A/n: Hi guys Sorry! Updates have been slow, haven't they? I'm really sorry; a bunch of personal problems have stopped me from writing until now, So, I'm really sorry about that. Anyway, here's Chapter 9!

Torakaka: Yes! Finally! Raggy does not, in any way, shape or form own the characters of BlazBlue, except for Mizu Kurenai and Kage Holbrook, meow.

Raggy: Yes! Finally, more background info about Mizu and Kage! Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 9: Family

"Ugh…M-Mi…zu…" Kage whispered, and I stepped forwards, my offensive stance dropped immediately. I walked over to the now trembling Kage, his eyes flashing an unhealthy blood red.

"Kage…no, Brother…what's wrong?" I asked, and recoiled as Kage yelled out, his strained voice sending my memories haywire.

"Oh…Kage, what have you done now?"

"…I…I'm sorry, Sister. I only wanted to-"

"It's ruined, Kage! How are we supposed to give Mother this if you've ruined it! You're such a pest, Kage!"

"…Sister…"

I remembered. Yes…that one time. We were…we were making Mother a gift for her birthday…and Kage had ruined it. I had shouted at him, and watched with growing guilt as his face melted into one of sadness, and left the room, muttering 'Sister' at me. I had remembered running after him, to see him sitting on his own in our room, his head in his hands, as he cried silently to himself. I entered the room, guilt bubbling about in my stomach.

"…Kage? Are you okay?"

"…"

"Kage, please don't blank me. I'm sor-"

"You're sorry? Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before…"

"…Kage…"

I hadn't understood that time. I had been young and foolish. I hadn't sensed the darkness that was slowly consuming my twin brother. That disgusting, ravenous darkness…

"Brother… I want to…apologize…for that time…I was out of line. It wasn't right of me to yell at you like that," I whispered, and looked at Kage, who was trembling badly.

"S'ok…I know…you didn't…mean to…don't…blame your…self…" Kage gasped, dropping to his knees. I ran to him, completely forgetting the scene before me. Forgetting the younger me. The stupid, foolish me.

"Oh…Brother. If I had seen it…I would…I could have helped you!" I muttered, feeling anger burn up inside me.

"Stop it…you couldn't have prevented it…It was going to happen, either way," he whispered, his eyes staring into mine.

"What do you mean?" I whispered, a single tear running down my face. Kage brushed it away, however, and took a deep breath, gathering his strength, before continuing.

"Mother and Father…they were always looking after you. Their attention was always focused on you. I never got the love and compassion I should have. I understand now…that I was selfish for hating you for that…" he started, and I gave him a look of confusion.

"Kage…what do you mean? Mother and Father were always concentrating on both of us!" I asked, and he shook his head slowly.

"Maybe from your point of view, yes. But, Mizu…no, Cara… Sister, in my point of view, and anybody else's, they would have seen an entirely different thing," he explained, stopping to cough up blood. I patted his back soothingly, staring at him in shock and guilt, waiting for him to continue.

"You probably don't remember…when we were very young…Mother had to have a Caesarean to get us both into this world. You were very weak when you were born, Cara. The doctors didn't think you would make it," Kage whispered, and I gasped. A Caesarean birth? Why didn't my parents tell me about that?

"But, much to everyone's surprise, you made it. Not sure what it was that kept you alive. The doctors said it was a miracle," he sighed, and I nodded slightly, not really surprised by the news. I mean, it was pretty obvious that I had survived.

"The first few years of our lives...no, your life, were hard. You kept having to be taken into hospital, because you stopped breathing a few times. You were hospitalized at 6 months old," Kage sighed, looking away from me, his face a deadly shade of white. I hugged my brother closer, urging him to continue.

"The doctors finally came to the conclusion that you had an extremely critical respiratory problem, and that they needed to operate, to save you. At first, Mother and Father weren't too sure about the idea, but as soon as they saw you; the weak, crippled young child in an incubator, a machine breathing for you, they knew that they wanted to save you." Kage whispered, and I heard a slight amount of hate and jealousy leak into his tone.

"The doctors operated immediately, and, not surprisingly, you were out of the hospital a few weeks later; a new, more healthier you. That's right around the time that…Mother and Father cast me aside." Kage ended with a gasp. I helped my brother to his feet, and he coughed up yet more blood. I cringed at the sight of the liquid; the smell of it made me feel so light-headed.

"Kage…I had no idea that-"

"Of course you didn't! You were a child! We both were…" he whispered, looking down.

"I…I was filled with so much hatred for you…for our parents, that I couldn't help myself. When I was old enough to understand…I killed them. Mother and Father. I murdered them," he hissed, his voice portraying hatred.

"You…killed them?" I whispered in disbelief, stepping back a little from my brother, and clutching at my daggers.

"You…killed Mom and Dad? Why?" I yelled, tears beginning to run down my face as anger gripped my being.

"Cara…I'm sorry…I only wanted-"

"What? What could you have possibly wanted, Kage?"

"…I only wanted your love, Sister," he muttered, staring into my eyes as the anger drained from my face immediately. I walked over to my brother, and pulled him into a comforting hug, wanting my other half to be as close as possible.

