Peace. Ragna never thought that after working so hard to achieve it, it would be so boring. With Terumi exterminated from existence long ago, it almost made him crave for those old days when he would be constantly travelling and fighting. Fighting for his life made him who he is today. He egotistically thought that a badass like him wasn't cut out for the quiet life. Nowadays, he's just taking up contracts from his good friend Bullet, and doing that odd job to the side every now and then.

However, there was one thing lingering in his mind as of late. People were egging him on for something.

Everyone, even former enemies, knew about his relationship with Rachel Alucard. They knew he and her were very close despite what it may look like on the surface. They all thought the two would make a great pair to be husband and wife. Ragna, however, was never good at these kinds of things. His "critics" would not have any of that as an excuse for that, though. The more he heard about it, the more he wanted to strangle them and leave them for dead in a ditch.

You'd have to take that into account, considering that he was very much fighting for his entire life starting from when he was in his early teenager years.

"Hey!"

That voice. That old, cranky-sounding voice; his old master, Jubei. "Hey, Master," Ragna greeted after being startled out of his thoughts.

He had been sitting alone on the ground, in an alleyway in the streets of Kagutsuchi. He liked dirty places like this.

Jubei stood a small distance from where Ragna was sitting on. He gave a sincere smile to him, "I noticed ya look like crap there, my boy. Been thinking about that girl again?"

Ragna glared at his Master. He always knew what he was thinking when he was thinking it. No point in lying about it, so might as well come clean, Ragna thought, "...Kinda. I was just...thinking about how everyone wants us to...you know..."

"Get married?"

"Y-Yeah..."

After that, there was an awkward pause between the two.

Jubei broke the silence by asking him softly, "Why do you not want to marry her? Do you not love her?"

Ragna softly groaned as he lowered his head, "Why does it even matter or not why I even want to marry the rabbit? Isn't it that the only matters are that we...love each other, and that's that? Plus, someone like me isn't cut out to have someone who he can call his...what do you call...? A wife?"

Jubei smacked Ragna atop the head with his walking stick.

"OW!"

Jubei groaned at Ragna impatiently, "You seriously do not even know the basic marriage jargon? Years of fighting really did take its toll on you, didn't it? That seems to be all that you know about that you don't even know your ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to even the most basics of social etiquette!"

Ragna rubbed the spot on his head Jubei whacked as he frowned at his Master, "Bah, you didn't have to say that, Master. What am I? The Black Beast?"

Jubei shot Ragna a look, and in an instant, Ragna got the message.

Ragna sighed, giving in, "Fine... I get it. Just tell me why it's important for me to...marry her. Can you at least do that, Master?"

Jubei paused for a moment, turned away from Ragna, then started, "Marriage is supposed to be a ceremonial ritual of love."

That made Ragna want to gag immediately.

The feline continued, "It's a celebration of a couple's bond that evolves into something more. Those vows that the bride and the groom make; they are vows to each other. They promise to love each other, in sickness and in health, till death does them apart. That's at least part of it, but my own wedding happened a LONG, LONG time ago, so I don't exactly remember the vows I made, and I'm sure that the overall vows changed along the road. In short, it's essential a celebration in which two people who love each other promise to be, at all times, next to each other and there for each other."

Ragna looked at the ground for a moment, then looked over at Jubei's back that's turned to him, "...Okay. I think I understand, but..."

"But?"

Ragna blinked a few times as he asked sheepishly, "Didn't Rachel and I basically agree to that on our own terms? Like, we don't even need to actually say we trust each other. We have all that jazz you just said down just fine. And for that matter, Rachel never brought it up either. So, I'd assume she's fine with it-"

That landed him another smack on the head by Jubei's walking stick. The feline only had to reach backwards to do it. What flexibility and precision.

"You got a lot to learn about communication, buddy boy," Jubei said sternly at Ragna as he slowly turned around to him again. "Do you know what they say about 'assuming'?"

Ragna slowly shook his head. SMACK! "Okay! Okay! I'm an idiot! Just stop hitting me with that damn stick!" He begged Jubei.

Jubei's patience with him was growing thin with him, "It makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'. How do you know she's REALLY fine with not getting married?"

Ragna didn't dare to answer his question. He feared another whack on the head by that dreaded walking stick.

