Disclaimer: I put this up because it's now a habit. Nothing wrong with that, unless you find reading a single or double line of text annoying. In any case, I own nothing.
Blame Gregor from FE:A about D's mock accent.
Little tidbit, E.g is "For Example." I.E, is for "That is." A lot of people mistake those two for the other. An example E.g would be "There are many countries in the world. E.G, Germany, Philippines, U.S.A." And for I.E, "You need to meet your quota for exercising. I.E, three to five times every week."
And that concludes your grammar lesson for the day.
XxX
"This is fucking ridiculous!" He shouted as he ducked another swipe. He actually felt some of his hair fall off the top of his head, and knew that if he hadn't ducked in time, he would have likely been beheaded.
"Quit yer whinin' kid. It's just a coupl'a dogs." Jubei shouted from behind him. He would have growled, but the three seithr-infused dogs that were circling him was doing it for him.
"Easy for you to say! You have swor-" He didn't finish his sentence as he rolled to his left, barely avoiding another pounce that got way too close to his right arm. Damn it, he was not getting it cut-off again by some seithr muddled mutt!
"This would be easier if you just throw me a freakin' bone!" He shouted towards his teacher. He steadied himself, before he charged forward and threw a right hook straight to the slobbering jaw of one of mutts.
All it did was made him recoil his hand in pain. Damn it, it was hard as rock too! What kind of freak of nature was this?!
"Wouldn't try that again kid." His teacher supplied helpfully. "Those things been under seithr poisoning for too long. Reckon it's seeped into their skin and made it as hard as rock. I reckon you'd have a snowball's chance in hell if you took them on with yer hands."
"Then why don't you-" He ducked another swipe, backpedaling as much as he could. "Throw me-" He rolled forward, before he swept his legs on the ground, taking the second dog's legs out from under itself. "A freaking weapon you old coot!" He slid on the ground, right between the legs of the last dog. He recoiled both of his knees to chest, before he raised both of his arms over his head and pushed against the ground he was sliding on, extending both legs as he did so.
This caused the dog to let out a sound that may or may not have sounded like a whine. He couldn't tell thanks to the muddled way these things were barking. Heck, he was half-impressed by himself he could actually see them in this dark forest. If there hadn't been sunlight pushing through the trees, he doubted he could have seen these things until they were right on top of him.
Then again, their glowing red eyes and black smoking bodies did give them away.
As he landed on the ground, he watched the seithr-infused dog land a few feet away from where he landed. He felt a grin appearing on his face, until Jubei had to ruin it for him.
"Don't get cocky kid!" He turned around just in time to see obsidian claws already in the air, ready to skewer him from the side.
"Fucking-" He tried to dodge, to move, to try and avoid the incoming claws that would run him through. But he knew he wasn't going to be fast enough. The claws were too fast, too close to him to be able to do anything. If he had a weapon, a sword, staff, spear, anything. Then maybe he could have done something, as it stood though, he closed his eyes and awaited his fate.
He imagined feeling the claws sink into his chest, followed by the bite to the neck that most canines did when subduing their prey. He waited for a second, and then two, before he finally opened his eyes to see Jubei standing in front of him, Musashi drawn and dripping blood. In front of his teacher, he saw the hound, whining and already dissolving into black mist as per most things tainted by the seithr as they died.
"Don't just close yer eyes and let death take ya kid," Jubei began as he slung the weapon over his shoulder. It looked ridiculous, since it was so long and he was so short. Yet at the same time, he couldn't help but feel awed at how casually he used it. "Next time ya see death approachin', ya look it in the eye and give it the finger. Then ya can die, knowing ya didn't go down without at least sticking one in its face."
His teacher's words reassured him, yet at the same time, he felt that they were… "That's messed up old man." He smirked. To which Jubei replied with his own smirk.
Jubei removed the sword from his shoulder, before he waved his paw at him. "Yeah, yeah. Call me messed up all ya want, but take it from the guy that had to watch death take friend and foe alike. Ya don't want something like that taking you down without at least making sure it remembered ya." Jubei shrugged, before he jumped up. "Death's neutral that way."
He watched as his teacher landed on a tree branch, but before he could say anything, Jubei spoke up again. "Now, take care of the last two."
He looked to his left, and then to his right. He saw both dogs that he had managed to kick prowling around him, growling as they did so. "Damn it, stay down!"
The funny thing is, he knew these things weren't wolves. They were typical dogs turned into some kind of weird monster thing thanks to the seithr. Wolves stayed by the edges of the mountains, or in heavily seithr concentrated areas. They were currently in a flatland, bordering close to an area that has enough seithr to contaminate domesticated animals, but not enough to turn flora or humans into something… weird.
He charged forward, readying his arm to throw a punch straight into whatever body part that wasn't its mouth. But a sudden blur that dashed past him beat him to the punch. Quite literally.
A teenage girl, probably a year or two older than him, threw a straight right into one of the canine's mouths. It slipped right in between the jaws, punching straight through the teeth and causing the thing to let out a whine in pain, before it suddenly seemed to… burst.
Splatters of ichorous blood burst from the body, splashing itself all around the general vicinity, before they started to dissolve into wisps of black smoke. The girl had stayed in her position, arm outstretched and one leg bent backwards, and didn't seem fazed that most of the blood had gotten on her.
He was about to call out to her, but noticed that the other canine hadn't stayed put. It seemed to recognize the new threat, and reacted the only way it knew how. It charged.
"Hey!" He ran, moving to intercept the thing before it got to the girl, who for some strange reason, wasn't budging from her position. "Damn it move!" He shouted, but either the girl didn't hear it, or she was trying way too fucking hard to look cool.
Thankfully, he managed to meet the canine halfway from the girl by running at an angle. He braced himself, before he bent his body and full body tackled the beast right before it lunged. Unfortunately for him, his tackle wasn't the best, and soon he was rolling on the ground with the canine digging its claws every which way as they did so.
They stopped in an unfavorable position for him, with the canine on top of him, he didn't have any leverage and was subject to probably getting his face chewed off by the thing's teeth.
Sure enough, the mouth came for his face. He managed to raise his hands in time just to hold the things mouth open, before he started pushing back. Flecks of black drool dripped on his face, and some weird steam seemed to come out of the canine's mouth.
"Damn does your breath stink!" He blamed Jubei for this. He should have been scared shitless, what with the jaws of literal death right in front of him. But thanks to his teacher's rousing speech about giving death the finger, he just didn't care anymore. He did however, want one thing.
"Shut up!" Changing his grip on the things jaws, he managed to forcefully close them before he yanked on the snout and pulled the thing over his head. It let out a whine before it rolled, but he didn't give it the time to rest as he was already getting up. Just as the thing stopped rolling, he was already in front of it, foot raised behind him ready to kick the crap out of its face.
"Good night loser!" He threw his right foot forward with all his strength, and was rewarded with the satisfying sound of bone crunching as the neck of the canine twisted. He knew it wasn't getting up from that one.
"Ha! Take tha- guh!" He hunched over and grabbed his right foot. God damn it! It hurt like hell! Jubei wasn't joking when he said those things turn as hard as rock! He was amazed he didn't break his own damn foot for trying something so stupid.
He managed to get his hurt foot under control, before he turned back towards the downed dog. He smiled as he saw the pup start turning into a black mist, before the remnants of the body began to seep into the ground. Satisfied that he had at least managed to kill one, he turned around to meet the girl that had-
Why the fuck was she still in that position?
