A/N: Another lengthy one, mostly meant to play around with changes to the time loops.

This is set about 5 years before Calamity Trigger.

Rated for language and violence. No pairings decided on yet.

"Well...here it is..." Tsubaki reread the letter for what had to have been the thousandth time since receiving it. An offer to be trained by a hero, rather than go through the Academy...how could she refuse, especially considering who the teacher was? Although she all but shook from anxiety—her first time alone in a foreign part of Naobi proved nerve-wracking, even for one as composed as her—she headed through the doors of some restaurant in the outskirts. She paused at the entrance to look around. It only took a couple seconds to spot the hooded feline beastkin, seated beside a surly teenager with white hair and a red jacket. Excitement overpowered her nerves and she scrambled over to the two with no mind for the waiter's request to wait to be seated. "U-um...hello...y-you're Sir Jubei, correct?"

"Reckon I am. Howdy." Jubei turned and smiled at the girl. "N' yer the Yayoi prodigy, ain't ya? Nice to meet ya." He indicated the man beside him. "This here's Ragna. My other pupil. Go ahead, have a seat."

As Tsubaki did so, Ragna snorted. "...So this pupil you've been raving about for the last three months is some Duodecim princess? Tch. You really expect her to last four years?"

Tsubaki shrunk away from him. "I...um..."

"Come now, Ragna. Why don't ya show some manners for the lady, eh?" After giving Ragna a quick scowl, Jubei smiled at Tsubaki. "Sorry 'bout that...Tsubaki, was it? He...ain't exactly the friendliest. At least at first."

"I see." As she returned his smile, Tsubaki extended a hand his way. "I-it's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I-I mean, I've always admired you, so when I heard you'd be willing to train me...well, it's such an honor."

Ragna broke into chuckles. "Shit, master. You got yourself a goddamn fangirl."

Tsubaki looked like she had been physically struck by his language. "...U-um...do you...always speak like that? With...such vulgar..."

After blinking, Ragna put on a deadpan look. "...Damn, I was right about the princess thing, wasn't I? Newsflash, girlie; people in the real world? They say shit like, well, shit. And damn. And fu-"

One elbow to the ribs courtesy of Jubei later, Ragna doubled over with a wince. "...Sorry, master."

"...And ya don't even 'pologize to her. One o' these days, Ragna, I'll get through that thick skull o' yers." Jubei shook his head and sighed. "Well, anyways, Tsubaki. Ya attended a year at the Academy, right?"

"Y-yes, sir." Tsubaki fought to hold in a giggle. She was talking to Jubei. Jubei. The real thing. Nothing had, or could have, prepared her for this moment. Now, she had to call upon all her reserves of composure to not devolve into a giggling fangirl. "I...um...yes."

"I hear ya did pretty well, too. Top o' the class, wasn't it?"

"Y-yes, that's correct. Although, there were certainly a good number of people who could have usurped me this upcoming year..." She paused. How were Makoto and Noel going to fare now? In the space of a year, she had learned the former had little self-motivation when it came to scholastic efforts and the latter...well, she tried, but eternally struggled. She held back a sigh; she had to trust that her friends would be alright without her. They had both been all for her learning from one of the Six Heroes, so... She would definitely find a way to communicate with them.

"So you're smart. Awesome." Ragna's remark and roll of his eyes bit into her thoughts. "Or...uh, does that Academy thing include shit like physical training? I mean, doubt it'll really have you prepared for this, but..."

"Yes, it does. Um...where would we be training, anyways?"

"Outside the cities in the wilderness, mostly wandering around. Don't want no one getting caught up in what he's gonna put us through." With a challenge etched into his smirk, Ragna leaned closer. "Wonder if the pampered little princess can handle it."

A fiery glint in Tsubaki's eye answered the barb. "I'm fairly certain I can, yes."

Ragna chuckled and leaned back. "Heh. Good. Hate for this to be a waste of our time."

"She'll be fine, Ragna." Jubei chuckled, glancing between his two pupils. Already, he liked what he saw between the two, a fire between them that would at the very least push Tsubaki. "I mean, it ain't nothin' like the Academy, but she seems the strong type. If yer whiny ass could get through it-"

"I was freaking twelve at the time, goddammit!"

"Exactly. She got a couple years on ya there. And more trainin' than you did at that point."

"...Kay, you got me there."

Chuckling, Jubei turned back to Tsubaki. "N' if it does turn out to be too much for ya..."

Tsubaki shook her head. "I won't give up. If I'm doing this, than I'm seeing it through to the end. Um...may I ask what I'll be doing?"