"Kage…I…I feel so…so empty inside…" I whispered, clutching at the clothes of my brother's arm.

"Me too, Cara…Me too…" he whispered back, and I silently sobbed into Kage's shoulder. He patted my back reassuringly, before gasping, and pushing me away, so that he could clutch at his chest.

"What's wrong?" I yelled, attempting to make my way towards my brother. He yelled wordlessly at me, causing me to freeze in slight confusion and fear.

"No, Cara! I…My time is up. I…have to go now…" he hissed, and, with great effort, he got to his feet, and began to limp away.

"Brother! Don't…please don't leave me again…" I whispered, tears spilling down my cheeks yet again.

Kage turned to me, his eyes turning a hazy violet, like a shadow. He cringed a bit; but through all of the pain, I could see the younger Kage, smiling at me.

"I'd…like to think that we will meet again…Sister…" he ended, and with a sudden wind, he was gone, and I was all alone once again.

I sobbed, and fell to my knees, completely drained of energy. Why? Why did fate have to be so cruel…?

As I fell into the calming black of unconsciousness, I couldn't help but utter one sentence.

…What is my purpose?

Ragna grumbled incoherently to himself as he picked up the unconscious girl in his arms, and with great effort, sat down with her, on a log nearby. He sighed, before gripping the hilt of his sword in frustration.

"Dammit…Damn you bunny leech! Why must you interfere with everything?"

No answer. Ragna shook his head in slight disappointment. He didn't know why; after all, he hadn't expected her to answer anyway. He just felt… a bit betrayed, if he was honest. The way Rachel talked to Mizu…it was as if she knew something. Something about Mizu that he didn't. It drove him crazy.

"Shit…Ah, goddammit, Mizu! Wake up already!" he muttered, looking down at the sleeping girl in his arms. He felt his stomach being to knot up with emotion as he stared down at her, and he looked away, disgusted.

"Why? Why must you look like her? Those eyes, those features! Even your smell! It's the exact same as Cara's!" he growled, tightening his grip on the girl a little. Mizu fidgeted a bit, and uttered a word that made Ragna's hair stand on end.

"…Brother…"

Thoughts suddenly filled his mind of his brother with glazed over eyes, mad with power, as he swung his Nox Nyctores again and again at him. He shuddered at the thought, and the longing in his gut got worse.

"…Cara…"

With surprising tenderness, Ragna moved a single strand of hair out of Mizu's face, and move closer to her, breathing in her scent deeply, before exhaling in one sharp gust.

"…I…"

Mizu squirmed slightly, and a slight amount of pain made itself known on her face. Ragna was reminded of Cara once again, of her pained face when she had first met him. The new him. The Ragna he was today.

"Cara…I'm sorry…"

A small tear fell from Ragna's closed eyes, and onto Mizu's cheek, where it stayed, as Ragna silently cried to himself.

Dammit! Damn it all to Hell! You're weak! You could have saved her! You could have stopped her from being killed! You're just afraid! Weak and scared. Go and run off like a dog with its tail between its legs, you fool!

Ragna was snapped from his thoughts as Mizu moaned a little, the pain becoming even more evident on her face as she struggled with her invisible attacker.

Ragna sighed, and placed his left hand on her cheek, wiping away the tear that had fallen earlier, and comforting her. As soon as Ragna had made contact with Mizu, she calmed down; her struggled becoming weaker as she sunk back into deep unconsciousness.

"…Mizu…please…will you…ever forgive me?" he whispered, before placing his lips lightly against her forehead, feeling her warm skin against him. He shuddered, like he had been bitten by something, and recoiled, before mentally slapping himself.

Shit! I'm so stupid! Goddamn it, Ragna!

Ragna began to feel the pain returning into his right arm, and he groaned slightly, before placing Mizu gently on the ground, before collapsing beside her, gasping as the tremors ripped through his body.

"Ugh…No…Mizu…" he hissed, reaching for the girl with his left hand, before falling into unconsciousness…

~Omake~

Mizu: *humming*

Ragna: Hey…Mizu?

Mizu: Yeah?

Ragna: …All I keep hearing is that god-forsaken tune you keep humming again and again! Do you think you can maybe stop, or at least change the tune a bit?

Mizu: Oh? But…it's the Opening theme for 'Umineko No Naku Koro Ni'!

Ragna: Uhh…what?

Mizu: 'Umineko No Naku Koro Ni'! It's an anime and a game! And a really good, gruesome anime as well! Even the Japanese have censored stuff!

Ragna: It's really that bad?

Mizu: Well, a witch murders six people, drags them into a shed, and rips their faces off. That sound nice and happy to you?

Ragna: …Not particularly, no.

Mizu: Good…well, I have nothing more to say, except please rate and review! Constructive criticism is appreciated!

Ragna: Oh, and also, watch 'Umineko No Naku Koro Ni'! It is really worth your time if you are a Professor Layton/ Phoenix Wright fan! If you're not, then just watch it for the blood. Cos, believe me, there is a lot of it!

See you guys soon! Chapter 10!