AN | I've recently taken out Calamity Trigger (I remembered that I have it) to play again and I had to laugh when I saw that none of the character stories had been finished—not even the three I had played a bit of had a progress percentage higher than about fifty (I think that was back when I wasn't interested in anyone other than Ragna, Jin and Noel). Well, I'm working on fixing that. I think I prefer CS, though; the gag reels are a nice bonus, as are the "Help Me, Professor Kokonoe!" segments, too (I play and enjoy Blazblue in the english dub btw).
tldr; Playing CT again means I can indulge in a guilty pleasure of mine that is the interactions between Jin and Ragna. So here's another BlazBlue au(-ish?) fic from me, and I would say it's in the "one word, one sentence" style again, but I wrote more than necessary. I wonder how this will have turned out in the end.
*I'll not insist that you read my previous Blazblue fic first, but it may interest you to do so because this is basically the same situation but from a RagnaxJin.
01: "The Grim Reaper is My Brother"
Jin's expectation of their indefinite reunion isn't remotely close to the way it actually plays out: the new student stands in front of the entire advanced class that's only more than a handful and presents himself as "Ragna. You know, the "Grim Reaper" who always used to beat people up and shit", and there's not a face more bemused, nor a breath quicker stalled, neither a mentality more disturbed than Jin Kisaragi's, who—watching the man carrying an infamous history of effortlessly brawling and leaving his opponents near dead in his wake over to his designated seat—is immediately concerned that his admirable status at the academy will won't allow their relationship to be easily overlooked.
. . . . .
02: "Roommates"
It's not perceived to be an easy task when the desire to do otherwise is much stronger, but Jin reckons he can stay retired to his room, reading all the light novels he can lend, and at least attempt to keep his nose clean of any and all things to do with "Ragna The Bloodege" for the remainder of his time at the academy; Of course, the task no longer harbors any chances of success when the dorm supervisor shows up with the new student and announces their fate of being roommates for the remainder of their time at the academy.
. . . . .
03: "Sharing"
Thick, long tape is pulled out and stuck around to unequally divide the room (and give Jin the advantage of the bigger space), less than a meter of space for the "new student"'s tidbit possessions is carelessly made on one of the shelves, and a list of do's and don'ts that only apply to the new student is relayed with the majority of them in regards to not disturbing or irritating Jin Kisaragi: "Mr. Honor Student".
Ragna takes up and rips the tape and steps over "his bounds" effortlessly, he forcefully makes room on the shelf for his belongings after knocking off plenty other—useless—things of Jin's (awards, books: i.e. condescending crap), and as for the rules that ridiculously apply to only one of two residents that cater to the selfish ways of the other, it's torn apart and thrown out the window.
Jin swallows and starts counting to ten against the urge; Ragna knowingly waits. In four seconds, hands are around throats, punches go against kicks, a head of blond is placed in a secure lock, and colorful insults and yelling ensues.
. . . . .
04: "Joke"
Jin relapses...Everything he's built and kept consistent while at the academy—the facade—suffers glitches in its routine, and times that were peaceful and convenient are now times when he willingly succumbs to the corruption and mistreats his brother on academy grounds; standing over his sleeping roommate with a dessert pie borrowed from the cafeteria in hand, quietly laughing, he slaps it across Ragna's face.
Ragna's peeved and his sleep is disturbed (and he's smearing the whipped cream around more than wiping it off), "Aaahhh! What the hell?...Jin, you little shit! The hell you do that for?...Goddammit, it's four in the morning, you whackjob! Ugh!...And why the hell's this pie so goddamn tasty?"
. . . . .
05: "Normality"
Ragna returns to the shared room where he's subjected to having a long, pointed implement thrown at him that he fortunately ducks fast enough to miss, albeit barely; he comes in and interrogates Jin, the honor student sat at his desk but not facing it and acting like nothing is beside the normal; this he does while he prepares to throw another dart.
. . . . .
06: "Physical"
Physical Ed. class becomes a means of surviving against merciless throws of basketballs—whoever decided it okay that Jin partake in Dodgeball lacks any and all forms of common sense, Ragna bets while he's crouching from the immense pain after one of the balls hit his...sensitive place; Jin unsympathetically explains that he was aiming for the face but loves the presentation of pain and agony so much he's satisfied all the same, which prompts Ragna to pays him back with a punch to the nose, and before long, they're told to go to the infirmary where Prof. Kokonoe (filling in for Miss. Litchi for the day) says it's no desire of hers to treat "a pair of stupid, squabbling children."
