Author's Note: Amidst thick fog, it looms. Its branches much hold up the sky. Yggdrasil.

Crimson Azure: Chapter 10

Makoto peeked around the corner of a building; she had decided to keep searching after all. There it was, the Wadatsumi Librarium building. 'Now I just need to get in somehow…" she thought, 'Hrm. A distraction might help. But what kind of distraction?' She surveyed her surroundings. Nothing in particular that could give her an opportunity to sneak in presented itself, short of destroying the wall of a building. With a grin, she gleefully thought, 'That might work. Kokonoe would be really pissed off though. Maybe as a last resort.'

"Makoto?" said a voice from behind.

The beastkin jumped. "Ah! Get back!" she said in panic. She raised her fists before noticing who it was. "Carl? Hey! Carl! It's you!" She pulled the boy into a bone-breaking hug. "Gah! You're just as cute as last time!" she squeaked happily, rubbing her cheeks against his. "Whatcha doin' out here?" She pulled his top hat off and put it on herself. "Turnin' in a bounty for the Libarium?"

Carl pouted. "My hat…" he mumbled. Slowly, Nirvana reached up and removed the hat from Makoto's head before returning it to Carl. "Thanks sis," he said cheerily, "Sorry Makoto, I like my hat."

Makoto laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, get to the point! Whatcha doin' here?"

Carl's face fell into shadow. "I'm looking for my father…Have you seen him around?"

She frowned. "No. Haven't seen that creep anywhere." She gasped. "He might be in there though! This is perfect! You're gonna help me sneak into the Librarium. Or, uh…we'll help each other. You need to get in right?" Carl nodded. She looked to Nirvana. "She can teleport to you…right?" Carl nodded again. With a sneaky grin, Makoto whispered feverishly, "Then here's what we're gonna do…"

'Got pretty lucky. Just what I needed to get in,' the two thought.

Minutes later, Carl set the plan into action. Nirvana was to walk towards the officers guarding the front door, claws presented and draw their attention long enough for the two to sneak in. Surely enough, the plan worked perfectly, and with the officers pursuing Nirvana as she retreated, the two bolted into the building. "Ada!" whispered Carl as they closed the door behind them. A beam of light briefly erupted from the ground and Nirvana materialized before him. "That was perfect Makoto!" he said happily. "Now, where would my father be?" His face fell immediately into seriousness once again.

Makoto put a finger to her lip. "Um…if he's here he's probably up at the top offices. Literally. You'll have to head up several flights of stairs and avoid guards on the way up…" She looked away in nervous agitation. 'Damn. I want to help him. He'll be eaten alive if he's alone. There's just too many guards…Hrm. Ah. I know just what to do.' She looked back at Carl and said quietly, "Listen, I have an errand to run for Kokonoe here. How's this. You follow me, help me find some discs, books, or whatever kinda junk she needs and I help you get to the top of this place? Deal?"

Carl looked to Ada and whispered, "What do you think sis?" After a small stint of silence, he turned back to Makoto and nodded. "Yeah, we'll help you Makoto. What do we have to find?"

Makoto sighed internally. "Okay, we need to get to the lower levels. Let's get going," she said quietly. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a nearby descending staircase. "The archives are down a few levels. I hope."

"I know why you incessantly seek me out," said Hakumen. He looked out over the city. "And once again, you will fail to learn what you seek." He turned to face Jin. "But if you seek a fight, be warned. I will not hesitate to leave you unconscious upon the ground." He drew his sword and pointed it at him. "Prepare yourself. I am Hakumen! The end has come!"

Jin snarled and drew Yukianesa. "I'm gonna BEAT the answer of you!" He rushed at Hakumen and slashed viciously at him leave an icy streak as his blade sliced the air. The floating particles of ice solidified and melded into three swords of ice and flew at him. Hakumen snorted and cut the three of them in half with a single strike, leaving behind three identical black anomalies, bound by runes.

"Pathetic!" he shouted. "These pitiful projectiles are useless before the edge of Ookami. If you wish to best me, you will need sword play!" He dashed forward and delivered a driving knee into Jin's gut before following through with a powerful upward cut that sent him flying. Hakumen dashed forward and hopped into the air. "Hotaru!" he shouted, kicking his opponent higher into the air. Jin spun wildly through the air, flipping end over end and crashing heavily into the ground.

"Agh…shit…" sputtered Jin, spitting blood out of his mouth. "Damn it…I can still…fight…" He flipped backwards onto a massive blade of ice that materialized beneath him and held his sword aloft. "Tell me who you are!" he shouted.

