Chapter One:
The Embers Of Yesterday: Extinguished
"Wooooh! It's dead! It's dead!"
Luna's cries erupted from a small apartment in Kazamotsu. No one cared, though, because her voice mixed in with the noise of the outside busy streets. She had Kokonoe to thank for that, how begrudgingly she had gotten the apartment for her from her 'back-up drive'. Ragna was sitting next to her, the near empty place they called 'home' illuminated by the TV screen.
"Calm down! It's just a damned video game!"
Though the once thought to be wallpapered walls were dirty, dusty, and a little grimy, Ragna leaned back against it. This was a small room, probably meant to be a broom closet, but the only one with a working electrical outlet. The TV was small, barely over a square foot, and was big balky and somehow had white bleached spots on its grey exterior. Even though it was nothing more than a distraction, it served its job well.
"So? Luna totally kicked your ass! And you know it!" Luna poked his shoulder roughly as she exclaimed her obnoxiousness. Ragna flinched, and tried to dodge, but just ended up ramming his head into the wall. Though the closet itself wasn't any more than three feet on each side, it's not hard to imagine Ragna doing this out of friendship or pure clumsiness.
He knew these times were hard on Luna. As Luna laughed away, he saw a twinkle in her eye that showed that Sena was chuckling along. He couldn't help but to smile as a slight throbbing started to fade away. "Forget this! I want another rematch! I know that I'll kick your ass this time!"
"Nuh-uh. Sena, do you wanna play?" Luna composed a loud yawn, probably fake, just to prove her point.
"Sure thing, Luna. After all, this is a fairly simply game. I'm surprised Ragna's having such a hard time at this," he said. They went through another round of giggles. Ragna sighed. Video game fighting was so different from actually fighting.
Ragna scowled, but it didn't last long as they were fixated on the screen. Ragna, playing as a green hero was fighting against Luna's character, a pink blob. She went to swallow him whole (the characters, of course) and Ragna tried to block or dodge or maybe even parry if he tried hard enough. But instead, he dashed forward, causing her to spit him out off of the platform and plunged him to his doom.
"God dammit!" he cursed, throwing the controller roughly to the floor.
"Be careful!" Luna yelled, "It's hard enough to get those fixed! And Luna's the one who pays for it!" The loading screen popped up, showing the pink blob dancing around the screen.
"That's a lie and you know it," Ragna sighed. He picked up the controller and shook the grim off of it. The thing was a dirty grey, the buttons worn from years of abusive love, but it still worked like a charm. He placed it on top of the T.V., away from the dust of the floor, and stood up. "Play by yourself. I need to take a walk anyways."
"Gladly," Sena replied, changing the settings to single player. Ragna stepped over the moniter, careful of the wires. He went over to the door, and left them playing in the dark.
The room included a broken window that let in some sunlight into the empty room. The flooring was destroyed; only some of the hardwood remained, leaving the odd brown underbelly of the floor. Water clogged the wallpaper in a corner, and small cracks protruded from the wall and paper. Brown mold was growing in the corner (at least, as for as they could tell, it was mold).
Ragna stretched his arms over his head. He kept his Blood-Scythe faithfully by his side, always. Though the room was unfurnished, it had a sort of natural air about it, like it was supposed to be empty, much like his reasons for fighting anymore. His master was gone. Jubei was… dead. Sometimes it felt like Luna and Sena were the only thing (things?) he had left to fight for.
"Aww YEAH! Luna got the high score!" He heard her shout from the closet.
"But can you beat this?" Sena made his declaration of competition loud and clear, and Ragna presumed that he had control over the body.
A small but chilly breeze danced through the cracked glass and boards against the windows. It was a chilly time for Kazamotsu. It was winter for the high mountains of what was once Germany. It's not like the high altitudes helped any, either. And as the nighttime stars shone bright in the near midnight sky, the time of day cooled things down.
The Ikaruga Federation crossed the mountains of what was once Europe. Once they were done with the shit in Ibukido, it was easy to venture to the other Ikaruga cities. It was upon his request that they travel, and that they kept each other safe.
"Damn," he muttered. Ragna was thinking about his mentor, how he was a sort of father figure to him. Of course, they've all had their fair share of disputes. I mean, that's what's family is for, right? And Ragna didn't even have the respect to call him master one last time….
He sighed, and as the tears swelled in his eyes, he felt weak. Weak because he couldn't save him. Weak because he didn't have respect for the one who saved his life so many times that it's nearly countless. Weak because he had let him die right in front of him.
Though he didn't notice, his tears feel down from his eyes and onto his cheeks. Slowly, they left a glistening trail as the fell from his chin to the floor. The moonlight reflected off of them. It seemed like an eternity since he died, but he knew it has probably been… what? A month?
Still, the feelings of sorrow and grief were overwhelming.
Thinking back on it now, he affected everyone. Him, Rachel, Taokaka, Noel, Kokonoe… someway, somehow, he helped all of them. Hell, he probably saved their lives more times than his own. Yet, he was still gone.
Somehow, Ragna expected the small breeze of Rachel's teleportation magic, and the scent of her roses and a faint hint of tea. But instead he was there, alone, only with Luna's yells of victory keeping him grounded.
AN: Huh. I actually finished this. No idea what I'm doing, though.
The location of the Ikaruga Federation was just a guess. Does Europe even have enough mountains? T-T And, also, this is supposed to take place after ChronoPhantasma. Considering I don't know what it's about.
Anyway, many thanks for reading! Please R&R.
Laters AN: Wow. My muse abandoned me AGAIN. I have no more ideas for this… Help?