"C'mon!" Ragna cursed as Celica refused to answer her phone. He assumed everyone had retired for the night when he neared her home and saw no lights on. Nearly ripping the gate off the metal fence, Ragna thrashed on the door. He didn't care if he pissed off the neighbors. Locks came undone and his breath caught as he prayed Celica was about to open the door, but Jubei greeted him instead. His anger swapped to concern upon finding a winded Ragna on the front step. "Ragna? What're you doin' here at this hour?"
"Where's Celica?!" Ragna shouted, raspy.
The desperation in his voice made Jubei recoil. "Celica? She's in her room."
Ragna bulldozed past him and bolted upstairs, stumbling as he made a sharp turn down the hall to her room. "Celica? Celica, hey!" Receiving no answer, a cold sweat rolled down his spine as he pushed the door open, revealing nobody inside. He felt faint and used the handle for support.
"Ugh!" Kokonoe's groan went unheard by Ragna. Her bloodshot eyes narrowed to slits as she stomped over to him. "Why are you making so much noise, and what are you even doing here?" Her voice hadn't reached him, lost in horrific musings. "Hey, jackass!" she yelled, shocking him out his trance. "What the hell are you doing in my fucking house?"
"Lookin' for Celica, apparently," Jubei answered, walking over to them.
Kokonoe refrained from smacking Ragna and put a hand on her hips. "Running here because you got dumped isn't cool, it's creepy." A burning, seething rage festered within him, his knuckles turning white. If only she understood the severity of the situation. But it wasn't her fault; how could Kokonoe know what was really going on? Oblivious to his inner turmoil, she peeked into Celica's room. "Where'd that idiot go?"
"She ain't there?" Jubei also gave the room a perfunctory check.
"She…" Ragna trailed off as he attempted to find the right words.
"Alright, son. What happened?" Jubei addressed him in a blunt, fatherly manner. Barging into his home was mysterious enough, but seeing Ragna so rattled made the beastman uneasy. All the color had drained from his face and he seemed one step away from collapsing.
"I don't know where to start." Ragna bit his bottom lip as Kokonoe and Jubei waited for an explanation. Inhaling deeply, he mustered his courage, damning his future in some mental institution. He opened his mouth, but the click of a door cut him off before he could utter a word.
"Why is there so much noise?" Ragna's heart skipped a beat as Celica stepped out of the bathroom, just as surprised to see him as he was her. She rubbed her eyes to see if she was dreaming, but he was still there, gaping and everything. "Why'd you come by so late? Did you forget something?"
"You're here…" Ragna exhaled in relief and confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Celica tilted her head. "I live here, silly. More importantly, is everything alright? You look pale."
"Haha!" Jubei let out a mirthful laugh. "So worried that her phone was dead ya came runnin' here in yer briefs and tee."
"Shuddup…" Ragna wanted to bury his head into the deepest hole. He hadn't lied about the reason for his unexpected visit being Celica not picking up her phone, but he omitted the supernatural aspect. He felt like such an idiot sitting at their kitchen table in his underwear, and no amount of apologies could make up for his dramatics. Ragna looked at Celica nestled against his arm. "Did you find your charger?"
"Yep!"
"Good." Embarrassment aside, he was glad to find her unharmed.
"Good, huh? Barging into my home because you have separation anxiety is good for you?" Nursing a massive headache thanks to his commotion, Kokonoe's eyes flashed with murderous intent. She glared daggers at him, the opposite of Celica, who was pleased as punch.
"Now that you're here, how about ya spend the night?" Jubei interjected before his daughter could leap over the table to sock Ragna in the jaw. "Already in your pajamas, and headin' back at this time is a little dangerous."
Celica's hand shot up like a rocket before Jubei finished talking. "He can stay in my room!"
Ragna dismissed the idea quickly enough. "I think I'll just sleep on the couch."
"Kid's had enough strain on his heart for one night– no need to kill 'im. You've got yer own room, anyway," the beastman said.
Ragna thanked Jubei for his hospitality and headed up to the guest room, which might as well have been his since he was the only one who ever used it. Celica kept insisting he bunk with her; he doubted sleep would grace him tonight but her suggestion wouldn't do his mental health any favors. Closing the guest room door and plopping down on the bed with a great sigh, Ragna studied his reflection in the window. Saying he was a wreck was an understatement. "Celica's right. I really do look like shit."