"Course. Mostly combat trainin'. Yer dad told me 'bout Izayoi, but I reckon a weapon like that should wait a bit. Outside o' that, you'll also be doin' more bookish stuff. If yer gonna join the Librarium after this..." Jubei shot a warning glare at Ragna to keep him from speaking up. "Might as well be prepared for it."

"In other words, first couple weeks are gonna be boring as hell." Ragna rolled his eyes yet again and slouched back. "Seriously. Hope you like dry-ass history books."

"I...do, actually. In fact..." This time, she did giggle. "That just makes me more excited to start."

"...Right, yeah. Total nerd, then?"

"...More or less."

"Tch. Well, hey. If Jubei wants to take in a bookworm Library princess..."

"Yeah, yeah, already got an earful of yer bitchin' 'bout her ties three months ago. Just 'cause she's with the Library don't mean a damn thing." Jubei shook his head and looked back over at Tsubaki. "He ain't a big fan of the Library."

"...That's one way to put it, yeah."

Tsubaki cocked her head. Was this man an Ikaruga sympathizer? No, that couldn't be it. Why would Jubei travel with one of them? "...I don't understand. The Librarium is the cornerstone of socie-"

"Spare me the lecture, I don't give a shit. Library's all sorts of screwed up. You're just blind to it."

"And just what did the Librarium do to you?"

"Stuff."

"In other words, nothing."

"For all your brains, you're goddamn naïve, you know that?" Ragna scoffed and leaned back. "I got my reasons, and honestly? Give me one goddamn reason to believe you're not like the rest of the assholes in the Library."

"...I'm not even going to dignify that until you actually tell me what your problem is." Scowling, Tsubaki looked away from him. "So, please. Don't subject me to these tirades."

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Jubei cast both of them warning glances. "Let's keep from arguin' now. Ain't gonna do us a lick o' good at the moment."

While Tsubaki nodded, Ragna snorted. "Fine, whatever. Sorry and shit."

"Don't ya worry, Tsubaki. We'll explain everythin' to you soon enough. Now...why don't we go ahead n' eat?"

Ragna growled as he sat in front of the gate that led out of Naobi. What the hell. Just...what the hell. Why the hell did he have to deal with some Librarium princess in addition to all the shit Jubei put him through? He sighed. This was going to drive him insane. If that chick couldn't pull her weight out there...

He shook his head. No. Stop thinking like that, damn you. So she was brainwashed by the Library. So she probably had been pampered to all hell and would have no idea what to do if she was dropped out in the wilderness on her own. No reason to antagonize the girl. Hell, probably the exact opposite. He wouldn't like it, but...eh. He'd live. And he'd make sure she would as well.

A gust of wind preceded a voice cutting into his thoughts. "Oh my. An abandoned puppy? How tragic."

It took a fair amount of effort for Ragna to hold in a growl. Of all the people to come across him, why the hell did it have to be her? "That's all you can think of, rabbit? You're losing your touch."

"Oh, I think not. I merely do not consider you worth expending effort upon." A girl, young in appearance, came to a stop in front of him, disdain in her eyes. The eyes of the black, cat-like umbrella in her grip fixed Ragna with its stare while an obese crimson bat hovered by her head. "I must wonder, however, what brings you out to a place such as Naobi."

Ragna shrugged. "Jubei found some new chick to train."

"Is that so? This is quite the surprise; I was unaware he sought another pupil. Nago, if you please." At Rachel's request, the parasol dropped to the ground and turned into a high-backed chair with a purr of consent. "So, your inadequacies have driven him to lose all hope for you, then? I feared it would come to this…"

"What? Hell no! He's gonna be training both of us, dumbass!" Ragna seethed for a moment before sighing. Goddammit, he let her barb strike home again. "Look, I dunno why he's decided to do this. This chick is some pampered nobility princess that worships the Library. Sounds like a shitty idea to pair us up…"

"'Pair us up'? Oh my, Ragna. I did not realize you were capable of grasping such concepts. Although I imagine it would be strictly…"

"And I didn't realize you were too much of a goddamn dunce to work out what the hell I meant!" Ragna rose to his feet to snarl down at his accoster. Damn, did he ever want to just… "Look, point is, me and this Tsubaki chick? I can't see us getting along in the damn least."

"And you shall endeavor to try, or at least refrain from antagonizing her. Allow me to ensure that." With a sigh, Rachel closed her eyes, chin rested on her palms. "…When you say 'Tsubaki', you refer to the prodigy of the Yayoi family, do you not?"

"Yeah, her. Why? Know her or something?"

"Her reputation precedes her. That is all." This was quite interesting, she mused to herself. A wild card for whenever the time loop broke was now in their hands, safe from Terumi's influence. A fortuitous turn of events, indeed. "So, then, you are waiting for her and Jubei to return?"

