Author's Note: Much like my fellow Ragna/Tsubaki writer, Velvien, I have decided to make a drabble series for this pairing. Keep in mind that when reading each of these drabbles, Ragna and Tsubaki will already be a couple.
The first three chapters (drabbles) will take place in the Crimson Camellia story arc. They will transpire between the events of the seventh and the eighth chapter.
Rated M for future chapters and most possible lemon or two.
It was a bright day. The sun was out, visible in the clear blue sky. A young Ragna dashed over to the top of the hill. There, he saw Saya, focused in a book while being protected by the shade of the tree branches and leaves above her. She looked inquisitively at her older brother. Smiling to himself, he waved his right arm and called out for her, beckoning her to follow him. "Come over here, Saya!"
Suddenly, Ragna's vision changed. A dark void took over. At once, he saw Saya's joyous face transformed. She fell back. Ragna found himself rushing to her side, catching her with both arms to break her fall. Her face was deathly pale. Her eyes were shut as she cringed in pain. Several coughs erupted from her, a sign of her fever. Ragna looked ahead; the hillside changed into the burning church.
Ragna saw Jin just ahead, holding a sword and a blue sheath. He desperately reached out to his brother, wondering just what happened. Suddenly a tempest of pain greeted him from his right side. He looked down at his severed arm in the building pool of his blood. He screamed in horror. A sudden maniac laughter followed afterwards.
A frozen Ragna looked up to see an older man with green hair. The standing figure bent down and picked up Ragna's arm, not at all caring about the crimson liquid dripping from it. "Wow! He cut it off! How does it feel, Raggy? Does it hurt? Does it hurt? Of course it does! Hahahaha!"
All the pained Ragna could do was bleed from the stump of his severed arm at Terumi's feet. Terumi continued to laugh maniacally as he taunted Ragna. Afterwards, he snatched up Saya and took his leave, content to let the boy bleed to death.
The scene shifted; Ragna, now much older, stood in the lower levels of an NOL branch. He recognized it immediately; it was the NOL branch of the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. He saw three familiar figures- the faces of Tsubaki, Jin, and Nu. Ragna gasped at the sight. A brutal fight took place between them. Nu, the 13th Prime Field summoned multiple swords. Tsubaki, a desperate choice to save Jin, lunged forward.
"Tsubaki!" Ragna tried to run forward to her, to reach out and hold her, but his body was immobilized. He could only gape as the blades speared her delicate body. Afterwards, her body laid motionless in Jin's arms. Ragna screamed in shock and anguish and melancholy as he tried to fight the restraint of his body. "No! Tsubaki!"
Rage and sorrow seeped into his body, overriding his emotions. Dark energy covered his right arm, emitting a pulsating noise. The sensation was too much to bear. Masses of seithr engulfed his body. His left eye glowed blood-red. His fingers honed into claws. What terrified the last of his humanity was the overwhelming power one could have- how great that power felt. Blackness surrounded his vision. Ragna heard blood-curdling screams of thousands of people.
He felt his body destroy everything and devoured up many people. He couldn't save the ones he cared about. Visions of Tsubaki, Jin, Noel, Rachel, and others came to view. He dreadfully called out for them. One thought came to Ragna- there would no hope left in the world. His last sight watched over as the world began to fade into oblivion.
Ragna's eyes shot open. He sat up immediately, clutching his head with his hand. As he took several deep breaths to calm himself from his nightmare, he looked around in the dark room he slept in. Outside his window, a faint light of the moon shone. The glow illuminated most of the room, lighting up the dark, wooden furniture. Thoughts drifted to his dream. Ragna remembered the old memories, engraved in his mind forever. He paled as he recalled Tsubaki's apparent demise. Worry etched its way into his mixed emotions. It… it felt a like a memory, but it never happened. … Shit.
Now wide awake, Ragna thought best to get something to drink. He stripped the covers of the bed and shifted over to the edge. After putting his feet on the hard floor, he made his way through the threshold, feeling around for anything solid to support himself with. Walking through the hallway, he glanced over to a particular door, creaked open just the slightest bit. His lips curved upward into a small smile. Memories of Tsubaki and himself just hours before came into mind.
Not looking where he was meandering, Ragna lost his footing and nearly tripped on a stray table against the wall of the passage. He managed to balance before falling face-first, and emitted a gruff, low curse, not loud enough to be heard throughout the whole mansion, but loud enough to echo down the hallway he walked through. He shot a nervous glance to Tsubaki's open room. When no sound came from inside, he breathed out and continued his way towards the kitchen.
A bang, followed by a harsh-sounding whisper sounded from the hall. Tsubaki slowly opened her eyes as she let out a moan. As she rubbed them, her vision, although in a black room, became clear. "Mm."
She glanced outside the door. A shadowy figure stood still for a moment. Fatigue left Tsubaki's eyes as curiosity gripped her as she too a better look at the shadow. A few seconds later, the form waned, most likely getting farther away from her room. Knowing that it would be difficult to go to sleep until she could find out what that was, Tsubaki quietly got out of bed. With much stealth, she tiptoed down the hall, finding that the open door lead to the kitchen and dining room.