Jubei sighed at him when all he got was silence from Ragna, "You remember what Noel and Makoto said to you, my boy?"

Ragna rolled his eyes at the mentioning of their names, "What? How it isn't 'fair' to Rachel and all that shit?"

"Yep." Jubei said as he nodded, "Even though you and Rachel know each other well, there are even things about Rachel you still don't know yet. If there's one thing I learned about women, it's that they're truly mysterious beings, but that's what makes them beautiful. Try talking with her more, Ragna. Ya should definitely think about what makes Rachel happy a bit more."

Ragna slowly stood up from the ground he was sitting on, then faced his Master, "I guess I'll talk to Rachel about what I can do for her, but I'm not going to let anybody tell me how to run my relationship with the rabbit. It's our relationship, and not any of theirs, you hear me? I'm still not going to get married to her. It's expensive, a waste of time, and my thought hasn't changed that it's essentially a repeat of words from when you first get together as a couple."

To Ragna's surprise, however, Jubei smirked at him this time, "Have it your way, Ragna. I'll be on my way, now. I feel like I'm getting older here just sitting around talking to you like a grandfather to a baby who can't comprehend intelligent words," He chuckled.

With that, Jubei was on his way.

Ragna groaned at the passive-aggressive joke he pulled on him, "He didn't have to go and say it like that. I may be a blockhead, but I at least try to understand."

"You."

"BWAH!" Ragna jumped and spun around to see the old butler standing in front of him, gut sucked and standing perfectly straight. "G-Geez, old man! You almost made me wish I had my old sword with me for protection!"

The butler couldn't help but chuckle at his dismay, "That gave me a few laughs. Congratulations are in order," Uncharacteristically of him, for whenever he was with Ragna, he was actually smiling, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Master Jubei, Ragna."

Ragna groaned as he flailed his arms around one time, "I KNOW what you're going to say, and I'm going to have the answer the same as always! It's not happening-OWW!" His yelling earned him a graceful chop on the head by the butler. "What is it with people hitting me with every sentence I make?!"

The butler ignored his question and continued, "Ragna, I would like to trouble you for a moment of your time, for I have a tale to tell you that will make you change your mind for sure,"

"...About marrying Rachel?" Ragna asked, although he knew what the answer was.

"I'm sure you know what the answer was, Ragna," Valkenhayn softly said as he gave a light bow, "Of course. This is for your sake, as well as the Madam's."

"My sake?!" Ragna exclaimed, utterly confused, "Look, I-"

A brief pause...

"Yes...?" Valkenhayn raised an eyebrow at the retired criminal.

"...I'm not going to be smacked if I say it, am I?" Ragna asked nervously.

"I can't promise that, but please speak freely," Valkenhayn encouraged Ragna.

Ragna took a deep breath, "I'm sure it won't change my mi-" SMACK! "OWW! Now I know you just wanna make fun of me at this point!"

Valkenhayn put a single hand on his forehead as he shook it for a moment, "Still such a hardheaded tyke. Very well, Ragna. Why don't we compromise?"

"You mean make a deal?" Ragna put it colloquially.

"Yes. Quite," Valkenhayn chuckled, making Ragna roll his eyes, "If this really doesn't make you change your mind, I'll make you a bevy of meat dishes tonight. Your favourite, even."

The thought of treating his taste buds to a bevy of delicious meat was too good for Ragna to pass up. If he wasn't convinced by anyone else, why would HE suddenly get him to change his mind? "Yeah. I want in. You're on, old man."

"However," Valkenhayn interrupted, "However, if you change your mind, all I ask is that you immediately prepare yourself to propose to her."

Ragna looked to the side and scoffed, "Whatever. Doesn't sound that bad. You're on, old man."

"Very well," Valkenhayn bowed once more to Ragna.

"Just...one request," Ragna said to the butler.

"Yes, Ragna?"

"...Get me out of this alley before anybody else shows up," Ragna said as he looked back and forth at both ends of the alleyway.

"Very well," Valkenhayn opened up a portal that took them both to Rachel's living quarters.

After the portal disappeared, Makoto and Noel arrived in the alleyway themselves.

"I'm telling you, I heard him here! My squirrel sense doesn't lie to me, ever! We'll make that guy crack under pressure once we find him!" Makoto said to Noel as she lagged behind, tired.

The blonde groaned at the beastkin, "I'm so hungry, Makoto... Can we please...take a break...?"