. . . . .
07: "Nick-Names"
Hours later and between them is still a touchy, sour mood; that, they're perfectly aware of when they run into each other in the hallways.
Jin smiles through the pain of his bruising nose, "Ragna. Grim Reaper. Mr The Bloodege. Haha, Person I'm Going to Kill."
Ragna growls but humors him, "Jin. Mr Honor Student. Little Shit I'll Beat to a Fucking Pulp if He Doesn't Get Out of My Way Right Now."
. . . . .
08: "Temptation"
Jin doesn't own up to throwing an expensive, mechanical pen to the back of the new student's head during class, and Ragna, as expected, stands up and lashes out, which invites the teacher, Mr Hazama, to pause his lecture and address what's going on. "Mr Ragna—can I call you 'Rags' or 'Raggy'? Hey, if you're gonna interrupt me when I'm talking to you dumbasses then I'll have to scold you. Wait, getting paid to do that sounds fun...yeeeaahh; Rags, you go ahead and be pissed at Mr Kisaragi. Break shit, even. Flip a table, or whatever. Heck, why not make things a little "heated" between you guys, too?"
Jin crosses his arms and looks down on the teacher, "If you're insinuating that you would enjoy intimacy between two male students, then you are disgusting, regardless of the reason being the right to scold us later."
"Watch it, Mr Kisaragi," Mr Hazama warns as he tips his hat, tone still playful yet thicker, stronger, threatening. "You wouldn't want to tempt me."
. . . . .
09: "Jealous"
Jin doesn't feel irregular within himself when he sees Ragna surrounded by a pack of beautiful women; in the end, he would still like to kill his brother.
. . . . .
10: "Nonacceptance"
"Jin...a-are you..okay? You look upset."
Upset? He? Jin thinks the notion to be misguided and horrendously inconceivable, and looks to Noel with a side glance. "What's that, Miss. Vermillion? I'm fine. There's nothing for me to be upset about...except the confidence you appear to have in fabricating whatever you wish."
"H-Huh?...Oh, b-But I wasn't...I mean, that's not what I...was trying to do, not at all!"
"I could care less."
"...I'm sorry. My mistake."
"Yes, it is indeed."
. . . . .
11: "Civil"
Ragna takes the unnatural break on their communication into his own two hands because he knows that if things are left to Jin then nothing will be water under the bridge. "Jin, don't you...I know we're not exactly BFF's but isn't it weird that we haven't spoken to each other in a while? Not even to fight."
"...No."
Ragna sighs, "Look, I'm not gonna apologise, we both know that won't change a damn thing. You'll still try to kill me and I'll still want to kill you just to shut you up. Still, it doesn't matter what happens from here because it's not like I'll have forgotten anything. I still remember how we were back then...I haven't changed. So, seriously, Jin, quit with this crap already..." He smirks at Jin's expression when he says next, "Otherwise you'll tip the balance of order and the moon might fall, you loser."
. . . . .
12: "Kindly"
Jin misplaces his spectacles within the week and is about to ask Tsubaki for help with the search when Ragna bestows upon him what anyone else besides the two of them would ever say is a "gift": an selfless decision all for the sake of someone else, and lousily shaded with a weak excuse, "What? This is nothing. I just won't get any peace if the whole school goes to hell, turning shit sideways and everything just for your glasses...so here, take these, and you can carry on with your Mr Perfect Honor Student charade that—hey, don't look at me like that! Listen, if I'm going to hell, I'd rather go without having "killed a "blind" guy" under my belt. Just take the glasses and don't say a word."
. . . . .
13: "Comfort"
It's done the trick...whatever overcame Jin and had him succumb to a disheartened feeling leaves, and in place is left an assurance that nothing will change between Ragna and he; Convinced of this, Jin leaves no room for anyone to question or pass judgement on his relation to the new student, who he exposes as his brother.
. . . . .
14: "Interval"
Jin believed that the reveal would stir up excitement and disorder, but he did not predict that his close friend would use it as an opportunity to gather their classmates and insist they bake the new student a cake to properly welcome him, this time as "Jin's Brother".
"Gosh, Jin, you could've told us sooner that Ragna's your brother!" says Makoto.
"It's no concern of yours."