"You do," a snippy voice spoke from beyond the threshold. Kokonoe walked in, permeating the space with her irritation. He braced himself for a thrashing, but her hostility diminished as she sat beside him. "That bad?" Her tone could almost be considered consoling.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Kokonoe raised a curious eyebrow, but she wasn't one to pry. He liked that about her. Ragna felt like shit for bothering them so late, but there was no way he could reveal the truth. He was still coming to terms with his otherworldly experience, so an explanation from him wouldn't make sense. Since Kokonoe was here, Jubei probably also questioned Ragna's reason for worrying about Celica. "Sorry for, y'know, waking you up," Ragna muttered.
Kokonoe sighed after a minute. "No point bitching about it now. How about you repay me with a rematch, because I'm not getting any fucking sleep thanks to you," she sneered.
No point bitching, huh? Ragna shrugged with a confident smirk. "If you want your ass kicked that badly."
The sun rose quickly enough. Surprising nobody, Ragna had the worst night of life. Aside from getting his ass kicked by Kokonoe, something he could live with since her skills had sharpened significantly since last they played, (fifty hours of extra playtime will do that), visions from that nightmare world plagued him relentlessly. Adding onto all that, Celica gave him attitude in the morning. "I don't know what you want me to say." Ragna ran a hand through his messy hair.
"There's nothing to say!" Celica huffed.
"Kokonoe invited me to play some games and time flew by." He neglected to mention his night terrors. Playing video games relaxed him since he was focused on one-sided beatdowns and Kokonoe's trash talk.
"So you can spend the night in her room, but not mine?"
"Can I plead the fifth?" Ragna's attempt at lightening the mood only made her cheeks redder with anger. He looked down at their clasped hands swinging as they walked, feeling the stares of other students as they approached the academy. "So I can't let go?"
"No! You're going to walk me all the way to class like this. And back home, too!" Celica declared.
"Lunch time, too?" He heaved a sigh.
Her eyes lit up and she grinned. The idea hadn't crossed her mind until he mentioned it. "You are now!"
"...Should've kept my damn mouth shut." Thinking back, Kokonoe had the biggest shit-eating grin on her face watching Celica drag him out of the house. In the back of his mind, something told him she planned this, and if that was true… That bitch is dead. Ragna swore vengeance on the way to class, dropping Celica off before entering his designated room. Students filed in one by one as he took his seat and noticed Noel was absent. His chest tightened. Perhaps she'd been warped to that mysterious world again. On the other hand, much like him, she was probably afraid and didn't want to leave her house.
Ragna remained vigilant of his surroundings on the way to school, keeping an eye out for any suspicious figures. He wanted to barricade himself in his room and feign sickness to be left alone. His skin crawled. His shuffling caught the attention of a couple of classmates who scooted away as if he had a disease. As much as Ragna wanted to, he couldn't shut himself away; he had people to protect. To ensure they were safe, he couldn't cower beneath his covers.
"Ouch!" A sob came from Nurse Litchi's office. The woman put far more hydrogen peroxide on her patient's cuts than necessary.
"If this hurts, be more careful, Makoto," she chided. "Three fights and it hasn't been a week." She sighed, but more out of resigned acceptance than a reprimand.
"I didn't start anything," Makoto grumbled. She looked into the violet eyes of the school nurse. That gaze made her feel worse; no punch or kick or insult hurt more than seeing the one person in the entire school who gave a damn about her sad. Her tail and ears drooped. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Litchi."
Litchi finished bandaging her cheek. "Who was it, Makoto?"
"Some girls in my class," she answered, rolling her eyes. Makoto didn't bother anyone from her seat in the far corner, but some uppity kids couldn't stand being in the same room as her. "I didn't throw the first punch, they did. It was self-defense!"
Loving arms embraced her as Litchi patted her head. "I know you're a good girl. No silly rumors will ever make me think otherwise. Okay?" Makoto nodded in her bosom with a muffled "mhm" and sat up. Changing the subject, the nurse beamed, "When is your first game?"
Makoto blinked in surprise. "How did you know?!"
"I didn't find out in the… nicest way. One of the girls I took care of earlier complained about how you got to be a starter this year instead of her." Litchi understood that divulging conversations she had with other students ruined any sense of confidentiality. Quite frankly, in this scenario, she didn't care for ethics. Listening to the false accusations and degradation toward Makoto made Litchi's skin crawl.
"They were on my team?" Makoto hadn't noticed. Most of the girls wore the same overly expensive makeup, clothes, and even shared speech patterns as if they were clones. Knowing some tried ganging up on her, and failed miserably, because she was a better player lifted her spirits.
"They were, but they're irrelevant. Tell me, is it true?" Litchi leaned forward with an excited glint in her eyes.
