replied at unison alongside his companions to the exemplar man every subordinate of his squadron looked at with respect and admiration.

"Listen everyone! Today we were designated to be the bodyguards of the Treasurer of the Empire, who is a close friend of Prime Minister Honest. He'll be attending a party organized by imperial officials and high profile nobles. The party will take place in his mansion located on the outskirts of the capital. Our duty will be to keep him safe during said party, so prepare to leave in a couple of hours!"

As his subordinates were preparing, the captain looked with attention at the youngest of his men. A talented country boy that reminded him a lot of his own son, a young man who was a very promising soldier. Sadly for him, his son died in an ambush ten yers ago in the northern wars when he was trying to help some innocent civilians to escape from their burning village, so he understood how Tatsumi felt about his fallen friends. He often gave him advices like a father usually does with a son.

"Ready for the mission, boy!?"

"Yes, captain!" Answered the young soldier with enthusiam despite feeling anxious, but ready for his first important mission after weeks of training and minor missions.

"That's the spirit! Now get ready to depart."

When Tatsumi and co. were leaving the imperial hq's. He noticed how a woman with long sky blue hair and sharp looking eyes was greeted with great admiration by all the soldiers around her, something that caught the young man attention. He immediately recognized her as the famous and fearsome General Esdeath whom he has heard all kind of rumors about her. However, Captain Maddox told Tatsumi three facts that were true about her:

1. She is the Empire's Strongest,

2. She is an excellent leader and finally;

3. She is a merciless sadist.

The young soldier was glad to be fighthing on the same side as the woman known as the 'Ice Queen'.

After traveling for some hours, Maddox and his troops arrived by the afternoon at the huge mansion surrounded by gorgeous gardens, huge fountains and statues of the Empire's past and current rulers, including the legendary First Emperor and Primer Minister Honest that were covered in pure gold, something that made the young soldier question about the real destination of the taxes paid by the small villages like his hometown.

A short and skinny middle-aged man with short black hair, french-style mustache and a pointy goatee stood in front of Maddox and his men.

"So you are going to be my personal security during the party, right?" Asked the weird looking man to Maddox with total indifference.

"That's right, Treasurer Robsburgh."

"Captain. I want you to set a perimeter around my propety. I also want some of your men in the entrance of my mansion and the gardens."

"Okay everyone, your heard it! Go on to your positions and stay on guard for possible rebels attacks or roaming danger beasts." The official ordered his troops.

At midnight the fancy party was at it's highest point with dozens of goverment officials and noblemen enjoying exotic foods and getting drunk with expensive beverages.

Tatsumi, who was on watch duty began to wonder if the girl of his dream was Sayo, his best friend along Leyasu. The three were always very close and hanged out together either for playing or making pranks to their elders since they were little.

"Maybe she wanted to tell that she loved me before dying and that's why she is appearing in my dreams..." The young imperial thought.

"But i can't recall her having those kind of feelings for me. Although, i had a crush on her when were younger. I never tried to pursue her romantically because of fear of ruining our friendship."

"One day, the three of us decided to help our village to pay the high taxes and embarked onto a long journey towards the capital to get a job and earn money."

"After i got lost when we were just one day away from our destiny. I promised to meet them in the capital, however, three days later after searching for both I was told by the Capital Defense Force that their bodies were found on a road where bandits frequently ambush travelers to steal their money and food. I blamed myself for what happened to because i wasn't able to protect them. Getting over their deaths was really hard, but now i'm determined to avenge them at all costs."

Suddenly, a poweful blast was heard in the distance and an energy beam was seen crossing through the darkness of the night.

The shot impacted directly into the skull of the Treasurer, who was out in the terrace of his house bragging about how the Prime Minister was looking forward to increase the taxes for the small villages.

The people inside the mansion started to scream and run in despair after the news of the Treasurer's death.

"Listen everyone. The beam came from behind a small cliff about one hundred meters south of the mansion. Let's find the killer before he escapes!" Maddox ordered his men.

The soldiers rushed to the cliff to find the assassin, but halfway they were suddenly stopped by a young woman with glasses and long purple hair. She was wielding some sort of giant scissors shaped sword with a panda face.

"Who are you!?"

"…" The woman who had an emotionless expression and cold eyes of the same color as her hair didn't responded to the question made by Maddox.

"Are you a friend of the one who assassinated Treasurer Robsburgh!?"

But the girl didn't muttered any single word.

