Chapter 4

Childhood Reunion

Orient Town, Litchi's Clinic – Jin, Noel, and Jacky

The quarrel between rivals was ended harshly when Litchi busted Jin and Jacky in the heads with her baton. Now they were just ignoring each other by looking the other way. Carl had watched everything in silence with a hint of amusement.

He bit into his food and watched the two anxiously, but he wouldn't get any more excitement after they got knocked in the craniums.

"I had such high hopes for you two, but I guess it was just wishful thinking," Noel groaned.

"Shut up, you stupid-!" Jin began. "Lay off Noel, Jin. She's never once done anything malevolent to you, so why do you have to be such an ass?"

"Come on, Jacky, even you had to have noticed the similarity!"

Although it was a mystery to Noel, Jacky knew what he meant.

Celica's Church, Years Ago…

Jacky ran out of the church with Sister Mercury chasing after him.

"STOP PUTTING FIRECRACKERS IN THE ORGAN PIPES!"

Jacky laughed at her distress, but as he looked behind him, he noticed that she was gaining on him. Then Ragna stuck his foot out and tripped her over, allowing Jacky to escape and hide. Saya saw the events unfold and immediately ran over to Mercury's side. "Are you alright?"

Ragna was laughing his butt off. She shot him an angry glare and shut him up. "Ragna, you and Jacky have to stop with the pranks!"

"But we've hardly got anything to do and Jin refuses to play. He's just reading his books and nothing else." Saya pouted and helped Sister Mercury up as best she could. Eventually Jacky finally came out of hiding when the coast was clear.

As he entered the church, he felt a book slam into his head from the side. Saya had smacked him with a novel she was reading. "Quit torturing Sister Mercury, brother!"

"Ow, ow, okay, I'm sorry, I won't do it anymore. Ugh, did you HAVE to hit me with a hard-back book?"

"It's your own fault for giving the Sister grief, Brother Jacky."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already."

Saya.

She was a sweet girl that he saw as a sister. She never cared only for herself. Then, that horrid day came.

The church had been burned to the ground. Jacky was feeling bold that day and decided to venture off away from the church on his own for a bit. A few moments afterwards and he heard screaming coming from the direction of the church.

As he ran back to the church, something glided past him. It appeared as nothing more than a blur, but the next thing he knew, he was bleeding from his chest. Pain ripped through every sense of his being and he could hardly stand it. He looked up and saw a green-haired man standing before him. "Wh-who are you?"

"Aw, the little tyke is still talking?" the stranger said mockingly as he kicked Jacky a few times. After a while, he blacked out from the pain. When he woke up again, his chest wound was healed. He got up on his feet and ran back to the church to find it in ruin. He searched the area, but the only thing he could find was the dead body of Mercury lying around. None of Jacky's siblings were around.

There was still fire strewn about the area here and there and Jacky's sadness, confusion, and anger made him feel like his heart was on fire. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a red-bladed, doubled-edged sword with a violet hilt lying on the ground by his side.

Etched into the blade was the word 'Drakos'. He picked up the weapon and stood up and took off on his own.

Present Time, Orient Town, Litchi's Clinic – Jacky, Jin, and Noel

"I know what you mean, Jin, but I don't care if she looks like her. It doesn't matter to me, she's still a person who deserves to be to respect, not to the cold edge of your weapon."

Noel wanted to pursue the subject, but decided to put it on hold until the time was right to ask.

"So, Ray, why are you in Kagutsuchi in the first place?" Jin growled. "What? Come on, Jin, I don't need a reason to be somewhere, least of all, Orient Town," Jacky returned, "However, for once, I do have a reason for being here. I'm looking for someone."

"Who are you looking for, Jacky?"

"Ragna the Bloodedge."

Jin a bolted upright ready to unsheathe Yukianesa again, but then Litchi whacked him in the head again, prompting him to fall back on the bed.

"Relax, Jin, and you too, Noel. I'm not looking to kill him or turn him in. Quite the contrary, I plan to join up with him and hunt down the green-haired bastard that burned down our church."

Orient Town, Chinese Restaurant – Ragna and Taokaka

"Will you slow down, Tao, you're getting food everywhere!" Tao and Ragna stopped by a nice Chinese restaurant for a break and Tao, once again, took advantage of Ragna's wallet. Eventually, when they were finally finished eating, Ragna was given the bill and its price was out of his reach.

The next thing they knew, they were being chased away by the chef, the waitress, and a number of Vigilantes. During their trip, Taokaka had pointed to the clinic up ahead. "Let's go see Booby Lady!"

"What? What the hell is she going to do? Medicate them to death?"

However, when as they drew closer to the clinic, Litchi had exited the building and knocked the crowd away. "Okay, I take that back," Ragna said quickly.

Ragna and Tao thanked Litchi for the assistance and turned to leave when Tao tripped and bashed her head in. Ragna picked the kitty up and dragged her into the clinic. "Treat her quickly, please. I don't have time for this crap."