"No," he said quietly. He held up his free arm as a massive circle of runes phased into existence before it. The blade collided with the symbols and disintegrate. "Cheap…" he said savagely, flipping Jin off the blade and slamming him into the ground. "Parlor tricks…" He lifted Jin up with his blade again, "Are useless!" He jumped towards Jin. "TSUBAKI!" Jin felt a blade collide heavily with his stomach and slammed back down to the earth. Hakumen landed gracefully beside him and pointed his sword at him. "When we inevitably meet again, I hope for your sake you have improved your swordplay."

Jin held his arm up defiantly. "F-fuck…you…I can still….f-fight…" he grunted out. His entire body was in excruciating pain. Hakumen stomped once on his stomach. With a gasp of surprise, Jin coughed and passed out.

You cannot beat yourself with your own techniques Jin.

Makoto angrily shelved yet another book and ruffled her hair in agitation. "Damn it Kokonoe, if this wasn't for Ragna and Noel I woulda given up ages ago."

"What was that?" asked Carl from behind.

Makoto turned about and scratched the back of her head. "Nothing, nothing, just talking to myself…" she mumbled.

"Makoto, do you know where Ragna is? I really need something he has," he asked flatly.

"Uh…well, I mean, yeah, but what do you need him for? He's not a bad guy or anything…" she said evasively.

Carl rolled his eyes. Given every single encounter he'd had with Ragna, their outcomes and what wanted posters declared, he was the definition of a "bad guy." Carl responded, "I really need that Grimoire he has if Ada is ever to be returned to her old self."

"Right, I know, but Carl, don't you think it'd be a better idea to see what Relius has to say instead about changing her back?" asked Makoto. 'Please Carl, we can't get into an argument, or worse, a fight, here of all places,' she thought frantically.

Carl sighed. "We're already here, so I guess he comes first. But I really need to find Ragna too. It doesn't matter if I know what to do if I can actually do it," he said quietly.

Makoto exhaled in relief. "Right, let's go check the lab sheets they keep stored down here. Kokonoe mentioned something about old Murakumo notes…" She pulled Carl down the hallway to the next portion of the archives. 'Dodged a bullet there,' she thought, worried, 'What am I gonna do though? How do I tell Carl that Ragna's the good guy here and that we're all fighting to help bring down his dad and Terumi? That won't fly with him. The way he talks and acts…He won't just take any explanation. Damn.'

Hakumen watched from the shadows as a portal opened up beside Jin and out stepped Rachel.

"My, my, Mr. Hero. Once again, I find you a crumpled heap on the ground. But these wounds…well, it seems you finally caught up to the fabled Silver Knight and lost. Again. Valkenhayn!" A second portal appeared beside her as Valkenhayn stepped out.

"Yes, Madame Rachel?" he said courteously.

"Remove our Mr. Hero here to…goodness me, I suppose we can't return him to the usual clinic," she pondered. With a small smile, she added, "But, there is another place you can send him…"

Ragna sat disinterestedly next to Noel and took to poking her side occasionally in a brave attempt to relieve his boredom. "He's made of much sterner stuff than this Noel. I dunno why you're so worried," he droned, "Just trust me on this one. I've had to beat his ass way more than Hakumen ever has. And that's basically the same thing. More or less anyway."

"I'm worried, aren't you; he's your brother! And stop poking me!" she squeaked. Ragna laughed and put his arm around her waist. "I know you've had to fight Major Kisaragi, um…a lot, but still. Don't you worry?"

Ragna yawned and got up to stretch. "Fuck Noel, I've been fighting Jin for a long time. I mean, shit I'm worried about his mental health because he's batshit most of the time, but he can take a beating. I've made sure of that." He gave Noel a soft kiss on the forehead before heading towards the door of the infirmary. "I'm gonna take a piss. Shoot him if he gets rowdy before I get back." Noel made an indignant noise of protest at Ragna's retreating back.

Jin stirred in his bed and tried to sit up, only for his back to scream at him in protest, forcing him to stay where he lie. "God…damn it. What the hell is going on?" Painfully, he turned his head to look about the room. "What the…Lieutenant Vermillion? The hell are you doing here?"

Noel looked up at Jin and felt the familiar fright that gripped her whenever the two spoke. "Um, you were brought here, unconscious by Valkenhayn…" she mumbled.

"I was what?" he said angrily. He tried to sit up again, and once more, his back shouted down any attempts with blinding pain. "Why can't I get up? Am I chained to this bed or something?" he shouted.

