Disclaimer: I don't own Akame ga Kiru

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Makoto sighed. Today was a trying day for the young emperor, full of reports about the state of the Empire's affairs (which boiled down to "still okay but full of unrest") , as well as enough decision-making to make him once again realize how tiring the role of Emperor was, with the most notable decision being sentencing Internal Affairs Officer Shoui to a horrible death, something that still weighted heavily on the emperor's conscience due to the huge waste that it was.

The man, despite being opposed to the new political measures Makoto recently placed, seemed passionate and Makoto had to at least admire the man's dedication and courage, however misguided. After all, to not only openly question his judgement but to also accuse the Prime Minister, the most trusted adviser of the Emperor, of deceiving him, despite the absurdity of such an accusation, is not something one lacking in dedication or courage could do. It really was a shame he had to die, but the Emperor could not afford to show weakness, since, to let the man live, or for that matter to even consider his words, would make him appear weak and indecisive, something Makoto wanted to avoid at all costs. To do otherwise would make the efforts of Prime Minister Honest, who fought valiantly to allow him to rule, go to waste.

'But it's okay', Makoto thought. 'After all, Minister Honest said that this would allow the Empire to prosper, so I can't let this keep me down'. Indeed, the young emperor's thoughts made his heart feel lighter and allowed him to relax a little more as he laid on his bed in his chambers. However, fate truly seemed to have it out for poor Makoto, as, just as his eyes gave up trying to stay open and he started falling asleep, he was rudely jerked back to reality when everything started shaking.

"What's going on?" Makoto shouted, surprised by the earthquake. Now, normally, Makoto wouldn't have panicked and would have simply waited out the earthquake before even thinking of getting up from his royal bed, since the bed, including its roof, was made of very sturdy wood, making it as good as any object that one would typically duck under in case of an earthquake. Unfortunately, not only were earthquakes so rare in the Capital that people born and raised there only knew about them from hearsay and texts, but Makoto was already very tired and half-asleep. All those factors added together led to Makoto jumping off his bed and stumbling around in panic.

Predictably, Makoto's attempts led to his fall, as the child emperor wasn't in the right state of mind to successfully maintain his balance and ended up slamming into a wall, thus resulting in a painful headache, which would be compounded by the family portrait falling on him. The portrait, which was originally hanging from the wall, was dislodged from its place due to the combined shaking from his impact on the wall and the earthquake. Although it was the furthest thing from his mind at that moment, Makoto would later consider himself fortunate that nobody had been around to witness the rather comical scene.

"Ow" Makoto moaned as the world around him stopped shaking and he could finally get up from his position on the floor. Looking at the object that had fallen on him, Makoto's eyes softened as he laid eyes on the portrait of his family, one of the few items he couldn't bear to have removed from the chamber that was formerly his father's, now his own, no matter how much it pained him to look at it.

The portrait was made just a year before his father's death and a little less than four years since he became the Emperor at the tender age of eight, yet Makoto could still see the contrast between the people depicted on the canvas and the reality presented in his own memories. He still had to force himself to connect the gentle, regal figure in the picture with the pale, cold,, lifeless body that he remembered seeing in this very room. He had even more trouble doing the same with the gently smiling figure of his mother and the still body he remembered seeing when he rushed to the Minister's side when the man had shouted in terror. The contrast between the warm eyes full of kindness his mother had in live and the empty, defeated look he saw in her eyes that day made Makoto tear up every time he compared the two in his mind.

And then there was the last face. His own. The difference between the child prince of the past depicted and the young emperor was staggering, especially to Makoto himself. Where the portrait showed a face free of worries and full of kindness, a simple look in the mirror showed the face of someone carrying a great burden. The eyes that once shined with innocence and admiration for his parents now burned with a passion to live up to everyone's expectations and be the best emperor he could possible be. Makoto sighed and once again reminded himself of the reason why he hadn't already had the portrait moved despite the emotions it stirred within him: It was a work of art beyond any other depiction of his parents and it made him feel like he was doing them a disservice by not leaving the portrait hanging from the wall, as a link of some sort between him and his parents.

"Well, I guess I should put you back now." Makoto said with a sad tone as he turned to place the protrait back to its rightful place. However, the young emperor was frozen in his tracks when he laid eyes on the spot the portait was originally covering. Unlike the the rest of the wall, which was a pure white adorned with various gold and red patterns , that part of the wall was painted in the likeness of the Imperial Seal: A red dragon circling a golden circle filled with alchemical symbols, with a golden ribbon hanging from its bottom and a red and white shield inside the circle itself. On the tip of that shield sat a shape that resembled a bird, with its wings spread and its beak pointed up towards the sky, with a red sphere between two golden crescents and a thin golden needle rising from its top. It wasn't this, though, that drew Makoto's attention. No, what gave the young emperor pause was the small opening carved into the wall, as well as its contents.