"Hey, the things are dead now." He called out as he stood up and began approaching. Thankfully, his foot didn't hurt anymore. When no response came from the girl, he looked towards Jubei, and saw that instead of his typical cryptic smile that made him want to punch him, there was a disappointed frown on his face.
"In my defense, I was gonna take care of them both." He defended himself. He would have, really he would have. But the girl took the matter out of his hands by suddenly punching one of the things and, for all intents and purposes, made it explode. And then she suddenly went still, what's up with that?
Jubei gave him an incredulous look. "What? No." The cat shook his head. "Don't go sayin' stuff like that. Makes ya sound like a self-centered kid."
He crossed his arms as Jubei walked closer to the girl, who still hadn't moved from her position. "Then what's with the frown and glare? Is it about the girl? Do you know her?"
"Know her?" Jubei began, a hint of amusement in his voice. "She's the one that has the copy of Musashi strapped around her arms."
Wait. "She's the one we've been looking for?" He pointed a finger at the girl. He would also still like to point out she still hadn't moved. "The one we've been moving through forests and trudging through mountainous terrain to catch up to? The one we've been fighting seithr-infused squirrels, dogs, and cats for? She's the one we've been looking for?"
Jubei nodded his head. "Technically, I've been the one doin' the fightin'. I only allowed ya ta fight those three cause I wanted ta see what ya learned just from watchin' me." He then turned towards the girl, before a smile appeared on his face. "Yo Bullet." Jubei addressed the girl – what kinda name was Bullet? – as he walked towards her front. "I see ya didn't take my pointers to heart."
He approached the duo, and for a brief second, he thought he heard mumbling. It wasn't Jubei, so he assumed it was Bullet who was doing the mumbling.
"Wha's at now?" Jubei began, putting a paw to his ear and cupping it. "Can't hear ya if ya don't speak up." He detected a faint hint of amusement in Jubei's voice, and knew that he was being this way on purpose.
He had to admit, seeing someone else on the receiving end of all of his teacher's bullshit tendencies was refreshing.
"I said," He heard Bullet begin. Her voice was deeper than most girls' voice he had heard before. "I put too much power into it."
Jubei straightened himself, a knowing smirk on his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Bullet. At this point, he was right next to his teacher, and saw for the first time what Bullet looked like.
Brownish skin, slightly blonde turning white hair, bulging forearm, biceps, and triceps muscles that seemed to fit her body type just fine. He had to admit, she was… different than most girls he had seen. Exotic in a way that almost made her pretty.
Keyword almost. She was exotic and it looked like she could handle herself in a fight. But the almost killer – he meant that literally – expression on her face told him that she would rather strip naked than be seen wearing a dress or makeup.
"And what warning did I give ya when I last visited?" Jubei began again, a mischievous grin appearing on his face as he stared at the still unmoving Bullet.
"Are you going to help me or not?" Bullet demanded. Her eyes locking with Jubei's, before turning towards him. "How about you? You going to help me?" Her voice told him it was a demand, rather than a question.
He scoffed. Demanding things from him got anyone nowhere. "I ain't touching you with a ten-foot pole if you talk like that to me."
He heard Bullet grumble. "I helped you didn't I?" Her eyes narrowed as she locked eyes with him.
"Yeah, and I saved you from getting eviscerated right after." He countered. The hell? Did this bitch think he owed her a favor after just stopping like that in the middle of a fight? He paid that in full when he tackled and beat the crap out of that dog when she was the one being targeted.
The girl seemed surprised at his answer, before her eyes turned towards Jubei, who nodded his head at her. "I see." Bullet said, her eyes then turned towards him, and she closed them. "You have my thanks."
Now it was his turn to be surprised. "What, just like that?" He couldn't stop himself from asking. He thought she would be more skeptical, or at least be more antagonistic about it, but hey, if she was willing to be nice about it…
"Thanks too, I guess." He scratched the back of his head. Let it be known that he wasn't one to be civil. But if you really piss him off, then civil or not, he ain't taking crap from you.
A long silence stretched, and it occurred to him that Bullet still hadn't moved from her position. He turned back towards Jubei, but saw that the cat had his eyes closed and was humming a tune he didn't recognize. He sighed before he turned back towards Bullet. "So, are you still scared stiff or are you planning on moving sometime this week?" He asked. He wasn't one for conversation, especially to someone he barely knew and had no idea if he should be pissed off to, or amicable to.
"I'm not scared!" Bullet barked at him. He raised both hands in the air in a placating gesture.
"Whoa! Chill! No need to get your… shorts in a knot." Seriously? Now that he got a better look of her, he realized that the only thing decent she was wearing was the black hoodie on her torso. Her lower parts were only covered by short-shorts. And he said generously. Honestly, those things didn't look comfortable if she wore underwear at all!
Now he felt blood rushing to his ears. Oh geez, was he thinking if she had underwear under those shorts? He wasn't raised like this!
"Don't look at me like that pervert!" Apparently, his blushing face wasn't missed by the girl, as she now had a murderous look on her face that told him that the moment that she moved, it would towards him with her fists.
"It's not my fault damn it!" He blurted out without really thinking. "Don't wear stuff like that! It leaves… too much to the imagination." He ducked his head and scratched the back of his head. Did he just admit that he was fantasizing about her? Gah! If he ever saw the Sister in whatever the hell afterlife there was, he was sure he was going to get a good scolding.
"What did-" Bullet began, but he held up a hand to stop her from screaming at him.
"Look," He began, looking up from the ground to lock eyes with the girl. "I'm sorry about… all that. I've been raised better, and I know I shouldn't be thinking about those kind of things. But… shit, alright. I got no excuse. I'm a guy." He finished lamely, which caused Bullet's expression – which had been steadily getting better and better – to turn into one of murder again.
Before he could salvage the situation, Jubei finally spoke up. "I think what my student meant to say," Jubei began, an amused tone evident in his voice as the cat looked towards him. It irked him that Jubei was enjoying him squirming. "Was that yer a pretty girl, and he can't help but shut up and stare. I mean, ya did save him and all, sorta like his very own guardian angel."
…
…
…
That was totally not what he was going to say. Damn it old man! Don't say stuff like that! It could be misinterpreted!
But before he could say anything, anything at all to salvage the shitty situation Jubei had thrown him in, Jubei was already talking again. "Anyway. Ya alone 'ere Bullet? Or is-"
"D's set up camp in the forest." Bullet answered, cutting off Jubei before he could finish his question. "I was actually patrolling the perimeter when I saw him," Bullet's eyes moved towards him, before they locked back towards Jubei. "Fighting two dogs infused with seithr."
"That's also when ya decided ya would use all yer power to try and make the grandest damn entrance ya possibly could." Jubei's voice turned into one of bemusement, which was confirmed by him shaking his head at Bullet. "Next time ya decide to save someone, make sure ya aren't the one that turns into a person that needs to be saved. Makes ya more a liability than anything else."
Bullet let out a sigh, before she closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Yeah. I get it. Make sure you know how to save yourself first before you save someone else. Idiots that do the opposite don't live too long, as well as the people they're saving." Something about Bullet's statement didn't sit right with him. He didn't know why, but some part of him seemed to be struggling with what Bullet said, as if it disagreed with her words and objected them. It was honestly weird, so he tried his best to ignore the feeling. Thankfully, it was gone soon after Bullet nodded again.