Noel shook her head. "No, it's not that at all Major, you're just…um…"

The door opened up, revealing a very agitated Kokonoe and bothered Ragna. "You're suffering from a mild form of shock-induced paralysis. Now stop squirming before you make it worse you nitwit." She walked up to the machine by his bed and pressed a few buttons. "Your vitals are normal, but you've still got nervous shock." She scoffed, "Great, another nervous problem. You're more like your brother than I thought."

Jin forced every bit of his willpower into sitting up but was bested decisively by his back. It would not budge. "Shut up," he snapped, "And let me get out of this bed."

Kokonoe looked at him and let loose a harsh laugh. "Sure, get out of bed. Do what you like. Soon as you can, let me know so I can have you sedated for experimentation. God knows I can use some nerve samples from your spinal column to help Noel with her problems. Now shut up and go to sleep, or so help me, I will make you. You've got a nervous system to pull out of cataclysmic shock and some angels to thank for not being killed by Hakumen." Kokonoe motioned to Ragna and Noel and directed them outside. Ragna shook his head and instead urged Kokonoe and Noel out.

"I've got some catching up to do with Jin," said Ragna flatly, cracking his neck. "Shame I can't beat it into you Jin. Guess you'll have to fucking listen to me for once." Kokonoe and Noel left the two to their devices.

"What do you want brother?" mumbled Jin. Kill him. You can still fight. Kill him. Jin beat the thought away internally. "What's happened?"

Ragna smirked. "A bit. Heh. You know, it's kinda funny seeing you here not trying to kill me for once. Maybe you oughta stay crippled Jin. It'd save me a pretty big headache," jabbed Ragna. Jin scowled. "Anyway, let's see. Shit, uh, Noel and I are an item now, so look at her funny and I'll slit your throat."

Jin laughed harshly. "Really now, brother? You're with her? Brother, you have awful taste."

Ragna's face fell into a grimace. "And a working back you bitch. Watch your mouth. I could beat you to death right now if I wanted," he snarled. "Like I was saying, we're together, and Kokonoe's discovered a new form that'll help us defeat Terumi. Remember when we had to fight Noel when she was that…thing…back in Kagutsuchi?" Jin nodded. "Well, we can turn her back into it, but she's not batfuck crazy. And that helps a shitload. Only problem is, we can't use that form 'cuz it might kill us. And that's a about it for now."

Jin rolled his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "I've been hunting for Hakumen, as you noticed brother. He know something that he won't tell me. Something that is important. And I'm going to beat it out of him one way or another."

"Hell no you won't," said a gruff voice from the entryway.

"Master?" asked Ragna, wheeling about. It was Jubei.

"Heheh. That's right. How's it going Ragna? Glad ya found my stray pupil," he said good-naturedly. He turned to Jin and set his face into an annoyed frown. "Now, Jin, why the hell did you have to go and run off? You know damn well that you don't have complete control of Yukianesa yet."

"I need to find what Hakumen is keeping from me," said Jin savagely. Kill them. Destroy them all and take what you seek. Jin shook his head. "Argh! Damn it! It won't shut up!"

Jubei sighed. "I toldjer you weren't in control yet. I bet ya that it won't shut up now huh?" Responding to Jin's nod, Jubei added, "We of course it won't shut up. You went off and got yerself paralyzed, and now it wants control again. Damn it Jin, ya gotta stop being so damn thickheaded!" He smartly rapped on Jin's head and turned back to Ragna. "Thanks fer watchin' over him. I already thanked Kokonoe; she wasn't pleased. I heard Valk went and dropped him off here without much explanation." He sighed, "Now I hafta go and talk to Hakumen…What a day."

"Master, has Kokonoe told you about…?" began Ragna.

"About how much of a stud ya are? Yeah she mentioned it in passing. Poor Noel looked like she mighta fainted right there," chuckled Jubei.

Ragna felt color rise in his cheeks and said evasively, "Right, yeah…" He shuffled his feet nervously, "We're together, but I mean about that new form."

Jubei nodded, his face becoming more serious. "Yeah, I did. Doesn't sound good. Mighty powerful form ya got there Ragna, but it's too dangerous to use against Terumi." Ragna's face fell. "I know you wanna beat him, but it'll hafta be another method unless Kokonoe finds somethin'."

Ragna nodded. "Yeah, I figured Master. You don't have any ideas do you?"