"Yeah. Dumb chick didn't think to bring anything warmer than a dress, so they're out getting supplies and shit. Makes me wonder how the hell she's gonna survive."

"That shall fall onto you and Jubei, naturally. However…I believe she shall learn rather quickly. She is supposed to be quite intelligent, after all." Rachel turned to glance into the city. At that moment, Jubei and Tsubaki came around from an alley, the latter bombarding him with excited chatter. As they approached Ragna and Rachel, however, she fell silent, cautious. Rachel rose from her seat and inclined her head to the duo. "Good day, Master Jubei. It has been some time."

"Heh. Reckon it has." Jubei stepped back and prodded Tsubaki forward. "Tsubaki, this is Rachel Alucard, an ally of ours. Rachel..."

"I am quite aware of the Yayoi prodigy, thank you." Rachel extended a gloved hand to the girl with a slight smirk. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, um...you, too." Unnerved by the girl before her—the maturity she spoke with despite her appearance, her red eyes, the goosebumps that her very presence brought—Tsubaki nevertheless returned the handshake. However, her curiosity could not be quelled. "U-um...what are..."

Though Tsubaki silenced herself, the question was apparent and she braced herself for reprimand. Instead, Rachel smirked. "Oh my. And here I thought your upbringing would leave you somewhat better mannered."

"S-sorry..."

"It is quite alright. I am indeed not of your kind, but I mean you no harm. That is all you are required to know on the matter." Rachel turned to Jubei, curious. "May I ask how this arrangement came to be?"

From where he slumped against the wall, Ragna nodded. "Yeah. The hell are you doing this for, anyway?"

"Met her father some time ago," Jubei said. "Struck me as an agreeable fellow, so I told him 'bout the Kaka Clan n' their struggle. He said he'd do what he could to help, provided I trained his daughter. Took some time to work out an arrangement, but here we are now. Duodecim's workin' on helpin' the Kakas n' Tsubaki gets to train with one o' her heroes. Seems like a fair trade to me."

Ragna blinked and cocked his head. "...Kakas? You mean like Tora?"

"Yeah, I reckon she's next in line for their chief. Their home...well, they're in a bad spot right now. I ain't been able to do a damn thing 'bout either, 'til now."

With a nod, Rachel returned her scrutiny to Tsubaki. "I see. Child, may I ask your age?"

"Um..." Tsubaki met her gaze without flinching, succeeding in swallowing down her unease about the girl. "Fifteen. I just finished my first year at the Academy."

"I see." Without warning, Rachel turned a venomous glare on Ragna, eyes all but igniting. "Ragna, allow me to remind you again-"

"I ain't gonna do a goddamn thing to her, geez!" Ragna rolled his eyes and rose, grumbling under his breath. "What the hell makes you think I am? I'm not a jackass or anything..."

"Yes, I would have to agree. You do not appear to share any similarities with the donkey, sans an unhealthy degree of stubbornness." After a pause, Rachel smirked. "...On second thought, between being foolish and stubborn, perhaps you are part donkey after all..."

"Piss off, you know what I meant." A sigh. "...Again."

"But it is ever so amusing..."

"I thought I wasn't worth your time or some shit."

"Um..." Tsubaki cast Jubei a nervous glance. "Should we...?"

"Don't worry 'bout it, they bicker all the time." Jubei chuckled with a mischievous grin. "You ask me, they got somethin' for each other."

"Why, how dare you imply I would have feelings for such a creature." A light blush on her cheeks, Rachel turned her back to the group and strode away, familiars following after her. "I have learned all I required. Good day."

A moment later, space warped around her, a wormhole that sucked her in. As Rachel vanished from view, Tsubaki stepped back, utterly bewildered at this point. "Wh-what...was that...?"

Jubei placed a paw on her shoulder to calm her. "Yep, she can teleport. Hell of an ally. Hell, might even say she's our leader."

"I...see." Not that it made Tsubaki any less uneasy about the girl...

"Hey. We moving or what?" Ragna jerked a thumb back at the gate. "It's getting late. Sooner we set up camp, the better."

"Right, right." Jubei smirked at Tsubaki. "Ya ready? Anything else ya gotta do first?"

Tsubaki took a moment to consider. Though she was sure she was ready, this would be the last time for a while she'd be in Naobi. Nothing came to mind. Farewells had been said, supplies had been obtained, nothing left to do. "Yes. I believe I am."

A/N: Poll for pairings will be up on profile shortly. Be warned, however, I am not including the most common pairings; we have enough of those on here. Also, I may or may not go with the most common vote, but I will be at least influenced by it.