Wait… Bullet was nodding now?
"Hey, you're moving your head." He pointed out. Bullet looked at him in confusion, before she craned her neck, eliciting a clicking sound that came with it.
"Huh, I guess I am." Was all Bullet said before she started to flex her fingers. The gauntlets around her hands clacked together as she tapped each finger with her thumb.
"Guess the overheat is wearin' off." Jubei spoke up, a grin on his face as he stared at Bullet as she steadily regained control of her body. "Took long enough. Any longer and I'd be tempted ta just up and leave ya here."
He wanted to say he was joking. But he knew better. When Jubei said something, he almost always means it. The last time he didn't take him seriously, he threw a freaking tree at him. No bullshitting here. He literally ripped up a tree with his bare paws and chucked it at him. Telling him that it was good practice for dodging large things coming at him at the speeds that made most baseball pitchers jealous.
Needless to say, he had to learn how to dodge fast or he'd be nothing more than a splatter on the ground.
Bullet straightened herself, before she to roll her shoulders, eliciting a pop for each arm as she did so. "If you're looking for D himself, you'll have to wait. He's busy seeing the boss."
Wait, now he was confused. "Wait, from what I put together, I thought D was the boss." Hadn't Bullet said it was D's camp? So if this D person wasn't the boss, then who the hell is it and why the hell did they name a camp after their lackey?
"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle," Jubei said, chuckling as he finished. "Yer telling me that she's here?" Jubei asked Bullet, who merely nodded her head at the old cat.
"Alright okay," He spoke, garnering both of their attention. "I kinda get you guys know who and what you're talking about. But can you possibly throw a bone to a guy that has no context whatsoever in this conversation? So that I can understand just a teeny tiny bit?" He bit out sarcastically. Geez, keep talking like he wasn't there why don't they?
"Heh, don't you worry kid." Jubei said as he turned back towards Bullet. "You'll understand soon enough once ya see her again." Jubei nodded his head at Bullet. "Now, ya mind leading us to yer camp?"
With Jubei's cryptic words and questions about Bullet and her gauntlets still in his mind. He followed Jubei and Bullet as they made their way towards where they had apparently set up shop.
Damn it old man. Stop with all this cryptic bullshit!
Azure Blade Works
XxX
"D offers 30 million for chains." She sighed before she took a bite out of her sucker. She didn't care if it was unhealthy for her teeth and gums, she wouldn't be able to find a dentist to fix these damn things anyway. She was practically half-cat half-human. What kind of dentist studied both feline and human teeth and does operations for both?
"Told you, they aren't for sale. Get that through your thick skull." She countered as she crossed her arms, rattling the chains wrapped around her torso. She wasn't about to let these things out of her sight until she figured out what made these things so damn… weird. Sure it was uncomfortable sleeping with chains wrapped around her torso and back, but it was better than leaving it where it could possibly get stolen.
"Don't bother D. She's more attached to those things than they are, and they're wrapped around her small chest." She felt annoyance at hearing those words, and turned her attention towards the one that spoke them.
"I'm sorry Tager, mind repeating what you just said?" She asked nicely. With a hint of warning and death in her voice.
"I was merely making a comparison. Compared to my chest, yours is a bit… lacking." The red-giant said, pushing his glasses up until they hid his eyes under the glare of the light.
She was having none of it and threw the nearest chair at him.
The chair collided with the giant's chest, before it burst into a thousand different pieces. D's sigh of exasperation was heard soon after. "Do not be breaking D's furniture! We still have long way before next city!"
Her response was to take the other chair next to her and throwing it at D himself.
"Whoa!" D ducked under the chair, before it collided with the tent's cloth wall, ripping at hole in it and allowing the passers by outside to take a look inside to see what had just thrown a chair through the tent. "Why! D now has hole in tent! Bad for D's warmth!"
"Learn to sew you bastard!" She replied before she sat down on her own chair and spit out the stick of her previous sucker. "And before you pull out another offer, I'm going to repeat myself. They. Are. Not. For. Sale." She emphasized the not for sale part. D was about as hard-headed as Tager's own body sometimes. And it honestly grated on her nerves.
"Then if you not here for sale. What you here for? Aside from wasting D's time." D asked her. She smirked as she pulled out the briefcase she had come into the camp with.
"Where's Bullet? I got an upgrade for the little shit's gauntlets." She meant no harm in her calling that girl a little shit. She just liked calling people little shit's. Like that kid that Jubei had asked her to help. He was a little shit. Also Jubei himself, he was also a little shit.
"Then why you not telling this before?" D sighed before he shook his head. "Bullet is on patrol. She making sure that nothing bad come here and take all of D's stuff."
Her response was to throw her feet up on the table and lean her chair back while putting her hands behind her head. "Alright, guess we'll wait."
To her satisfaction, D let out a sigh. "You not leaving yet?" He asked, his eyes turning towards her, before he shook his head and turned towards Tager.
Tager crossed his arms over his chest before he answered. "Unfortunately, when she gets like this, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to persuade her."
"And don't forget it." She added as she smiled smugly at Tager. Was it vindictive of her? Yes it was. Was it satisfying to know you were in power? Extremely so.
Don't get her wrong, it wasn't a god-complex or anything like that. She just liked being the one people answered to.
"That personality of yers will be the death of ya someday." She blinked as a familiar voice spoke up. She looked towards the hole she had made, and found the only person she knew that had that voice and way of talking. She immediately straightened herself, before she narrowed her eyes at him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest as she sat on her chair.
Jubei replied by jumping through the hole she had made before approaching the table where she had been talking with D with. "Came ta talk with D and Bullet. Same as you."
"Jubei!" D shouted with a jovial tone. "What does D owe the pleasure for company?" She rolled her eyes. She had almost forgotten, D really, really liked Jubei.
Jubei let out a laugh, before he motioned towards the hole she had made. They all turned towards it, and saw two teens looking through it.
"What the- What's she doing here?" The one on the left spoke, confused as his different colored eyes locking onto her form immediately.
She had to admit, she was flattered. "Usually, they notice Tager first." She smirked as she jabbed a thumb towards Tager's direction. "And while I appreciate that you have a crush on me, I'm afraid you're way too young for me."
The kid's eyes followed her thumb, and she was satisfied as his eyes widened at seeing the wall of a man – robot/man actually – that was crimson in color. "Holy shi-"
"Boss." Before the kid could get out his word, the other one, the one she had been looking for, spoke up and nodded at her before turning towards D. "Sorry for interrupting D. These guys wanted to see you about something."
"Is fine, is fine!" D said, a smile on his face as he looked over towards the Ragna kid. "I take it this one is yours?" D asked as he looked towards Jubei.
Jubei let out a laugh at those words. "Not in a million years." Jubei shook his head as he finished laughing. "I'm just taking an apprentice. That kid ain't mine. If he was, he'd be more polite."
Ragna seemed to finally snap out of his thoughts as he looked at Jubei and glared. Huh, what did you know? She was starting to like him. "If I was your kid, I'd turn out as a weird controlling cat person." And with those words, any sort of positive regard she had of the kid was thrown out the window.
She wasn't weird.
"As interesting as this is, I'm afraid the reason I was waiting in this tent has appeared." She stood and walked towards the hole she had made. "Let's go Bullet."
With that, she grabbed Bullet's hands and walked out through the hole she had made. She may have also possibly ripped the hole bigger, but hey, it would be good practice for D to start sewing.