"I… yeah." Her cheeks flushed. "I finally made it. I'm actually the starting point guard." Even after she said it, experienced it, the coach's decision echoing in her head, there was a certain level of unbelievability that took Makoto's breath away. She couldn't help but squeal and be giddy knowing her hard work paid off. "I'm not sure when our first game will be. One thing's for sure, I'm gonna kick so much ass!"
Litchi smiled as her spirit returned. "Yes you will. I can't wait to see."
Makoto's eyes glittered. "You'll come watch?!"
"Of course. Seeing you practice so hard, how can I not watch you in action?"
Makoto flung her arms around the school nurse in the tightest hug she could muster. In all her excitement she forgot her arms were covered in bruises and seared with peroxide. Litchi laughed awkwardly as she sat her back down with painful hisses. Relaxing, Makoto asked, "You'll really, really, seriously come, right?"
"Really, really, seriously," Litchi parroted with a laugh. "I'll use my teacher privileges to reserve floor tickets. You just do the best you can." She spoke in such a mischievous tone that Makoto couldn't stop herself from chuckling maniacally with her.
Rising to her feet, Makoto puffed her chest out with pride and determination. "I will! You just watch. I'll roast the competition!"
"I know you will. Go enjoy the rest of your lunch. I'd invite you to stay here, but I'm a bit busy."
"That's okay!" But Makoto knew the lunch she'd left in her classroom had been tossed out by some prick. She stifled her disappointment and bid the nurse farewell. Makoto didn't want Mrs. Litchi to worry about her anymore; there was enough on her plate already. Her cheerful demeanor vanished the moment she rounded the corner for the staircase and spotted three equally irritated girls who collectively sneered once they made eye contact.
"It's the rat," the redhead in the front spat.
Makoto tapped her right eye. "Needs a bit more makeup. Can still see the bruise." The redhead's face flared up, but she quelled her fury quick enough. "How does it feel to be outdone by a rat?"
"Oh please!" another girl scoffed. "The only reason why you were picked is because the coach likes watching your jugs bounce as you run up and down the court."
"So you're ugly and talentless? Wow. Guess all the money and influence in the world can't make up for genetics, huh?" Makoto snorted.
"You're the last person to talk about genetics, you freak." Makoto just smirked. It was adorable watching the redhead's little bodyguards rush to defend her. "Don't get up on your high horse because you got chosen as a starter. Wouldn't surprise me if you coerced him." She brushed her bangs away with a haughty smirk.
"My horse isn't any higher than yours. The only difference is I can kick you right off yours and you can't strike back." Makoto didn't have to justify anything to Bimbo One, Two, and Three. The coach didn't favor her; the team lacked a talented point guard after his best graduated and the others couldn't pick up the slack. Makoto realized she was grinning. Seeing their sour faces improved her mood and then some.
"You really want your ass kicked that badly, huh?" Pure venom dripped off every word from the redhead.
Makoto cracked her knuckles, unflinching, ready to throw down. "You sure? You don't have the opportunity for cheap shots like earlier." Her gaze narrowed to dangerous slits. "The moment you step to me, I knock you out. This time, I'll do the left eye. Even you out."
A deafening silence hung in the hallway. "Tch." The redhead shoved past Makoto as she and her lackeys went downstairs. She waited until the shit-talking and footsteps faded before leaving, finding a small crowd had gathered around and deducing that was why the trio backed off. Getting their asses handed to them twice in a few hours might've been too much for their egos to take. And Makoto had enough publicity for one day.
A small bun fueled her through the rest of the school day. Practice was more lax than usual because of how little time they had to get through drills. Finding it more pleasurable to show her enemies precisely why the coach chose her to be the starting point guard and not them, Makoto thanked the girls and nurse for granting her a motivational boost. Spite was indeed a powerful motivator. The whistle blew at the end of practice. Makoto changed back into her uniform and headed out of the gymnasium, looking forward to throwing herself into bed and relaxing her fatigued limbs. But before that, she needed something in her stomach. She dialed home and got an answer after a ring. "Hi mom!"
"Oh! You sound upbeat today."
"I'll tell ya all about it when I'm home. Can I pitch a dinner request?" Makoto wanted a meal high in carbs. Giving her mother a kiss over the phone, Makoto stopped to buy a yogurt parfait to sate her growling stomach and enjoyed it during the train ride home. She found herself skipping down her block and all the way to the front door.
Hearing the lock click, her mother poked her head into the hallway. "Welcome home, Makoto." Her ears perked and tail swayed, happy to see her treasured daughter back home safe and sound.
"Hey, mom." Makoto pecked her mother on the cheek. Out of the darkness of the entryway, her mother, Emi Nanaya, noticed the bandage on her face and Makoto could see her mother's usually bright brown eyes darken.
