We are not the same

Raven didn't hesitate to go all out in the beginning. Her blade clashed with Esdeath's and this time, both had held their ground. The loud 'CLANG' of metal hitting metal resounded once before it did so again. And again. It picked up in speed as Raven and Esdeath quickly moved around the training grounds like beasts possessed.

Raven's quick sheathing and powerful swings took Esdeath off guard. A powerful clash forced the General away from her, making Esdeath's back hit the wall of the palace. Pacing towards her, Raven held her blade tip to the ground and prepared for a counter attack. What she received was a look of pure ecstacy by Esdeath, who was on the verge of using her Teigu.

"Wonderful... how wonderful, Raven! You.. you've been in many battles, haven't you?" Esdeath asked, trying to calm herself.

"You can say that.." Raven responded, a bit disturbed at her reaction.

"I can see it clearly now.. You have experienced war, haven't you?" Esdeath inquired and began to step closer.

"Years of it.. yes" Raven responded and prepared for her.

"Then you and I..." Esdeath stopped in front of her and sheathed her blade with an amicable smile.

"Are quite alike! Never have I seen someone with experience, skills and eyes like yours. You and I are very similar indeed.." Esdeath seemed happy at her statement before putting her hand on Raven's shoulder.

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship! Nyau, Liver, Daidara take this to heart. You lost because you were too weak against Raven. Even all three of you didn't so much as scratch her. Raven, what do you want to do with them? As your General, I ask you spare them.. But! It's really up to you" Esdeath smiled and looked at the three picking themselves up off the ground.

"I'm not some bloodthirsty spiteful beast.. Not anymore" Raven whispered the last part to herself.

"I won't do anything to them. They were mercilessly beaten enough" Raven just shrugs with a sigh and dismisses the idea of doing anything to them.

Though she knew all three died in the manga, she wasn't in any hurry to impede Tatsumi's growth by killing them here. Nyau and Daidara deserved to die but Liver was simply loyal to Esdeath for saving him. This time around, she aimed to do good from within the Empire. While the Revolutionaries were painted as the heroes in the story, they were as spiteful as she used to be. They killed the misguided and manipulated Emperor child. A child. Though his actions resulted in a large amount of death by using that giant Teigu, he didn't deserve death as Honest did.

After the spar, Raven steadily grew reaccustomed to army life. They were essentially Special Forces that worked under Esdeath. Assassinations, killing revolutionaries, subduing the tribes around the Empire. Raven got a wide variety of work she figured she would be doing. Though she was very uncomfortable with the assassinations when it concerned people who weren't inherently evil or corrupt. The rest was an easier pill to swallow but she never took any joy from it as Nyau, Daidara and Esdeath did.

Esdeath frequently watched her this whole time and it was only about a week in, when Esdeath called her into her room.

Begrudgingly, Raven walked in, expecting to be chewed out. The moment she opened the door, she saw Esdeath in the middle of changing. Her legs, cleavage and butt were exposed out in the open. Respectfully, Raven pretended like it wasn't a big deal and entered after a brief three seconds of thinking.

"General, you called for me?" Raven asked, putting her mask of indifference on.

"Oh, yes. I have questions for you, Raven. Here, take a seat on my bed" Esdeath asked, buttoning herself up without a care.

"I don't think that's appropriate, General.." Raven retorted.

"It was an order, Raven. Or would you like to finally take me up on my offer to fight all-out for real? You could claim victory and dominance over me if you win" Esdeath licked her lips.

"I told you before.. We'd destroy a huge amount of the Capital if we both went all out. Budo would kill us" Raven sighed.

"He's strong but kill us? No" Esdeath chuckled at the thought.

"We could do it after a mission outside the Capital, of course" Esdeath suggested.

"Why though? You keep asking and suggesting we fight all out. But what for exactly?" Raven cut to the issue and asked.

"I want to figure out which of us is stronger. You have formidable skills and an impressive Teigu ability. That aura that protects you.. Your flames. I'm interested in you" Esdeath finished, fully dressed now except for the two buttons that weren't done up that gave Raven a full view of her cleavage.

"You like battle a bit too much for my liking.." Raven avoided looking at it as best she could.

"Oh? Well, that's true, yes. But it's also something I'm trying to figure out about you as well. If you WERE stronger than me.. Then why stay under me? I thought about this quite a bit, you see. I've come up with my own theory. Would you like to hear about it?" Esdeath asked with a knowing smile.

~I probably don't.. It's gonna be a huge misunderstanding, I feel it..~ Raven rubbed the bridge of her nose with a silent sigh.

"Sure.. let's hear it" Raven agreed.

"Excellent. I believe you may be in love with me" Esdeath nodded to herself.

~Raven.exe has stopped working~ Raven blanked as Esdeath went on.

"That, or you lust after my body. It's a good theory, I think. You have been looking at my breasts from time to time. Even when Daidara, Nyau and Liver wouldn't dare to. I thought at first it must be some kind of envy but.. Well, yours are at least as large as mine. Then, I thought it may have been the mark above my breasts but you'd also glanced at my thighs and rear too. So I can only assume you want to ravage my body or you were in love. Am I wrong?" Esdeath finished and asked as Raven rubbed her eyes.