"Uhh, Kokonoe?" She turned around and saw Tager poking his face through the hole. "I can't fit here."
She shrugged her shoulders before she turned back around and kept walking with Bullet right beside her. "Find your own way then." She didn't have time to worry about small crap like that.
XxX
"Uhh." He managed to say as he watched as the red-giant man literally walked through the tent. Creating a larger hole than the previous one. He looked at the giant walking away, before he looked inside the tent towards his teacher. "What just happened?" No seriously, what just happened there?
In response to his question, Jubei only waved a dismissive hand at him. "Don't even bother trying to find out. The more ya try to, the more yer bound to become more confused." Jubei then gestured for him to come forward. "Come'ere and let me introduce a friend'a mine."
He scratched the back of his head, before he stepped through the… new door that had been made progressively bigger. He walked until he was right next to Jubei, before he turned towards the man he could only assume was D. "Err, hi." He tried to break the ice.
D was a rather tall man, probably a six-footer, but sitting on a chair kind of skewed it. His hair was short and light blond, almost platinum actually, a very… pretty color no doubt. It would have been prettier if the face didn't look so gruff. Scars pockmarketed both of his cheeks, one was an X-cross on his left, while on his right was just a single line running from eye towards lower jaw. It was deep, which explained why the man only had one eye open. Though that also begged the question why he just didn't wear an eyepatch. He had a single longsword strapped to his back, with a buckler attached to his right forearm.
The sword itself wasn't anything odd. It was made of steel, with a leather handle that was well oiled with usage. It was almost four and a half feet in length, and weighed-
He shook his head. Why the hell did he know all this shit about a sword he just saw?
D seemed to notice him shaking his head, but seemed to ignore it, nodding his head instead. "You were right." He spoke towards Jubei. "Kid not yours. If was, he be more like woman."
He felt annoyed at the analogy. "No way in hell will I be like that hag." He crossed his arms over his chest before turning a glare towards D. "And what the hell kinda broken accent is that? Can't you speak proper English?"
Instead of getting annoyed like he thought D would be, D only let out a hearty laugh. "It's a Russian accent." He spoke clearly and straightly, bewildering him at the sudden change in manner of speaking. But before he could ask about it, D only raised a finger to his lips. "It good for throwing off clients. Make them think D can't negotiate." And once again, he was back with talking as if he belonged in an English class.
"Ya coulda picked a less insulting way of talking couldn't you? At least, pick somethin' that doesn't stereotype Russians." Jubei spoke, a bit of mirth in his voice.
D turned towards Jubei and smiled widely. "Is good for confusion yes? Make people think D is weird; make them think D isn't good negotiator. Many unsuspecting men and women fall before D's silver tongue." D's smile then turned into a mischievous smirk. "Besides, who still thinks Russia exists?"
He was confused. "Okay, what the fuck is a Russia and a Russian?" He finally spoke. Annoyed that he wasn't getting any of what Jubei and D were talking about.
And again, he was dismissed with a wave of Jubei's paw. "Old world stuff yer too young to possibly know about. I'd be surprised though, if ya know a bit of historical geography. Did that Sister of yers ever teach ya about that?"
He scowled as he tried to remember. Now that he thought about it, she did try and teach them about world history. Something about nuclear bombs and a country called China and USA. Nothing about a country called Russia though.
"From the look on yer face, I take it she did teach ya." Jubei interrupted his train of thought. But before he could explain, Jubei only waved his hand at him. "Don't worry. I won't harp on about why you shoulda listened to her. 'Sides, it's not exactly important in the world today. It'll just be nice fer ya to know how the world was before it went all crappy-like with the Black Beast."
Jubei then turned towards D again. "Anyway, I came here cause I wanted ta speak about Bullet. Particularly about her usage of those gauntlets a hers."
"You finding something weird about her using them?" D asked, raising a blond eyebrow at Jubei's question.
"When we got close to yer camp, she saved Ragna here from getting bit into by a feral dog." Jubei gestured towards him. Causing him to scowl and let out a low growl.
"I had it under control!" He defended himself. "I woulda kicked the thing away, but she managed to make it… explode before I could! And those things weren't feral dogs! Those things were seithr-infused dogs! Big difference there!"
"Poh-ta-to, pa-ta-to. The small things kid. Don't be pedantic enough to notice them." Jubei countered, a smile on his face as he said so.
"I can be pedantic about it as much as I want! It was my damn life on the line!" He countered. And though he did not know what pedantic meant, he assumed that he had the right to be as pedantic as he could.
Jubei only laughed at him, before he turned back to D. "Anyway. After she interrupted Ragna from kicking the seithr-infused dog-"
"You're doing this on purpose aren't you?" He asked, a twitch developing in his eye muscles.
"Don't interrupt kid." Jubei admonished him, a serious look on his face. He sighed, before he inclined his head. He did not want to deal with an annoyed Jubei.
"As I was sayin'. After Bullet went all gung-ho and managed to make a dog explode, she stopped." Jubei said, making D shake his head.
"I told girl! Do not be using too much power! Is bad for health!" D shouted to no one in particularly. A disappointed tone evident in his voice.
"Not fer health D. It's bad fer her life. What good is being healthy if at the first sign 'a trouble, ya go and throw it away?" Jubei admonished the… what was D again? A mercenary? A merchant? Did he even say?
"D knows this." D said as he nodded his head. "But am not Bullet's keeper. She insists on listening only to herself, with leeway when I suggest what to do." D then shook his head as if remembering something exasperating. "Bullet listens only to strength, and while I am no slouch with sword. She simply breaks through them every time I try and discipline her."
"Wait, you mean to tell me that she beats you every time you want her to listen?" He asked, honest surprised in his voice. Seriously? Why couldn't he have had someone like D instead of Jubei. It would make his life a hell of a lot easier.
Not that he was complaining with what Jubei was teaching him, but hey, you can only have too many trees to the head before you start to think "I want a different teacher."
D turned towards him and nodded his head. "Those gauntlets of hers. She liberally uses them whenever she's annoyed." He scratched his head. He understood the whole 'Smash the thing that annoys you until it goes away' mentally. But honestly, he tried to avoid it. The sister had told him that it was equivalent to an adult throwing a temper tantrum.
"So she's a spoiled brat." He said bluntly as he crossed his arms. That was the kind of vibe he had been getting when he first met her actually.
D let out another laugh. "Close." He said as he stopped laughing. "She's not above saying sorry. But she has moments. Moments of wanting to get her way. And if she can't, she smashes."
"Why're you so interested kid?" Jubei asked, his voice directed at him. He turned towards his master, and instead of seeing a smirk or a smile or anything that could constitute he was thinking something far from what he wanted. Jubei was instead just looking at him curiously.
He sighed before he uncrossed his arms. "She just reminds me of…" Jin. He wanted to say Jin, but found the name stuck in his throat. So instead of completing the sentence, he sighed before he shook his head. "Nothing." He then turned towards the hole/door before he began walking towards it. "If you don't mind, I'll take a look around."
It wasn't a request, or asking for permission. He didn't stop even as Jubei called out to him, he wouldn't stop even if he shouted. He just… he now had Jin and Saya on his mind again.
XxX
"Damn it kid." He cursed under his breath as he watched his student walk out the tent like his life had just been sucked out. He kept forgetting that even though Ragna was a bit precocious, he was still a kid. A kid that had lost his arm because his brother had cut it off. A kid that watched as the only home he had ever known, and the only caretaker that had ever taken care of him both burned to the ground.