Three soldiers took out their swords and surrounded the glasses n wearing girl. The men warned her one last time before launching against the silent woman, who easily blocked their attacks with her weapon. Then, she made a horizontal spin with her sword slashing the men in half, causing Tatsumi and the rest of the imperials sans Maddox, to froze in shock by the brutal deaths of their fellow companions.

"This woman… She isn't an ordinary assassin!"

"I wasn't expecting Night Raid to come" Spoke the experienced soldier with a serious voice after remembering the face of the assassin on a wanted poster.

"Night Raid?" Asked the boy in confusion.

"Yeah. They are a group of skilled assassins working for the Revolutionary Army and whose targets are important members of the imperial government and army."

As the purple haired continued to slash incoming soldiers who were trying to land a hit on her. Tatsumi got paralyzed in fear by the brutality of the female assassin.

The young man then recalled how he wasn't able to do something about the deaths of Sayo and Leyasu, managing to gather enough courage to fight. Only to get stopped by Captain Maddox who told him to evacuate the people who were still in the mansion to their carriages and escape into the forest located behind the mansion.

"Huh!? But i want to fight! I've trained and waited too long for this moment!" Tatsumi exclaimed in anger.

"IT'S AN ORDER!" Yelled the fierce man.

"You're too young to die here. Live to fight another day!"

"Y-yes, captain!" The imperial exclaimed while wiping a few tears that were beginning to form in his eyes.

"Take care, kiddo..."

"You won't defeat me so easily, girl! After all I'm the great Captain Maddox!" The man exclaims after clashing swords with the purple haired assassin.

Meanwhile, the sniper on the cliff was shooting soldiers who were trying to take advantage of the battle between her partner and the veteran soldier to get close to her position. She then focused her attention on a lone soldier that was helping drunk people who were left behind while trying to escape. Just when she was about to pull the trigger of her weapon. The girl stopped after seeing into her scope that her target resembled closely to someone special she met years ago.

"Could it be him?" The young girl asked in her mind.

After he escaped into the forest and ran for some minutes without looking back. Our hero decided to rest for a short moment to recover his breath.

"Where am i!?" The brunette looked around him before realizing that he got lost into a vast and dense forest.

"Oh great! Now i'm lost in this fucking big forest without anyone in sight who can help me to get out of here!"

Then he suddenly heard movement coming from the trees and bushes around him.

"A danger beast!? Just what else can happen to me!?" Tatsumi exclaimed in frustration because he knew that in his situation he was at clear disadvantage, despite having experience in facing and killing ferocious danger beasts that continously attacked his village and tried to eat him on his way to the Capital.

"Tatsumi?" A girl of below average height with very long pink hair tied in twintails by a pink ribbon and a scrunchie appeared from a tree behind the brunette.

She was wearing a frilled long pink dress with black stockings underneath and purple shoes.

"...what!?" The imperial immediately noticed that she is carrying a giant rifle that was almost of her size.

"Shit! She must be sniper that assassinated Robsburgh!"

After looking at the young soldier for a short moment, the girl ran towards him at full speed.

"Oh fuck! Not now!" Tatsumi screams in frustration as his sword fails to drew from its scabbard. Then he closes his eyes and prepares for the worst.

"UWAAAAAH!" The soldier exclaims as he got tackled by the pinkette, causing both to fall to the ground and the short girl tightly hugs the boy to his complete surprise.

"Tatsumi! I can't believe it's you!" The girl exclaims with joy while looking intensly at him with her round and expressive pink eyes.

"S-she's cute!" A blushing Tatsumi comments in his thoughts.

"You surely have grown up a lot." The pinkette says with happiness.

"W-wait! Who are you and how do you know me!? Confused by the recent events the young man inquires the happy girl.

"It's me, Mine!"

"Mine?"

"Don't you recognize me?" Asked the pink haired sniper with curiousness.

"I-i'm sorry, i don't remember you..." Tatsumi replies after trying his best to remember the girl in front of him to no avail.

A sad expression appears on the young girl's face after the answer of the boy that changed her life. She then stares at the bright stars that shine above their heads.

"Ten years ago you saved my life and we both made a promise." The pinkette says with nostalgia in her voice as she looks at the young man with a warm smile and begins to recall the fated day in which the two crossed paths.

What happened ten years ago between the imperial soldier and the assassin sniper from Night Raid?

Author notes:

I hope you liked the first chap of this fic.

For those interested in the future of my fic 'Kill the Hardships', expect good news about in the next few days.

See you the next chapter!