Valkenhayn's portal led Ragna into a small, enclosed room. Once the portal closed, Ragna took a good look around. Needless to say, he was astonished by what he saw. Around the room, nearly everything was sparkling. There were several shelves full of many kinds of jewelry as far as the eye can see, all of which he'd never seen before. Eye-candy, it was.

"Whoa..." Ragna couldn't help but say in awe about the aesthetics in the room, "So why is it here that we have to talk?"

Valkenhayn nodded at Ragna's question, and started, "You see... When Rachel was so young, far before you knew her, she once had a dream, an ambition."

Sounds normal for Ragna; he just shrugged his shoulders.

He continued once he saw Ragna's signal, "The ambition was...marriage."

"Oh shit..." Ragna was starting to develop a pit inside his stomach, already.

Valkenhayn could sense Ragna's frantic mind as he continued to say his story, "As a child, she'd constantly imagined what it would be like to marry someone who loved her and who she loved with all her heart. She'd imagine being surrounded by friends and family alike as she and her would-be groom would give their hearts to each other."

"Shit! Shit! Shit! SHIT! This is not happening!"

"However, as you may guess, Rachel's long abandoned that dream. The older she got, the more she viewed it as a child's fantasy, and nothing else. Falling in love, she thought was impossible for her...until she met you."

Ragna's forehead was sweating bullets. He had to wonder if Valkenhayn was enjoying tormenting him so sweetly.

The butler continued while laughing in his mind, "Her heart wanted you. The way you never gave up constantly inspired her to do the same. She'd never outright tell you, but it's the truth about her. She loves you with all her heart that she didn't even bother to bring up her childhood dream to you, so as to not make you uncomfortable and unhappy..."

"Screw you, old man... Now I feel like shit!"

He shook his head a little bit for a dramatic effect, "...As we speak, she is not aware of our conversation, and I know she would punish me for leaking this to you. However, I did it for both of your sakes so that hopefully you'd recognise the importance of her happiness. Think about it, she watched you die again and again, watched you make a fool of yourself many times over, and constantly tried to steer you in the right direction. Don't you think it's time you should at least do something for her, like make old dreams come true for her? Or is it...you truly do not desire for her, a happy life?"

"DAMN IT!" Ragna boomed, "Old man, fine! You're right! I did say a while ago that I'd make Rachel happy. Screw the meat! What the hell was I even thinking!? I'm going through with this, for her sake, if not for anybody else's! I've seen her smirk, but not give a full-blown smile. She's so cute when she smiles, and I want to see that smile again!" In a second, Ragna just realised the tangent he went off on, and covered his mouth with his face as red as a tomato.

Valkenhayn smirked at the former criminal, "I hate to sound like a schoolchild, but... I told you so."

Ragna growled and was just thankful it wasn't a bet for cash, "Alright, so I guess the first thing I have to do is get a ring. But I'm not rich, and it's already hard to impress Rachel as it is."

Valkenhayn waddled a finger in front of Ragna's face, "Has the Alucard family ever been unprepared to handle any scenario? Master Clavis already had that covered a long time ago, hence why we're in this room. This is also one of the few rooms that not even the Madam is aware of that exists because this room is specifically for surprising Rachel."

Valkenhayn took from one of the shelves, a small case that had been encased in gold. He slowly opened the box to reveal a beautifully shaped ring with a gemstone on top of it. It looked absolutely marvelous. The way it shines, just the way it looks was enough to get Ragna to stare at it.

The butler explained, "This was one of the last things Master Clavis entrusted me with before he passed on. It was this ring. Made from the purest of mineral conundrums, this flawless ruby gemstone is the Alucard heirloom. It would only be unveiled when the time comes for the Madam to be wedded. How odd fate would be that you, of all people, would be the one to present this heirloom to her."

Ragna scratched the back of his head while feeling a chill down his spine just from staring at this ring within the small case, "Geez. You make me feel like the world falls on my hands again, not that I ever want to go back to those days. Alright, so I just give this thing to Rachel?"

"YOU FOOL!" Valkenhayn snarled at Ragna, "You cannot simply 'give' it to Madam Rachel! You must practically beg! Here, let me teach you how you should do it. Pay attention!"

Ragna groaned out loud, "Ugh! Why can't things ever be easy!?"