Maybe he shouldn't have come here. Maybe he should have just gotten Blood Edge from the burnt remains of the Church one night and gave it to him. But… he wasn't convinced he was ready for it yet.
Don't get him wrong. Ragna was a natural with swords. He had tried giving him a practice run. A little sparring session between both him and the kid. Nothing too fancy, and only using wooden swords.
The runt had surprised him by managing to block five strikes consecutively.
True, he had been holding back. But it wasn't the case of he was as weak as Ragna. No, it was the case of Ragna was as good as he was when holding back.
Every time he struck, he was already moving to block. The first strike he thought was a fluke, the second one he thought the same. The third one, he knew there was something wrong. By the fifth one he knew that Ragna somehow knew where he was going to strike, and was reacting to it accordingly.
Ragna had been getting a smug look on his face. He wiped that look off by giving him a sixth strike. Faster, cleaner, and much more precise than the five previous ones.
And like the five before it, Ragna had tried to block it, to parry it. But all it accomplished was getting to it halfway, before he managed to bonk Ragna on the head with the shaft of the wooden sword.
Well, bonk is such a light word. More like he splintered the whole thing on his noggin. But hey, at least he learned a lesson; never assume you can get there in time to stop a strike.
That was how people lost their eyes, or their arms, or at worst, their lives.
He liked to think he formed a bond with Ragna right then and there, what with their missing body parts and all that. Sorta morbid, but hey, it was a start.
"D is starting to think it's more than just body parts that are missing." He smiled a little as he turned around and faced D. Out of taste joke there, but hey, that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate it.
"Sorta probably there." He answered as he took a seat across from D. "And cut the accent. It's fer trading, not fer dealin'."
D's eyes widened a little, before he nodded his head. "Alright," D began as he swept his hair to the side. "What do you need?"
Again, another smirk appeared on his face. "You know me D. I'll take the usual." He then paused for a second, before he sighed and shook his head. "And give the kid one of yer best ones. Kid needs somethin' other than his fists to do his dirty work."
"How long and how much would it weigh?" D asked as a pen and paper appeared in his hands. D was already writing down notes in it, and probably making a little sketch of his latest project.
"Ehh, probably a head taller than the kid, weights all up ta you though." His answer garnered a confused look from D.
"A head taller?" D asked. He had stopped writing down in his notebook and was looking at him like he was crazy. "I doubt the kid can wield-"
"Trust me," He interrupted as he grinned. "He's still a growing boy. He'll grow into it."
D still looked skeptical, but nonetheless, restarted his writing on the notebook. "What kind?" D asked as he looked at him expectantly.
"Broad, heavy, and one-sided." He answered immediately. Again, D looked at him like he was crazy.
"I thought you said the weight was up to me?" D asked, to which he shrugged his shoulder.
"It is." He answered. "Just make it as heavy as ya can, and make sure that it's only one-sided. Don't want the kid ta kill 'imself tryna use the thing." He doubted that would happen, but nonetheless, his joke garnered a laugh from D.
"Anything else?" D asked, amused at his what he wanted the trader to do. Well, if he was amused, then it's about time to make him blanch.
"Yeah, actually…" He paused as he put on a shit-eating grin. "Make it a scythe."
D let out a sigh, before he wrote the last piece down. "Y'know." D began, making him look up at the old – damn how did he make it look like he was no older than 30? – trader. "Your kid acts just like Bullet."
He didn't need by Einstein to figure out which kid he was talking about. "Yeah," He nodded his head. He agreed with that, Ragna did act like Bullet. And if he squinted enough, he could tell that Ragna was going down the same road as Bullet herself. "But I ain't about ta make him do that same things she did."
"When I lost my loved ones," D began, putting down the pen he was holding, before he looked straight at him. "I thought I was grown up. I thought I couldn't hurt anymore when I watched all of my friends and family die in front of me."
He kept silent as he listened. He knew this story, he knew what D was talking about. He understood to a degree, because he had been there. "An inferno, a burning pure hell was what I keep describing it." D continued, his voice soft as his eyes seemed to gaze far-away. "Had it not been for you Jubei, I would have met my fate with them as well."
"Aw shucks," He grinned as D turned back towards him. "Ya make it sound like ya wanted to live." His grin dropped. He remembered D after he had pulled him out of there. Cursing and spitting at him, telling him to finish the job the whole world started.
It was D's turn to chuckle. "Could you really blame me?" D asked him, a honest smile on his face. "I was twelve years old when I watched my parents burn in front of me. My sister instantly vaporized. And my friends turn into liquid. You can just imagine how someone so young could hope to cope when everything in his life was suddenly and swiftly taken away from him."
His lips curved upwards slightly. "If I recall correctly, you were thirteen."
D's eyes took a sudden shine in them. "Ah yes, I forgot it happened during my birthday as well."
A lull in the conversation, and he adjusted himself in the seat. "As much as I enjoy this little reminiscence session of ours. When were ya plannin' to get to yer point?" He asked as he looked at D. D raised a hand before shaking his head in response.
"I don't know what Ragna had gone though." D began, sighing as he did so. "But understand that what he needs is you. Like what you did for me saved me all those years ago. Understand that you need only repeat what you did to me."
He smirked a little, feeling the unease he had been feeling about brining Ragna here disappear. "Aw hell, am I so easy ta read now?" He asked, a honest grin appearing on his face.
D let out a laugh at his words. "Not easy. Just predictable."
Another lull in the conversation, but this one wasn't awkward. He thought about what D said, and honestly, why was he so uneasy about all this? The kid was a kid, that was alright. But at the same time, he needed to grow up. He could be throwing tantrums like that, and it'd be normal. Just as long as he got out of it.
To which he had no doubt he would do. He was Ragna. Not Bloodedge, at least, not yet. But he was getting there.
"So." D began again, raising the piece of paper and waving it in front of him. "D cancels order yes?" And once more, his accent took a turn for the worse.
Just for that… "Nope. Try and find a scythe with a one-sided blade fer me will ya?" He grinned as he saw D give him a rotten look.
XxX
"Alright, nothing to do and nothing to see." He spoke to himself as he threw his hands and put them behind his head. "Damn it, I shoulda stayed in the damn tent. At least I'd have someone better to talk to than myself." He let out a sigh as he wandered around the tree lines past the camp.
He knew that doing this was sorta dangerous, but he wasn't going to go that far. Besides, it's not like he couldn't take care of himself. If worse comes to worst, he'd just use an Ars and blow whatever the hell that attacked him to pieces.
Still…
"Gah!" He threw his hands in the air as he plopped down onto the ground. "Why the hell am I stuck here while Jubei has to teach someone else? I'm his student damn it." There wasn't really any bitterness in his voice, but it was still annoying to think he wasn't being trained. He had to get stronger damn it, if not for him than for Saya. He needed to save her.
He took a deep breath, before he managed to calm himself down enough to think clearly. "Great, now I'm thinking like Jin." He paused, before he curled himself into a ball. "Gah! Now that ain't fair!" He was damn sure Jin wasn't thinking normally when he went and cut-off his arm. His brother, the one he took care of with Saya wasn't someone that just… went off like that.
At least, that was what he hoped.
"Normally, talking to oneself like that and screaming right afterwards is a sign of mental illness." He jumped from his position, surprised at the sudden voice that came right above him.