Tsubaki, done tying her apron strings and now tying Noel's, pitches in, "Don't be like that, Jin. Makoto's right, we could've done this sooner if only we'd known." she gives the knot she's made one final tug for security before turning Noel around, and gives the new student a gentle smile that is a little helpless. "Sorry, Ragna." here, she wonders if it'll be too soon to add the sibling honorific onto his name like she does at times with Jin; she wisely decides not to, for now. "Please, you'll say if we're being a nuisance, won't you?"
"It's a bit late now." Ragna glances down at himself in the red, cutely designed apron he was forced to wear.
Jin comments, "I can't say it's an improvement."
"Shut up, you."
"Are you going to come over to try and make me, brother?"
Noel nervously approaches and stands in the middle of the heating dispute, "W-Why do you talk to each other like that? It's mean!...Is fighting normal for you?"
"Imposing on conversation that doesn't involve you: Miss Vermillion, is that normal for you?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
"Jin, stop it. Don't be like that." Tsubaki says. "Come on, Noel's only concerned. I am, too, you know."
Makoto claps loudly, "Alright, alright, enough chatting. Let's get baking already! Tsubaki and Carl, prepare the mixture and put it in the oven. Noel and I are gonna decorate when it's done."
"M-Me, Miss. Makoto?" Carl looks at her, surprised. "I can't say I'm much of an artist, but I should think I'm able to do my best."
"Yeah! Great, that's the spirit, little guy!" Makoto cheers. "Oh, nearly forgot! Jin and Ragna, you guys can...clean up afterwards. OK?"
"Hey, wait a sec! What?!" Ragna exclaims.
"Isn't there an alternative job?" Jin asks, hopeful.
Makoto acts as if she actually thinks about it, "Hmm...I guess you two can lick the batter from the bowl with Carl and me?"
"Miss Makoto, that won't be hygienic." Carl disapproves, and he has to wonder why she assumed he would even be up for doing what children are known to be exited over
"Who cares? It'll taste great! Now, everyone, let's goooo!"
The hours they all spend in the kitchen baking and just being together pass in a comfortable pace, and the cake comes out as perfect as ever; deliciously golden, and tasty, say Noel and Makoto when their mouths are full when Tsubaki asks for their verdict. She scolds them, along with Carl who says it's impolite for a lady to attempt to converse while her mouth is already occupied.
"What's wrong, Ragna?" Jink asks, laughing, again acting like everything's normal, like he isn't holding a knife dangerously close to his brother.
"Jin, I swear to god, you either put that down or hold it in a different way, or I'm gonna be cleaning up your blood too after I murder you!" Ragna swears as he steps back; he should've known not to drop his guard just because they were making a cake. "...Goddamn, you're all kinds of insane, aren't you?!"
. . . . .
15: "Brothers: Continue."
It won't be like Jin to ever confess how he entirely feels about Ragna being a student at the academy but he steadily, scarcely, gives clues in his own way as they play together, just like they used to before everything shifted; he's sure that soon, Ragna will understand...whether it's later on in the life they pave after they graduate, or a time not far from this very moment where their unique relationship continues, fueled by their passion to beat the other—currently, in the latest fighting game.
"Dammit, Jin...Would you wait a second? Goddamn it!" Ragna snaps as he mashes buttons hard even though he knows he can't block or counter the multiple hits his avatar takes first. "The game's just started and you've already got my health down to less than fifty percent, you bastard!"
"What were you expecting, Ragna?" Jin chuckles. "I play to win, and to make sure you're right at death's door."
"Tch, you...!" Ragna leans forward as if a bigger perspective of the screen will enhance his ability to win. "You seriously think I'm gonna let you?" Apparently, such is possible as he manages to swing his avatar's weapon into the other avatar's stomach and perform a wonderful ten hit combo; Jin exclaims "What the-?!" at his avatar's health dropping to forty percent and Ragna grins victoriously. "Ha, you're going down, you piece of shit."
"I'm not done yet, Brother."
"Bring it, Jin!"
AN | I imagine the act Jin set up for himself while at the academy would crumble, should Ragna have turned up there (you can only act a certain way until a certain someone arrives, right?) I agree with Noel when she talks about the times at the Academy being carefree and fun. The gag reels are really lighthearted and nice, aren't they? If only everyone could attend together and have more times like this (oh, and I'm sure Ragna brought Rachel a piece of the cake).
* #7 is based on the way 50SoG concludes. I glimpsed it and...I didn't profusely detest it(?).
If you've read this far, thank you! ^^