Tao was carried to the patients' room and set down on a bed. Jacky, Jin, Noel, and Carl all watched as Ragna the Bloodedge followed Litchi into the room. Ragna took a look at the various individuals in the room. Jin, well, that encounter was most likely going to badly. Noel wasn't a problem, in fact, Ragna was actually a little happy to see her. Carl had completely faded from Ragna's memory since their first encounter, so he didn't know what to think.

As he gaze came upon Jacky, he felt something clawing in the back of his mind, a sort of nostalgia that was just begging to be released. "Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

Jacky popped a vein and an aura of extreme annoyance was emanating from him. "Why the hell does it take you people so damn long to remember me!?" He yelled at everyone in general.

"Because you're easy to forget," Jin snarled. Jacky threw a medicine tray at him and hit him square in the forehead. "I didn't ask for your opinion, you frosty f*ck!"

Jacky returned his gaze to Ragna. "So you really don't remember me?"

"Should I remember you?"

Jacky felt crushed. His old classmates in military school were one thing, Jin remembered Jacky for as long as they were near each other, and Saya was missing, but Ragna was the one person that he hoped would remember him.

"You better not be pulling my leg, because I don't have the patience for it right now. Let me make something clear. No, I don't remember you and I don't care. I've got more serious matters to wrap my mind around right now. Hey, Litchi, call me in when the kid wakes up, which shouldn't take too long."

Ragna left the room, not even giving Jacky a second glance.

Jacky fell to one of the beds. Noel tried to comfort Jacky, but he just laughed in spite of himself. "That idiot, of course he wouldn't remember me. He's just as boneheaded as always."

But despite his smile, laughter, and playful banter, there was a tinge of sadness in his tone and his smile was undoubtedly false. Was he really so unimportant to Ragna that he could just forget completely?

"Are you going to be okay, Jacky?"

"Just give me some time, Noel, I'll feel better eventually."

Orient Town, Outside Litchi's Clinic – Ragna the Bloodedge

Ragna exited the clinic and took a stroll through town. "What was that guy's deal? I don't care what he says, there's no way I know him from anywhere." However, he felt a sinking feeling in his mind that contradicted what he was telling himself.

"Ragna the Bloodedge, SS-Class Criminal wanted by the NOL."

A red-haired woman in an NOL uniform recited these words as she held up a wanted poster for Ragna to see. "You are hereby under arrest."

She drew her weapon and attempted to strike at his solar plexus, but he managed to draw his sword and block her strike. The two began to exchange blows with each other, the sounds of clashing metal leaked into the clinic, putting everyone on alert.

Jacky summoned Drakos and ran out of the clinic as fast as possible to find Ragna fighting no more than 5 feet from the clinic.

And his opponent?

Tsubaki Yayoi.

Jacky rushed in and got inbetween Ragna and Tsubaki and blocked her weapon. Ragna stopped fighting of his own accord. "Get out of my way! If this chick wants to fight then she's going to get more than she bargained for."

"Just wait, please!"

Jacky looked up at the red-haired soldier. "Tsubaki, what are you doing here?"

Tsubaki recognized him faster than Noel and Carl. You can bet how relieved he felt about that. "What are you doing, Jacky? Why are you defending this criminal?"

"Look, I know it's your duty and I know that he's a wanted man, but you can't fight him. If you fight him, you will lose, trust me!"

"How are you so sure that I will lose?"

"Because he has taken down countless soldiers of the NOL all at once, because you're only one person, and because if you continue to endanger yourself, I'll have to take you down myself," he explained. He was surprised by the final part though. He sounded like a complete jerk.

Tsubaki pushed Jacky back from her. "I'm sorry, but I've already been to that point and I can't go back from that," she said as her attire changed.

The Izayoi.

"What are you doing with that thing?" Jacky demanded. He noticed that she was beginning to shake dizzily. "How much have you used it?"

She ignored his questions as her weapon shifted to a blade whip and the atmosphere grew dark and quiet. "Stop using that damned thing, please Tsubaki!"

She swung the whip at Ragna, but he deflected the blow effortlessly. She swung again and he grabbed the end of the whip and with one big, great tug, he pulled her toward him in an instant and punched her lights out.

"That didn't take long. You weren't kidding when you told her that she would lose," Ragna said to him.

The next thing he knew, Jacky had punched him hard.

"What the hell was that for!?"

He was mad that Jacky had the gall to punch him.

"You're such an idiot!" He yelled. "Who are you calling an idiot, dude?" Jacky lifted Tsubaki and took her to the clinic. "Ragna, you're a smart guy, but what makes you an idiot is how you've changed since the church."

The church? How the hell did he know about the church?

That punch to his face seemed to strengthen his feeling of familiarity towards Jacky though. However, Ragna still couldn't quite dig up the memories just yet. It would a better shovel than a punch to the face to dig up this memory.

Until then, the true reunion would have to wait.