"This woman..." Raven groaned.

"I'm not in love with you. I don't want to have sex with you either.." Raven leveled a weak, half lidded glare at her.

"Really? Earlier you looked at me that way for a whole three seconds before focusing. It's why I called you at this specific time" Esdeath seemed to be thinking about something as she recalled.

"No.. I.. It's different, okay? It was purely a natural reaction, General" Raven denied.

"You know I wouldn't mind" Esdeath hummed to herself and looked back at Raven.

~What..?~ "What..?" Raven voiced her disbelief out loud.

"I said I wouldn't mind. If it were someone like you, with your capabilities and mindset. I feel like I can understand you, Raven" Esdeath grinned and sat on the edge of her bed.

"No.. You do not" Raven denied with her brows furrowing.

"You and I have experienced bloody battle after battle and came out alive. You and I are strong because of that. We lived because we showed the strength to live on" Esdeath continued with a small knowing smile.

"But that is where our similarities end, Esdeath. I used to believe the strong took and the weak died. That they were expendable. But it's a little thing called Empathy. How would you feel in their shoes? Would you want someone to help you? When you're face down in the dirt and everyone you considered an ally was dying. I used to think the way you do. Not anymore. I may be an irredeemable monster but I've realized the bad I've done with a destructive mindset like that. What motivates us was different. What motivated you was this ideal that was nailed into your head since you were a child.. But for me, it was hate. I existed.. solely to kill my enemies because they took the only source of happiness in my wretched life" Raven got up in her face and stated as her eyes glowed crimson.

"Spite was my entire life. It was the only reason I kept going. But that's no way to live. I'm trying to give as many people as I can reach, a chance to not experience something like that. We are NOT the same. Not anymore" Raven finished and watched Esdeath stare at her.

"No... We're not, are we?" Esdeath said more to herself.

"No. So if that's all.." Raven turned around to leave but her wrist was grabbed and she was tossed on the bed as Esdeath straddled her.

"What are you doing? I'm not interested.." Raven narrowed her eyes at her.

Esdeath had a fascinated look on her face. Mixed in was a look of intense desire for the person in front of her. Her secrets, her ideals, her heart. She was stirred with a desire to have Raven completely to herself that she hadn't even realized what she was trying to do. Once it kicked in, she blinked and released her.

".....Apologies. I was overcome by a rush of mixed emotions there. That, however wasn't the only reason I called you here. Budo wants to guide you to the Royal Armory so you can look at the Teigu there" Esdeath cleared her throat and stood up, thinking to herself.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't try to do that again. Not saying you aren't beautiful or that my glances at you weren't what you thought they were.. But I have somebody in my heart already. Good day, General" Raven dismissed herself and quickly walked out of the room.

~Beautiful..?~ Esdeath began to think to herself in a daze.

As soon as Raven reached Budo, outside the Royal Armory, she let out a sigh of relief. Esdeath was rather unpredictable and she needed to be on guard, lest she be pursued by the General as some kind of possession. She just hoped Tatsumi would focus her attention on him. She knew the timeline for Akame ga Kill had just started. Apparently, the Elite Seven's head was killed. Three days ago, General Najenda had defected.

She didn't get to talk to Najenda too often but she knew she was a decent person. Though she was surprised she stuck around this long with a moral compass like hers.

Raven figured she likely had something to do with the timeline starting earlier than she thought it would. She needed to kill off those corrupt nobles that took in people from outside the Capital before Tatsumi's friends died. She could still avert many tragedies that took place within the series.

Budo led her inside the armory, noting her quietness and pensive expression as her thinking what Teigu to pick. Raven nearly bumped into the large general once he stopped.

"Finally present are we? Here. The Royal Armory. Unfortunately we only have about three left.. With the Revolutionaries having a few, some being destroyed and some of our other forces having a few. We don't have much left here, sadly" Budo grunted in disappointment.

"It's fine, even if I don't get picked. I'm still formidable enough without an extra on hand" Raven tried to assure her, even though in her mind she was hoping to get as many useful Teigu as she could.

She was regretting not taking that disgusting clown's Teigu for herself but she wasn't in her right mind at that point. She saw the Teigu Run would receive and decided to leave it be. It hardly suited her fighting style. She glanced over the other two and didn't feel any sort of pull towards them. Sighing, she turned to Budo and was about to shake her head before she felt something. Something behind a wall inside the armory.

Walking up to it, she felt around the wall before pressing a hidden stone. The wall opened, much to Budo's and Raven's awe. All that was inside, was a golden goblet filled to the brim with crimson blood. Heat wafted off it in waves and a tyrannical pressure made them sweat. It was a Super Danger Beast's blood. Much like Esdeath's demon extract.

It was calling out to Raven with promises of power and domination. It seems it finally found itself a worthy container.