"Whoa!" He shouted as he got to his feet before he did a 180' and took a ready stance. How the hell – "What the hell! How the heck did you get so near me without at least making a damn sound!" He shouted as he pointed at the veritable red-giant in front of him.
That wasn't normal! A nine-foot tall devil-looking man with the body that would put a wall to shame just didn't… move that quietly!
The man – was he really still a man? – chuckled as he crossed his stump-like red arms. He noticed that there was some kind of bracelets attached to his wrists, and he caught a glimpse of the number written on it.
Nine-hundred pounds, high voltage. Nope, ain't pissing this guy off.
"These?" The giant asked as he raised his hands, staring at the bracelet on it. "Don't worry about it, these things are just there to keep my strength in check. Wouldn't want to accidentally crush someone when giving them a handshake." The giant let out hearty laugh as if his words didn't make him tense.
"Err, yeah." He gave out his own laugh, but it sounded forced and completely nervous. But he couldn't help it! The giant could crush him by giving him a friggin' handshake! What did anyone expect him to be!
"I sense you're nervous." The giant uncrossed his arms over his chest, before he kneeled down in front of him and pat his hair. If he wasn't so damn scared he could push down and crush him he would've pushed it away.
Still… "Don't touch me like I'm a kid." He grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. The giant stopped and retracted his hand before standing.
"Aren't you one though?" The giant asked him. He let out a sigh. Technically, he was one. He was only thirteen years old, but still, he hesitated calling himself a kid. For the majority of his life, he had to be the elder one, the big brother for both Jin and Saya. And he had failed at that.
"…I hope I'm not." God. He sounded like a little kid. Hoping wasn't something he could put his faith in to, not like he had much of faith either. But still, there were a thousand different things to be other than hopeful.
The giant gave a laugh at his answer. "A precocious one aren't you?" The giant half-asked/half-stated as he stared down at him. He fought hard not to squirm under the giant's gaze. "Well, take it from me. Don't be in any hurry to grow up. The grown-up world is a messy place." The words came as a warning, but he didn't take it to heart.
"Well, it sure as hell beats moping around like a little kid." He countered, crossing his arms as he did so. He didn't want to stay a kid, he had to grow up. If he didn't, he'd have to rely on others to get Saya and Jin back for him. And as much as he wanted some sort of hero to just drop out of the sky with Saya in hand and Jin in a bag kicking and screaming, he knew that he had to be the one to do that. He had to be the hero for Saya and-
Did he just say he had to be a friggin' hero?
Before he could berate himself for even thinking of something as stupid as that, he was interrupted from his thoughts by the giant holding out a hand to him. "My name is Tager. Just Tager for now."
He looked up at the giant, and then at his giant hand, before he hesitantly reached out and grabbed a finger. God, his finger was bigger than his hand! "Ragna. That's it. No last name."
Tager's hands enclosed Ragna's own, and he winced as he felt it begin to shake up and down. Thankfully, Tager had let go before anything untoward would happen to his hand. "Well Ragna, I don't know how you got to that way of thinking, but I will leave you with a parting question before I go and find Kokonoe."
Kokonoe. Right, he forgot. He was with that weirdo scientist in the tent before. A passing thought of where she was appeared in his head, before he realized he didn't care.
"Alright, shoot." Their hands finally parted, and he immediately crossed his arms over his chest again as he looked up at the giant. It wasn't at all to make him bigger, it was to try and protect his ribcage if Tager ever decided he wanted to playfully punch him. Not that he could see Tager doing that now, what with it conflicting with his personality.
"What about those that couldn't?" Tager asked immediately. The question was so sudden and off kilter that he had to blink a few times before it registered.
"What?" He asked. He had heard the question, but he didn't understand what he was talking about.
"Let me rephrase that." Tager pushed his glassed up. "What about those that could not be children? Those that couldn't be kids? Would you so gladly throw away your chance at being a child even then?"
He scowled before he answered. "Those kids don't have any idea what I've been through."
Tager nodded his head. "I will not dispute that." Tager paused, before he continued. "But how about you? Have you gone through what those kids have gone through?"
He felt his ears grow warm as he answered. "What do I care about them? They aren't me. I'm me. I'm the one that was given a shitty deal in life and has to live with it. I'm the one that has to fix crap that wasn't my fault in the first place. I'm the one that has to deal with something that shouldn't even be placed onto a thirteen year old kid!" His voice steadily grew louder and louder until he finally shouted the last part. His eyes darted down, towards his right arm, towards the arm that housed something that no amount of nuclear weapons could hope to obliterate. Towards the arm that could very well destroy the world.
Silence reigned, until it was finally broken by Tager's chuckling. He looked up, at first angry, before confused as he caught the genuine smile on Tager's red devilish face. "And yet here you are. Cursing and spitting as if some child. It's okay to be childlike sometimes. To curse the deal you've been given. But to let it consume you, to let it drive you. That's where you're going to learn that being an adult sometimes isn't the best thing to do."
Tager nodded his head once, before he turned his massive body and began walking away. He clucked his tongue, before he spoke up. "You sound like you know what I'm going through."
Tager replied without turning around and stopping. "I won't say I do. But I will say I'm trying to understand. And I will also say I've gone through something similar." The giant looked over his shoulder back towards him, the smile gone from his lips as he just stared at him. "I wasn't always born this way you know."
With that, Tager turned back forward and continued walking. He kept walking until he disappeared in the canopy of trees, until he was finally gone from his sight. It was only when he was gone did he realize that he hadn't heard a single noise come from the giant as he walked. Not even the snapping of twigs.
Still, as weird as that was, and as scary as that was. He felt… relieved. Like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder. He wouldn't admit it, but that talk had really helped him put perspective onto his situation. That he was fighting not only for Jin and Saya and the world. But he was also fighting for himself and his own life.
"…Thanks." He muttered under his breath towards the direction where Tager had disappeared. He would never admit that he had ever felt this way, but he wouldn't hide that he had.
XxX
He next found his master in a clearing.
That is to say, the area was cleared by the repeated punches of one Bullet and her gauntlets.
"Don't put too much strain on yer body. The gauntlets'er supposed to do the breaking, all ya have to do is guide them ta what ya wanna break." Jubei's instructions rang clear in the field. He watched as Bullet's face contorted to one of concentration, before she nodded her head and got into a ready stance.
"Pull!" Jubei shouted as he threw a veritable boulder directly on the path of Bullet. He tensed a little at the display. Not out of worry for the girl, but out of worry for himself.
Ah hell, this ain't no clearing. It was just clear of trees. And if there were no trees, then Jubei'll find another thing to whack his head with. And he did not want that to be a boulder.
He was broken out of his reverie as the boulder suddenly exploded in midair. He looked towards the only person that could have done the deed, and wasn't surprised to be proven true.
Bullet had her left arm extended, the fist and gauntlet smoking as she settled into a stance that looked like a boxer throwing a left hook. He wondered idly why she was paused like that, but then the thought was gone as she settled into the normal stance he saw her use before.
"Good, but not good enough. Ya still pause when ya throw punches. That leaves yer opponent enough time to go in and kill you if you miss." Jubei's words were laced with disapproval, but nonetheless, it didn't seem to affect Bullet at all as she just nodded her head at the old cat.
He shifted a little, putting all his weight into one foot, before he crossed his arms. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. He looked towards the owner of the hand, and was met with the lollipop sucking Kokonoe as she stared not at him, but at the scene in front of them.