There, before Makoto's astonished eyes, was a single box. Curious about what it held, Makoto removed the box from its hiding place, his hands trembling from his anxiousness as he did so.

'Well, the moment of truth...' Makoto thought as he observed his find. Painted black with gold decorations all around, this was no simple box, 'Rather' Makoto observed, 'it looks like one of those jewelry cases Mother had'. Confused about what such a box would be doing hidden like that, Makoto carefully started opening it.

Whatever he was expecting to find inside the box, Makoto definitely wasn't expecting to find another box with a letter sitting on top of it. Placing everything but the letter on his desk, Makoto opened the strange letter.

Makoto,

If you are reading this, I am most likely dead. While I want to believe that this is simply my imagination and I am overreacting, when one is the emperor, it is better to err on the side of caution. For a few days now I have been feeling increasingly ill and I do not want to leave you without some guidance to help you. Inside this box, you will find an item that will help you get a better understanding of what actions to take, a Teigu.

As you are no doubt aware of by this point, the royal bloodline has a secret weapon in the form of the Teigu Shikoutazer, which can only be used by someone who carries the blood of the First Emperor in his veins. What you do not know is that there is another Teigu that can only be used by the royal bloodline, one that is used in cases where subtlety is preferable to the brute force and sheer power of the Shikoutazer. That is the Teigu Maskerade, which allows its user to take on any form they wish.

Remember Makoto, a wise ruler is a ruler that knows the wishes of his subjects and understands their problems. Do not allow anyone to tell you otherwise.

Whatever happens, whatever fate may befall me, I know you will be able to pull through. Good luck my son and know that I will always love you.

Love,

Your father

Makoto was speechless. Here was proof not only of the greatness of his father's character, but also of the faith he had in him. Tears came unbidden in the his eyes as his sadness, caused by the unfairness of the world, who took his father and caused his mother to commit suicide to join him, overwhelmed him. With hands trembling with raw emotion, he wiped away his tears and turned toward the remaining box. At that point though he paused. Was he ready to do this? Could he really use such a Teigu? While his father said in his letter that he had faith in him, he was likely referring to an older Makoto, one much more prepared for the responsibilities of the emperor, since his mother would have been regent until he came of age. 'It's pointless' whispered a dark part of his mind 'You've already accepted the responsibilities. If you are unwilling to use this gift to make up for what you lack in knowledge and experience, now that would be the height of foolishness'. And Makoto had to agree. After all, no matter what his father may have predicted, he was already the emperor and thus, according to the letter, he needed this Teigu if he wanted to learn how to rule his Empire.

With new determination, he opened the final box and stared at the powerful object hidden within it. Truly, the Maskerade wasn't nearly as impressive as his father's letter made it sound, but then again that was most likely on purpose. A simple silver ring with an emerald green stone, the Teigu looked more like a simple piece of jewelry than anything else. Steeling his nerves, Makoto picked it up from the soft fabric it rested on and slipped it on his left ring finger.

The moment the ring rested on his finger, it shrunk until it fit him perfectly. At the same time, Makoto felt a presence in his mind, establishing a connection between the young emperor and the unassuming Teigu. Images flashed through Makoto's eyes, showing him a silhouette, draped in regal looking clothing, similar to Makoto's own royal regalia, resized to fit the silhouette's larger frame. Resting on the silhouette's ring finger was Maskerade, the ring Teigu being the only part of the silhouette that was shown in color. In the blink of an eye, Makoto saw the silhouette become a lion, then a small child, before returning to its original form. At the same time though, Makoto also felt what he could only assume to be what the silhouette was feeling, the mental orders it sent to the Teigu to shapeshift, the heightened senses of the lion and the energetic feeling the child form possessed. Makoto felt all that and more as the Teigu shared these images with him, as it taught him how to wield its power.

With a gasp of air, Makoto returned to reality, gazing upon the powerful artifact with awe, before a feeling of excitement rushed through him. This was it! With this Teigu he could find out everything his subjects thought, what they wanted, what problems ailed them, all without worrying the Prime Minister, or placing himself in danger. Truly, Makoto had never felt more confident as he did now. He would never again have to worry about self-doubt or a guilty conscience, as he would be able to see his people prosper as a result of his decisions, able to see them smile and laugh under his rule. Now he just had to practice with Maskerade a bit and think of possible ways to use it to reach his goals and he was set!

Truly, Makoto had no idea what he was in for.