Opening the door more, Tsubaki's eyes widened as she looked at the white mess of hair just above the couch. She tiptoed over around the couch to get a better look. Ragna had been slumped on the couch with crossed arms and eyes closed. He did not seem to notice Tsubaki standing in front of him. Tsubaki whispered, "Ragna? Is everything alright?"
"Hm?" Ragna opened his eyes to look at the girl in front of him. His expression softened, although his nightmare still inundated his mind. "Tsubaki, shit, sorry, did I wake you up?"
"Oh, no, you didn't." A bit of a lie; he had been the one who made the light ruckus in the hallway. Letting her blame evaporate, Tsubaki's lips curved downward. She repeated, "Is everything alright? Why are you awake?"
Ragna shook his head, deciding not make her worry even more, especially about something as trivial as this. "It's… nothing important."
"Ragna," Tsubaki pressed forward. His reply did not match the tone in his voice. Something was wrong; something made him uneasy and distressed and she wanted to find out just what it was. "It couldn't have been 'nothing important' if it bothers you like this. Please tell me."
"Just… a stupid, bad dream."
Tsubaki frowned deeper, ideas swarming to find some way to comfort him. One rooted in, convincing herself that all he might just need is company. "Would you like me to stay here with you? Do you want to talk about it?"
Ragna was confused. Talking was usually not his way to solve his issues. He shook his head, hoping to assure her that something as stupid like this was of little importance. "You need your sleep, I'll be fine."
Tsubaki sighed with some frustration. Why is he being so… stubborn? And dismissive? Rather than leave, she made her way next to him on the couch. Thoughts of how much he had helped her formed. Now, she could return it once, even for something like this. He needed company and comfort, and she was there to give it to him. "Please, I want to help. This could be a way for me to repay you for everything you've done for me."
"Repayment, huh?" Ragna smirked at her, sending her heart aflutter. When she sat next to him, Ragna at last obliged to let her stay with him, knowing there was no point arguing any further. He draped his arm around her shoulders. "Fine, you win. Remember, though, you don't need to repay me."
"Mm." Tsubaki smiled and leaned into his embrace. She snuggled her head in the crook of his neck, face buried in his chest. Her eyes closed as she simply sat there, content. Deciding not to reply to his last sentence, she instead repeated her last question again. "Do you want to talk about your dream? It could help."
Ragna remained silent, wishing to not have to recall those horrid visions. Why the hell am I always being haunted through my memories? He pulled Tsubaki closer, gently nuzzling his forehead with the top of her head. The pair solely sat there, enjoying the presence the other brought them. After a couple of minutes, he yawned; the waves of fatigue coming down to him. Tsubaki looked up at him curiously. Ragna said, "I think I should go back to sleep."
Tsubaki lifted her head and cleared some distance from him to help him get up. "Okay, I'll help you to the room."
They both raised themselves from the comfort of the couch and headed back into the hallway. After careful steps, they reached his room. She gave him a timid glance. "Um… can I… is it alright for me to stay for a bit? I still want to be with you."
After making his way in bed, Ragna smirked again and lifted the covers, inviting her on the bed. When she climbed in, he released a small chuckle and teased. "I never would have thought the reserved Tsubaki Yayoi would offer to want to sleep alongside an infamous criminal. In general, I never expected you for this type of chick."
"No!" A loud response followed. Tsubaki flushed brick red as she sputtered, trying to clear out words to explain herself. Hoping she did not wake anyone, she whispered, "It's not… that. I, um, just wanted… um…"
Ragna raised an eyebrow at the mess of words she created. He urged her to continue. "You wanted…"
Tsubaki, cheeks still red, gave him a playful punch in the arm, expecting to cease his mocking. "Please stop that. We're not ready to… um, move further. All I wanted was… for you to… hold me."
She looked away, avoiding eye contact and as well trying to hide her darkening blush.
"Sorry, just wanted to see how you'd react." Ragna's mocking at last stopped. He smiled at her choice of words and took her in his arms again. He shut his eyes. "What the hell? I feel tired, but restless enough to not go to sleep. Is this normal, Tsubaki?"
"In some cases, yes." Tsubaki answered. An idea came to her. It had been so long since… "Would you like me to sing to you?"
"Hm? You sing?" Ragna looked at her in surprise.
"It's something I haven't done in a long time. My mother used to sing me a lullaby when I couldn't sleep."
Awkwardness came to him at the thought of having to be sung to sleep. It felt a little silly, Ragna thought. Nevertheless, he nodded. No sooner, Tsubaki closed and sang. A quiet, beautiful cradlesong entered Ragna's ears. He laid in silence, relaxing to Tsubaki voice. Occasionally, her angelic tune would shift from low notes to high notes and vice versa.
After two minutes, the song was over. Tsubaki's eyes opened and she looked at Ragna's sleeping form. With a tired, bleary smile, she caressed his cheek once, her soft fingers running down his cheek. In slow movement, she prepared herself to leave the bed and return back to her room. It had been a long night, she decided.
However, Ragna's grip around her did not waver, much to her surprise. Rather, he pulled her closer to him, pecking her on the cheek and bringing his mouth to her listening ear. He murmured three words, just loud enough for only her to hear. "Stay with me."
Tsubaki's breath caught at the feel of his lips on her cheek. Smiling, she shifted over and closed whatever distance there was between them, cuddling up against his firm body. She returned the gesture with a kiss of her own upon his cheek. "Goodnight, Ragna."