"Don't interrupt kid. This is valuable information being recorded. If you wanna train, go find your own clearing." The cat/human hybrid said as she let go of him and then pulled the clipboard that was under her armpit. She pulled out the pen attached to said clipboard, before she began jotting down whatever notes she had about Bullet into it.
He scowled at being dismissed so easily, but again, before he could say anything. He was interrupted, this time by his own teacher. "Hey Ragna!" He turned his head towards his teacher, just in time to see him shifting a boulder into his hands and get in a position ready to throw. "Catch!"
And with that, Jubei threw the boulder the size of a table right into his path. He cursed as he prepared to dodge, but then realized something. There was someone behind him.
"Ah hell!" He planted his feet into the ground, before he braced himself for the incoming boulder. He didn't know why he was doing this, but at the moment, he couldn't think. He had to act.
The boulder was coming at him at a speed he could react to, and that suited him just fine. He ducked a few moments before the boulder could get into his range, not to dodge it. But to try and redirect the force using the bottom of it.
He grunted as he pushed his hand against the bottom of the stone, using a small displacement Ars that didn't need any prior incantation to use, he felt his arms get the tiniest bit stronger, just the tiniest bit hard. He allowed that strength to translate into redirecting the boulder by pushing against the bottom of it.
He was rewarded for his efforts by the boulder sailing past his – and consequently Kokonoe's – head, before the boulder landed a few feet behind and them began rolling, kicking up dirt and forming a trail behind it through the ground. That was a telling sign about how heavy that rock actually was.
"Oi!" He shouted as he straightened himself. "The hell was that old man! You could have killed us!" He heard a snort from behind him, but didn't pay it any attention as he glared at his master. Who was now sporting the grin he hated so much.
"Had the utmost faith in ya kid. I knew you wouldn't have gotten hit. I didn't train ya fer that." Jubei said as he jumped down from the ledge he was on and began walking towards him. And judging by Jubei's grin, his scowl didn't affect the old cat in the slightest.
"Well gee, I guess that excuses you throwing a five hundred pound rock at me." He bit out sarcastically as he crossed his arms and glared at Jubei.
"It was four hundred and eighty-six actually." Jubei commented as he shrugged. "But it's all pedantry really. I really gotta teach you how to measure weight and mass by height and volume."
Something told him he would not like how that would go down.
"Are you two done bonding yet?" Kokonoe's voice alerted him that she was still behind him. "Cause I haven't got all day and I need more data about those gauntlets." The impatience literally bled out of her tone.
Jubei turned his eyes away from his, before he saw the old cat stare at his daughter. "Ehh, I'm done for the day. 'Sides, I gotta make some time for my real apprentice now don't I? Can't let his brain rot for even a second lest he forgets everything I thought 'im."
He resisted the urge to say something biting. He wasn't gonna fall for it, he wasn't gonna fall for it, he wasn't gonna fall for it…
"I doubt the kid could even muster up enough brain cells to figure out what you're gonna teach him." Kokonoe said, cutting his inner mantra. "You're not exactly the best model figure, nor is he the sharpest tool in the shed."
Damn it, falling for it or not, no one just said those things about it and got away unscathed.
"Shut up you old hag." He crossed his arms as the words automatically left his mouth. "I don't need a washed up weird cat-lady telling me how my brain works."
The silence that followed was palpable in its entirety, and it honestly made him feel good that he made Kokonoe shut the hell up.
"Before you attempt to eviscerate the kid," Another voice said, and once again, he jumped in surprise at the closeness of it from behind him. "Need I remind you that you now have two good reasons for staying here?" He turned around and was met with the hulking form of Tager standing with his arms crossed behind him.
"God damn it! Don't do that! You're gonna give me a heart attack!" He shouted at the giant. Not at all caring that he was shouting at someone that could crush him with a finger if he wanted to. There would be nothing to crush if his heart stopped because he kept appearing out of nowhere anyway.
Tager let out a sound that could be constituted as a snort/laugh. But otherwise, kept silent as he stared at Kokonoe expectantly.
Kokonoe returned the stare with a blank one of her own. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" She said as she stared at the giant.
Tager didn't reply besides crossing his arms and giving a vague smirk.
Kokonoe's reply to that was to give him the finger before responding verbally. "Yeah, yeah. Alright fine." She then took the chains off her chest before she walked past both him and Tager, past Jubei, and then finally stopped in front of Bullet.
For her part, Bullet only seemed mildly confused. "Should I try and break them now?" Her question was heard all around, and he wondered what she meant by that. Those are just ordinary chains right? Hell, he'd be able to break them if he tried really hard.
Kokonoe nodded her head, before she grabbed both ends of the chains and then held it out. "Put all your strength into breaking these things. I don't care what that useless cat has thought you, but for the moment, I just need you to focus all your attention to these chains." A pause followed Kokonoe's request, before he heard her sigh. "And try not to hit me."
Bullet was taken aback for a moment, before she nodded her head. "No promises though."
"Never believed in promises anyway. Always one-sided to either party." He blinked as he detected a faint hint of… he wouldn't call it anger, it was something much more raw. It sounded like… she was hurt. But that couldn't be right? This was a woman that liked to control everything so much she would put bombs into things to do so. Why would she be so easily hurt if she was willing to hurt others so willingly? Somehow, he didn't take Kokonoe to be a hypocrite.
By his side, he heard Jubei sigh. A deep and long breath as the cat looked on at Kokonoe. He raised an eyebrow at the cat. "Something you going to tell me someday?" Not that he expected the old cat to of course. But hell, he wasn't totally heartless. And the cat – while vindictive to the point of being a slave driver – was someone that helped him when he needed help. The least he could do was care about him.
Fortunately for him, he was spared from anything awkward developing as Jubei just shrugged. "If it ever comes up, I'll tell ya."
Not confirmation, but it was something. He nodded his head in understanding. Hell, looks like Tager's words weren't just for him. It was for everyone else as well too. "Alright then. I'll be right here if you need to talk."
"Heh," Jubei let out a snort at his words. "I appreciate yer concern, but yer a hundred years too young to be try'na cheer me up. When you go through the things I've gone through, then we can talk like equals." Cryptic words from his cryptic teacher. He would have been exasperated if he wasn't so used to it by now.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He waved his hand dismissively as he watched Bullet take a ready stance and Kokonoe take a few steps back with the chains still stretched. "Just make sure you have a cup'a sake for me when we're equals. Wouldn't want you thinking less of me by thinking I can't hold my liquor." The funny thing was, he didn't know if he could hold his liquor. He had never tried drinking before.
Jubei didn't answer him, and that marked the end of that little bonding session. And while it may have seemed trivial for anyone listening in. It marked something between their relationship.
Master and student was what they were when all this started a week and a half ago. Now, he felt… closer to the old coot. And while he wouldn't exactly catch a bullet for him, he would be sad if he died without at least saying bye or something. Morbid he knew, but it was the truth.
He idly wondered if this was what Tager meant. If forcing himself to grow up would have made him miss the opportunity of trying to get to know his mas – get to know Jubei.
A small shockwave broke him out of his thoughts. He felt winds whip past his face and through his hair, before he looked towards where the shockwave originated from. There, he saw Bullet, left arm forward in a boxing stance, unmoving and wide-eyed as she stared at what she had punched.
