AN: Before we get started, I would like to give a MASSIVE shoutout to BlackSavior for helping me out with this. Any mistake I made here was probably made after he checked my work orz
This is the first fic I've written just for this fandom, as I am relatively new to the series I may have made some errors here and there, please let me know if there's any way I can make this better! Without further ado, please enjoy! ^_^
The night was dead-silent, an ambiance Rachel Alucard was accustomed to. She sat in the middle of the sprawling garden that was choking with red roses, doing exactly the same thing she did every night. There was a silver table, the ornate kind, a posh tea set, and her butler was waiting, standing beside her, silent as ever. She had a sip of her tea, and looked up at the moon which displayed serenity, shining with an eerie silver light that reflected off of her porcelain skin like that of glass. While Rachel would usually rouse a casual conversation with her butler, she didn't mind the silence this time, mind preoccupied with other matters concerning a certain platinum-haired man. The need to see him was particularly strong today - she didn't understand why.
Lately, a tingling sensation would find its way into her body each time her scarlet eyes met mismatched ones, as if an uncontrollable fire burned within. Her heart would beat so frantically at times it threatened to burst out of her chest, her mind would be in a complete frenzy. She ignored it all this time, and she knew exactly what it was - but a part of her told her it was wrong, that she should continue to put those emotions to the side. She didn't even know if it was right of her to harbor these feelings for Ragna, it felt justified, yet it didn't.
The cold night breeze that had abruptly blown through disrupted her train of thought. She shivered, blonde twintails brushing against her face as the wind swept past. It brought her back to reality for a few brief moments, until she was lost in her own world all over again; she was sure her brain was still trying to figure out her own sentiments, but to no avail.
Perhaps she should see him...then maybe she could confirm it for herself. She couldn't accept it, she didn't know if she should. Perhaps if she saw him, she would be able to finally discover the answer to the questions that these feelings posed, and refused to leave unanswered.
With a shaky sigh, she stood up, then called to her transmogrifying cat familiar. "Nago," she tapped her foot impatiently, "umbrella. Now."
"Princess? Why so suddenly-" Rachel shot him a very small but menacing glance from the corner of her eye.
"...Are you questioning me, perhaps?"
Nago cut her off, shouting loudly. "N-not at all, Princess!" He hurriedly transformed into the umbrella Rachel carried with her everywhere while Gii, her other familiar, a red bat, snickered. Valkenhayn's expression grew even more serious at Rachel's sudden action, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Madam Rachel, has something happened?"
"No...I simply need to quell this boredom of mine. I will be back soon."
"As you wish." Valkenhayn bowed and watched Rachel disappear, leaving only a flurry of rose petals in her wake.
"Ugh, jeez, where the hell am I?" Ragna groaned. He had somehow managed to wander his way into a dark, dreary forest that reeked of death. The trees were dead, the plants were wilting, and the forest itself was surrounded by a heavy fog. This was definitely somewhere he didn't want to be. While engrossed with trying to find ways to escape, an all-too-familiar feminine voice suddenly rang out, echoing through every nook and cranny of the forest.
"Ah, there you are, Ragna." The aforementioned man jumped in surprise, looking around frantically for the source of the voice to no avail, even though by now he already knew who it was.
A weight suddenly pressed down on his shoulders, startling Ragna a bit. With the scent of freshly-cut roses and tea invading his nose, Ragna didn't need to guess which giggling vampire currently used his shoulders as a perch. "Get off, Rabbit." he spoke dryly, almost mechanical. The Reaper was in no mood to deal with her.
"Good evening, Ragna." She was a little disappointed with his reaction in hindsight, but dwelled on it no more than a moment. Rachel smiled from ear to ear swinging her legs back and forth, tugging on his hair lightly with her free hand.
Ragna attempted to pry Rachel's invading hand off his head. "Before we do anything can you just get off? Quit playing with my hair, it's annoying as shit."
Luckily for him, Rachel was generous enough to do so, landing on the grass with a soft thud. "Why are you even here?" he groaned. He didn't want to get involved with any of her crazy shenanigans, especially not tonight.
"Oh my, how rude. Tonight is..." Rachel paused to gaze at the moon, which hung like a pearl in the starry night. "...a boring night."
Ragna scoffed. "As usual, huh, Rabbit? So, whaddaya need from me?"
"Come with me." A raise of the eyebrow was his initial response, and before an obvious no past his lips, Rachel rose a lightning-crackling hand for a little more incentive. "I dare you to refuse."
The tone of her voice sent alarms off in Ragna's head. He knew she was capable of simply frying him or putting him on fire if she wanted. Defeatedly, he sighed, knowing nothing he said mattered in the long run. "Fine, fine."
Rachel smiled. "I was expecting you to bark back at me, but you submitted without complaints for once. I'm impressed. Let's go."