"What happened?"
"I won." Makoto kept it simple; those girls didn't deserve details. "I'm the starting point guard on my school team! How's that?"
Her eyes widened, brimming with happiness. "That's amazing! That's my girl!" She planted kisses on her daughter's cheeks, careful to miss the bandage. Then she raised an eyebrow. "But you kicked their asses, right?"
"I also took the position from them." Makoto giggled as her mother ruffled her hair.
"That's my girl! We Nanayas take shit from no one. Dinner's almost ready. Take a shower and come eat."
"Can I eat first?" Makoto pleaded, starving.
"Sweetheart, I love you, but you stink," she stated, leaving her offended daughter in the hallway.
"I can't smell as bad as when you used to change my diaper!" Her mother gave her a look that said "do you want me to answer that?" so Makoto headed upstairs into her bathroom for a shower. "...I don't smell that bad, do I?" she asked in a dejected tone again and again as she scrubbed herself hard. By the time she got out of the shower the whole bathroom was shrouded in steam. Throwing on a shirt and shorts, she returned to the kitchen for her well-deserved dinner.
"Now you smell wonderful, dear."
...Though she could do without the commentary. "Gee, thanks mom!"
"By the way, how is Mrs. Litchi?" her mother inquired, getting started with the dishes. Judging by the soft smile on her daughter's face, there was nothing wrong on that front.
"She was excited to hear I got a starting position. Mrs. Litchi even said she would get tickets for my first game! Then again, I could probably get them for her…" Makoto mused, tapping her chin with the back of her fork.
"None for me?" Her mother chuckled.
"Don't even kid like that. I'd never forget you," Makoto pouted.
"Makoto." Her change of tone caused Makoto to sit up straight. "Are you okay at school?"
"Yeah. A few fights is nothing for me." Although most people left here alone, there were always kids that felt the need to start shit with her, and they never expected her to finish it. "This is something I wanted. I got it. Some stupid classmates won't stop me." She was determined and worked too long and hard to crumble because of some jealous bitches.
Emi walked over to Makoto and lightly stroked her hair. "Good girl. Remember, if you need anything, I'll be here."
"Can you wash my plate then?" Makoto presented her empty plate to her mother with hopeful eyes, only to be made dejected as she exited the kitchen without a word. "Mom? Hey, mom! ...Aww man."
"You're home," Ragna said in a strained tone and stood up from the couch. An awkward silence filled the living room
"Yes…" Jin answered, setting his bag down in a cautious manner as if anticipating an ambush.
"So… clubroom shit got you preoccupied huh?" Ragna asked.
"No." Another one-word answer. Jin hadn't been busy with much council work, but Tsubaki had some grievances to share, so he stayed to lend an ear. Being addressed by Ragna caught him completely off guard.
"Gotcha." Ragna scratched his head.
"Is that all?"
"Y-yeah. Good to have you home…" Ragna trailed off as Jin walked away in the middle of the sentiment. Left alone in the living room, he dropped back onto the couch with a heavy sigh. "To think that was the first conversation we've had all month." In a depressing way, it reformed a kind of normalcy that was shattered yesterday. How fucked up is that? Ragna laughed at himself, shaking his head in self-pity as he went upstairs to change for bed.
Before nodding off, he gave Celica a check-up call. Although a bit miffed he avoided walking her home, she didn't make too big a deal out of it and chatted with him before he was finally ready for bed. Their conversation had no designated topic, and it was what he needed to get his mind off things. He felt so pathetic, needing someone to soothe him before bed like a little kid. There was no telling if he would be transported to that world again, if anyone he knew would get lost in that mysterious place, and it scared him shitless knowing the voice on the other line might vanish and he wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.
Another chapter finished, some characters introduced, and Ragna slowly trying to retain his former sense of normalcy while simultaneously losing his marbles. Next month might get a little busy for me, so I can't be sure if I can keep up my monthly release. Nevertheless, I'll do my best as this story gets into the swing of things and I'd hate to lose the momentum.
Other announcements: Tales of Azure has gone into the writing stages, and Melancholy is set to be drafted sometime next week for completion. Imperial Code will take a little longer though, and I have no interest in handling multiple massive projects.
Guest: Oops is right! Don't jinx wholesome cinnamon roll!
Guest 2: Yes they are.
Guest 3: You will see soon enough.
Guest 4: I'd wonder how he'd do it, since he's got no idea how to dive in.
Extending my thanks to Wild Blue Sonder for her incredibly beta-reading! She's awesome. Later, and happy holidays!