In front of Bullet, was Kokonoe. Mouth creased into a frown as she held the still in tact chain as if it hadn't been punched by something that caused things to break period. The only difference was, the chains were now glowing. They shimmered a light gold and seemed to make the air around it feel… abhorrent. He had no idea how that worked, but it did.
He was about to say something, but a splitting headache stopped him from doing so. It was caused by him taking a glance at the glowing chain and seeing… images.
No wait, this feeling was familiar. These weren't images, these were memories.
The memories flowed into his mind like a wave. He saw images of a blond haired man, with a diminutive woman with long green hair. The image changed, but there was still the blond man, only this time, there was a muscular man right beside him. They were both clad in armor that didn't cover their chests. Both muscular, and both fighting a horde – no, it wasn't a horde. It was an army. They fought an army.
Before he could delve deeper into that memory though, it faded and was replaced by another. This time, of the blond haired man looking down onto the green haired woman. Tears spilled from his eyes as the woman reached up and cupped the man's cheek. The woman began speaking in a language he couldn't understand, couldn't comprehend. The image faded as the woman's hand began to fall, along with the man's tears.
His vision steadily grew sharper. His breaths became steadier, and his headache began to disperse. He looked up, before he shook his head to clear away the spots still in his vision. When he could finally see things clearly, it was to the sight of Kokonoe looking over every inch of the chains and talking.
"…glowing doesn't seem to come from any outside source. Could it be a reactant to something? But then, what would that something be. There's only a handful of elements that reacts-" And he turned out whatever it was Kokonoe was saying. He could learn to understand, but at the moment, he couldn't care less to.
"Did ya see the weird glowin' too?" He turned his head to regard Jubei. The old cat had his single eye staring forward towards Kokonoe, though if he had to guess, it was staring at the chains instead of the scientist babbling.
"Yeah, I did." He answered, making Jubei turn towards him with a frown on his face. "What do you think that was?" He asked. He was honestly curious about it, he didn't think any ordinary chain link would glow after getting hit by blunt force, so maybe it was reacting to something different? Heat? But Kokonoe had been holding it. So…
Bah, why was he thinking about this? It didn't matter to him. What mattered was the series of images – memories – that passed through his head as the chains kept glowing. Who was that blond man? And that woman he was with? Did she die? Was that a final image of the man saying goodbye? And what about that other part, where the blond and that other muscular man took on an army.
Before he could think over these things more however, a sharp pain erupted at his shin.
"Gah!" He hopped on one foot as he grabbed the appendage that felt like it had been kicked. He glared at the only person that could have done so. "The fuck was that for?!" He shouted as he finally managed to get the pain under control.
To his annoyance, Jubei replied with a shrug. "'Sides the fact that I felt like it? You were spacin' out. Not a good habit to have when yer around someone that could kill you."
He snorted. "Yeah, as if you'd kill me." He was confident that he had at least earned a 'no kill' rule with Jubei.
Jubei smirked at him before he answered. "You forgot? I threatened ta kill ya when ya first woke up and tried to run off. What makes you think I've changed my mind?"
Good point, so he'd have to counter that with his own. "You like me too much." He smirked. He was given the pleasure of making Jubei at least slightly surprised judging from the way his eyebrows rose.
"Now this I have to hear." Jubei said as the cat crossed his arms over his chest and stared up at him. After a second, Jubei gestured to him, as if telling him to do so.
His response was to shrug. "I'm not exactly the best person to put up with." He said truthfully. It was a truth he had knew about him even when he was still in the church with Jin and Saya. "My mouth tends to spew things most would blush at. I hurl insults whenever I can, and I'm as hardheaded as a rock if I'm totally honest." Each piece of that sentence was true, but he wasn't bothered by it. It was what made him himself. Why would he be ashamed of it?
"Not seein' a point here." Jubei interrupted him, his tone petulant, but the smirk that played on his face told him he was amused.
"Hang on, geez." He said as he shook his head at Jubei. He sighed as he decided to just get it out. "My point is. If you've put up with me this much, then I'm guessing you must have patience the longer than the solar system. Or you like having me around." He uncrossed his arms and shrugged. "And I know for a fact that the first one would be impossible for you."
Jubei stared at him for a few seconds, his eyes blinking, but holding a hint of mirth in them. Finally, the old cat broke out in deep laughter. He scowled at the sound, but soon, he felt himself smiling as well. Pretty soon, he was laughing as well, Jubei's laughter having been contagious for him.
After a few seconds of laughing, they both managed to control themselves, before finally Jubei responded. "G-gotta admit kid," Jubei began, taking a deep breath as he steadied himself. "Never thought you'd admit you were that flawed. Are ya gonna change yerself now that you got that all out?" Jubei asked, a smile on his whiskered face as he did so.
Managing himself, he let out a deep breath before he scoffed. "Why should I? The world should adjust for me, cause I sure as hell won't adjust for them." He grinned as he stared at Jubei, who returned his grin with a smile.
"Good," Jubei nodded his head, before he walked past him. He followed the old cat as they made their way out of the clearing, passing Tager who had been silently watching the conversation by the treeline, he was about to call out to the giant, but Jubei interrupted him. "I didn't want to teach ya manners. Seein' as I don't have the best ones myself."
He smiled a little at Jubei's words. Heh, like master and student huh? He was really starting to like Jubei now.
XxX
Like I said in the first chapter. The Fate universe isn't going to play a large part in this series aside from Shirou's arm getting shafted onto Ragna.
This chapter was nothing more than Jubei and Ragna getting a bit of character development. Especially for Ragna as the incident happened more or less a week and a half ago for him. He isn't over it, not by a long shot. But he is starting to learn that those things happen, and it's better to make the most of the situation than to wallow in thoughts about it.
Jubei on the other hand, well (SPOILER ALERT, LEAVE NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER), keep in mind that Ragna was someone he looked up to a hundred years ago when the Black Beast roamed the earth. It's very likely (and more importantly, in character) for Jubei to wonder if he's going to do enough for Ragna and the person he looked up to a hundred years ago.
As for D and his relationship with Jubei. Well, his past isn't really important in the overall story, but his past will be revealed in increments. I'm not done with D, nor am I done with Bullet. This will mark the first arc of this story, but don't expect flashy-actiony parts. This arc will focus more on developing the characters into what they will be in a few years when Ragna grows up.
I'm going to go ahead and aim for the head and say, no. Ragna and Jubei will not stay with D and his camp of merchants/mercenaries. But they will have a symbiotic relationship with them in the form of… well, further chapters will explain.
So. Thoughts for this chapter? I was struggling with characterization of the characters, and had to rewrite a few segments here and there because I just didn't feel like Ragna and Jubei meshed with their canon counterparts. Hopefully, my rewriting has paid off. But yeah, I need Blazblue aficionados to tell me if I got the characters right or wrong. I'm not as confident about my Blazblue writing as my Fate one. But hey, it's practice. And I'm at least confident enough to know that I won't butcher the characters for what they are and make sure that when people like them, they'll like the canon characters as well.
Anyway, I'm out. Expect the next chapter of A Gaming Magus soon.
C.O.Y.L out, peace!
P.S: Again, in the spirit of laziness (and also the fact that my midterms are this week and I should be studying instead), this chapter is being posted post-haste without grammar checking and such. As before, I'll take this down if I ever get around to reediting this chapter. But for now, enjoy all the grammary goodness of an *bleed*year old majoring Psych in an... eastern country.