A dark portal opened up before the duo, Rachel grasping Rachel's hand tightly just in case he decided to chicken out at the last minute as they stepped through.
When they arrived, they were back in the rose garden of the Alucard manor. It was exactly the same way as it was when Rachel left to fetch Ragna - the roses beautifully tended to, thorns cut away. Her favorite tea set lay on the exquisite table, untouched. The tea was steaming and ready to go; Valkenhayn must have replaced the cold tea while she was gone. Such a hardworking butler...
"So, Rabbit...why are we here? Or rather, why am I here?"
Rachel shook her head in disapproval, like she somehow expected Ragna to know the reason. "Why, to curb my boredom, of course."
"Yeah, no." Ragna turned around and attempted to walk towards the exit, but froze in his tracks when he heard the sound of sparks crackling.
"Where do you think you're going?" Rachel grabbed onto Ragna's arm, grip tightening. "Is that so difficult? Rest assured, I do not have anything crazy in store for you tonight."
Ragna placed his hand to his forehead. If it helped him avoid getting electrocuted to death and back then he would have to play along with Rachel's whims, even if it wasn't exactly the most humane thing in the world.
"Alright, I get it...so, what're we doing again?"
"Curbing my boredom." Rachel did have another reason for this, but she would tell him later.
"Ugh, gimme a break...what's next?" Ragna was already suspicious.
"Why, teatime, of course."
"...What?" He certainly wasn't expecting that of all things. "Don't you drink tea like what, every night? Day? I dunno."
"Silence. We shall have tea, and I want you as a guest today. Valkenhayn!" she called. Said butler appeared beside her, portal closing after him.
"How may I be of service, Madam Rachel?"
"Bring an extra teacup for Ragna here. Oh, and some pastries would be nice." Valkenhayn's eyebrow visibly twitched when he saw Ragna, but he politely bowed anyway.
"Understood. I shall return in a few minutes." As he appeared he was gone yet again.
Rachel turned her attention back to Ragna. "So, Ragna, what have you been up to recently?"
"Huh...?" Ragna was surprised. Was she really asking him normal, everyday question for once?
Rachel seemed puzzled by his reaction. "Did I stutter? I'm asking you, what have you been up to recently?" she repeated.
Just then, Valkenhayn came back, the requested pastries on an elegant, three-tier high tea plate set carefully balanced on one hand, while the other held a matching teacup by the handle. The butler had a mildly annoyed look on his face as he placed the set down and the cup in front of Ragna. He then left the two to their own devices, Gii and Nago following suit.
"Well," Ragna began, pouring a cup of tea for himself, "nothin' much. Bumped into Tao in Orient Town again just the other day, I was helping Litchi get supplies. Damn cat was as hyper as usual - demanded I get food for her. Freakin' mooch..."
"Did you buy Tao food in the end?"
"She wouldn't let me go until I did, didn't have much of a choice, friggin' cat...I would've gotten my ass whooped had Litchi not been okay with me returning so goddamn late!"
Rachel smirked. "I would've liked to see that." her smug grin only got bigger when Ragna reacted rather angrily, but calmed down quickly, knowing that Rachel was always like this. He was saying something in retaliation, but Rachel wasn't really paying much attention at this point.
He told her more stories of crazy things happening, like Carl going on a rampage because people kept staring at Nirvana when he was in public or even Bang trying to unsuccessfully woo Litchi several times. She thought they were quite ridiculous, indeed, but in reality she wasn't listening all that attentively. She only gave a small grin or a chuckle as a response, but Ragna's stories were fading away in her mind slowly. There was something else she was focused on - him, his voice becoming white noise as Rachel submerged herself in thought.
Could she do it? Could she confront these feelings swelling in her chest? Or was it something else entirely? What if these feelings were unrequited? Yes...it wasn't morals, or maintaining current relationships, it was the fear of rejection - a pain she never wanted to experience.
She teetered over the edge of decision, whether to accept or reject. She pondered over both briefly, but she already knew that accepting was the one her heart wished for the most.
"All right, Rabbit, what's up with you?" Ragna's voice shocked Rachel out of her trance. "I've been hollerin' your name and you just stare at me." Silence met him. "Okay, ya asked for it then."
With that, he got up and marched to where she was sitting just across him. Rachel let out a surprised yelp as Ragna's strong hands grasped her hips and lifted her off the chair, replacing the hard furniture under her with his own lap.
"What do you think you're-?! Put me back on the chair right this instant, you brute!" she lightly punched against his chest with the sides of her fists in an attempt to wiggle free, but Ragna's grip on her was stronger.
"C'mon, if you've got somethin' to say, go ahead and say it. You're starting to worry me over here."