"Tell you the truth Ragna; I ain't got anything," said Jubei sadly, "Except for this. If you can get into this form in the first place, there has to be somethin' you already know that might help ya. Now, I ain't you, so I couldn't tell you. I may've trained you, but I don't know what you've learned along the way. I mean, from what Kokonoe tells me, this has never happened before. I doubt you'll find anything in a coupla books that could tell you how to fix it. Stick with what ya know." Jubei looked back to Jin and said, "Anyway, I need to get goin'. Gotta talk to Hakumen now. Jin, stay in Sector Seven until I get back. And this time listen. If ya run off again I'm gonna beat some obedience into ya." He nodded to Ragna and left.

"I need to go talk to Kokonoe, Jin. Go to sleep or something will you?" said Ragna, "And if you can get up by some miracle in the next few hours, do us all a favor, and stay in bed."

"Tch. Have it your way, brother," said Jin coldly at Ragna's retreating back.

Makoto threw the last of the lab notes on the ground. "Forget it. Carl, let's go find Relius. This is pointless. There's nothing her but stupid data on the Murakumo tests in here. It's all just useless numbers. Kokonoe could pull this up on Noel in half a minute," she said exasperatedly. "At least we'll be doing something different."

Carl looked up from the sheets he was perusing and nodded. When her back was turned, he folded the papers and tucked them away. 'These notes on Mother's transformation might come in handy…'

As the two ascended the stairs, Makoto looked furtively about for any guards. 'This place is really understaffed…I wonder where all the guards are?" At the top of the landing, the two found a succession of doors leading to the offices of the top-ranking officers for the Wadatsumi NOL branch. Every door was locked save for the door at the end of the hallway.

Makoto looked at the twisted knob uneasily. "Carl, this is the only unlocked door. Do you smell a trap?"

Carl nodded. "Yeah, this seems like something right out of a book, right sis?"

Makoto stared at the door. "Well, if it is, we better be ready, because this is the only chance we get," she said finally. She let go of the knob and kicked the door in. "Hey! Relius! You in here?"

The two looked inside. The room was desolate, save for a single figure, cloaked in black.

"That uniform," said Makoto to herself. "Zero Squadron."

The figure looked up at the two; where friendly blue eyes once looked instead glared evil red irises. She drew a sword and readied a book turned shield.

"Tsubaki!" shouted the beastkin and boy in unison.

Ragna stared contemplatively at the ceiling of his room. "Something I already know, eh Master?" he said to himself. "What the hell can I do? Blood Kain? That uses souls if anything…what the hell do…" He looked down at his Grimoire as a familiar voice echoed in his head.

Nu will always be with you Ragna.

Ragna's eyes widened. "THE IDEA ENGINE!" he shouted. He bolted off his bed and set off down the hallway, full-pelt towards Kokonoe's lab.

Kokonoe threw a clipboard aside and groaned. "Noel, just go back to your room. These tests are providing fuck-all." She rubbed her temples and muttered, "A clue. I just want a damn clue." The door to the lab slammed open. "What the hell? BE CAREFUL. I'M DOING SHIT!"

"Kokonoe!" yelled Ragna, rushing in, "I know something we didn't try!" Kokonoe looked at Ragna and raised an eyebrow.

"The hell? I'm amazed, you came up with something," she needled; after countless failures, her skepticism was running rampant.

"Hell yeah I did. Actually, Master helped me out on it," he explained, ignoring the insult, "Look, if we can activate this form, which means that something inside of us is responsible."

Kokonoe nodded. "Yeah, what's your point?"

"My point is that your damn notes don't have anything on us. This shit's never been done before. But you do have notes on something that's inside me. Thanks to Lambda."

Kokonoe stared at Ragna incredulously. Then, comprehension dawned upon her face. "The Idea Engine…" she whispered. She turned to look at Noel and said evenly, "Get ready. Ragna. Activate it."

"Restriction 666 released. Dimensional interference field deployed! Engaging the Idea Engine! BlazBlue, activate!" shouted Ragna. The belt loops around his arm loosened once more and began to glow, and so did Noel.

Blinding light filled the lab again and when it dissipated, Noel in her modified Murakumo form revealed herself, the gun-blades that hovered behind her now shimmering with a dull red-black light.

"Hold that form!" said Kokonoe excitedly. She sprinted to her computer and pulled up a diagnostic. "Wait for it!" Screens of data popped up before her and with a wild grin, she looked over to the two. "Stay like that as long as you want. It'll take three-thousand, four-hundred and eighty-seven years to kill you."

Author's Notes: Yeah, three and a half thousand years. Excessive, but I wanted to get the point across. Hope you enjoyed it and a wondrous end of the holiday season to all of you.

By the way, if you're interested in reading or joining a BlazBlue RP, head over to my profile for a link.

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I'm done whoring myself out Velvien, where's my check? Heh.