Rachel stopped and consulted herself for a moment, truly considering her options. And with a deep inhale and exhale, she began. "Yes, I do." Rachel's change in tone and slight blush quirked a brow, and despite her slightly calm features, her head buzzed with anxiety. Determined nonetheless, Rachel carried on. "'I have felt this towards you for some time now, complex feelings I still fail to completely comprehend consume me day and night. They make me...dizzy."
Ragna scratched his head, perplexed. "Dizzy? Uh, what're you feeling? Maybe we can sort this out?"
"I think it is love."
Ragna's eyes broadened tremendously, the blush he fought so hard to stifle blooming on his cheeks shamelessly. "L-love? For... me? Like, friends? Or... THAT kinda love?"
"When I think of you this feeling swells up in my chest, I cannot sleep or form proper thought. I am left baffled and confused. When I share your company, my heart beats faster than ever before. At times, I feel trapped in my own body, unable to come out and tell you this."
Ragna could feel his face heat up with every passing second. Rachel in love? And nonetheless with him? It was the most surreal thing that could have possibly happened in that moment. His mind scrambled to find a proper answer to give in response to the sudden confession, but he only managed to stutter pathetically.
"I-I mean...well-"
There it was. The question that ultimately tested his feelings back towards Rachel. It was honestly the perfect chance - indescribable tingling that would dance up his spine, causing his hairs to stand up on end, a weird sensation that made his head spin. It was a throbbing kind of feeling, like the beating of his heart; which, by the way, also grew more erratic along with everything else. Ragna knew this was what he felt for a long time that had always left him mystified. He knew better now - that he had loved Rachel for as long as he could remember.
"Um, Rachel?" his voice was cautious, careful, as if he was trying to avoid stepping into dangerous territory.
Rachel looked at him, tilting her head as she waited for a response. "What is it?"
"I really dunno about how I should be tellin' ya this...but I've also...felt somewhat similar things to you. My head pounds 'till it hurts the more I'm with you, and I'm not...me. Somethin' in my limbs would just buzz non-stop, it's almost as if I can hear it. I never understood what all of it meant, but I guess it means that I...uh..."
Rachel was equally as surprised as Ragna was when he was confessed to. She hadn't expected him to actually return her romantic feelings back. She couldn't express how happy she was in those moments, all her mind could think of was pure relief and joy. She had never felt so delighted in her entire life other than whenever Valkenhayn brought in a fresh new blend of aromatic tea for her.
"I...love you, Rachel." Hearing the words come out of Ragna's own mouth was music to her ears. Impulsively she whipped her upper body around a full 360 degrees, grabbing Ragna by the collar and pulling him down to her height. Her lips touched his cheek briefly, before it was gone. Rachel was simply staring at Ragna as if she hadn't just kissed him, but a mischievous smile tugged at her lips. Ragna's face turned a bold, strong shade of red, and no matter how he tried to hide it, the color was as clear as day. He picked the vampire up, then spun her around to face him, arms wrapping around her torso protectively. Rachel was caught off-guard in return at this, but that cheeky grin never left her.
"I didn't know you were that kind of person, Ragna." she smirked as she harshly knocked the tip of her pony boots against the legs of the chair, making Ragna jump. Literally. "Did you just turn me around so you could see me straddle you? Oh, what a man you are. Hehe~"
Ragna couldn't have gotten more red at that statement. Rachel swore she could see steam pouring from his head. "S-shut up, stupid Rabbit! You were the one who got me all riled up in the first place...! Kissing me like that with no warning, you totally did that on purpose!"
"Oh, but I did," Rachel replied nonchalantly. "It's a sign of our love." she then winked at him in a cutesy manner, driving him further up the wall.
"Arghhh, goddammit, Rabbit! I-"
Before Ragna could even complete his sentence, Rachel had leaned in closer, resting her head on his shoulders.
"I couldn't hear you very well earlier. Could you repeat those three words you just said again for me, please?" the way she whispered right in his ear had him shivering, and with the fact that he could feel her lips curl into a sneaky grin against his skin, it was pretty obvious that Rachel was just trying to get him to say that phrase again. It wasn't like he could say no, though - Rachel somehow always had her way of getting what she wanted, and Ragna really did love her.
Ragna reached out to embrace Rachel, arms wrapping around her torso. "I love you." his voice was less hesitant, but still a little reserved than he would have liked nonetheless. Rachel smiled again.
"That's more like it. I love you too, Ragna."
Circling her arms around Ragna, her fingers dug into the fabric of his coat a little tighter than he would've liked. He sighed, but chuckled to himself anyway, tightening his hold and pulling her closer to him. In this castle where the night does not end, he would remain like this for just a little while longer.
AN: Thank you very much for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome and greatly appreciated, I would love to hear your personal thoughts on it! See you next time!
