Authors Note: I don't own BlazBlue.
Warning: This chapter contains dangerous amounts of fluff. If you are of the faint of heart, leave now. Otherwise I leave you to your fate of drowning in fluff for eternity… Enjoy and leave a review.
Fate VI: Bonding II
The girls woke up at 8 o'clock the next morning to find a note on the kitchen table much like the one that was there the morning before saying that Ragna would be back close to nine. The girls sat at the table, Makoto carrying a large grin on her face.
"I suppose it's obvious," Bullet commented, "but I take it the date with Ragna went well."
"You could say that," Makoto told her, not dropping her smile for second.
The two other females were worried for a second. Had Ragna gone and made Makoto his girlfriend? Was this just her way of rubbing it in to the two of them? Being Makoto's long-time friend Noel felt somewhat betrayed.
'She could at least tell us the truth!' Noel thought with her cheeks puffed in anger and her eyes in glare. "So you and Ragna are official? We can't continue our agreement? Is that it!?"
"What? No! It's not like that at all!" Makoto cried. "Yes my date went well with Ragna, but we're not actually a couple or anything! I remember the agreement, promise!"
Noel held her glare at the Beastkin for a moment before realizing she was being too harsh and dropped the glare and nodded. "Sorry about that Makoto. I didn't mean to snap like that."
"Well someone's defensive of Ragna," Bullet noted.
"Noeller's has always been like that, even back when we first met him. She's in love with the guy, but she acts like she's his little sister or something and Ragna even treats her like it."
"Huh," Bullet said. She was a little concerned when she noticed that Noel wasn't denying it. "Anyways, I'm up today right?"
"Yeah, any ideas what you're going to be doing?" Noel asked.
Bullet shook her head. "I looked over town all day so that I could something that both of us could enjoy, but I wasn't able to find anything. Do you girls have any ideas?"
"Well there's the area called Ronin-Gai which is supposed to be beautiful to go to," Noel advised. "I've never actual been there myself, but I heard great things about it from a few of my co-workers."
"I guess that's somewhere to start," Bullet said. "I'm going to take the first shower today, there'd better not be any syrup in there."
"There isn't," Makoto assured her. "Besides I only ever prank Ragna."
"Okay, you're in love with Ragna and you're trying to prank him and only him. Why?"
"Simple," Makoto said with a grin. "He has the best reactions."
"Fair enough," Bullet admitted. "Especially when he dumped syrup on you."
"HEY!"
*Meanwhile- Upper Levels of Kagutsuchi*
Ragna was running through the Noble's level of Kagutsuchi, both enjoying a jog and attempting to get the layout of the town. He was wearing a set of jogging clothes he'd gotten a long time ago and kept with him by use of Ars Magus storage (an Ars which allows you to store non-animate objects in a separate reality and call upon that object when it's needed). The outfit was simple enough, black sweatpants with a red hoodie and black sneakers. Ragna kept the hood on in order to keep people from seeing his hair and realizing his identity.
While the noble's district was a sight to behold for most with the enormous polished buildings and the artistic marble statues Ragna wasn't exactly impressed. He'd traveled most of the known world and had seen all kinds of things. Noble districts were hard for him to take seriously, they all focused too much on looking shiny and perfect, but it wasn't how real people actually lived. Real people were complicated with their own problems and ways of life. This way of life felt wrong, contained.
But enough about the architecture of the nobility. As Ragna ran through the area he came across a few people who decided to ignore him, they were mainly guards patrolling the area or other nobles taking care of their daily tasks. As he passed by one of the mansions he noticed something strange with the garden. The flower beds closest to the entrance held several white lilies all of them grown to perfection, but in the center of all of them was in single red rose. To a normal person it'd look like either an error or an interesting design, but Ragna was able to recognize the importance of the simple rose.
'Shit, not this again,' he thought to himself glumly. 'Let's get it over with.' Ragna headed into a less traveled area in between two of the estates. The area was covered in the shadows of the two mansions, leaving very little sunlight into the area. It appeared he was the only one here, but appearances were deceiving.
"I had thought that perhaps you would have been too dense to realize my message. It seems you've managed to surprise me in your abilities to realize the most obvious of hints. Perhaps you are becoming less like a germ and more like an organism with an actual intellect, however small. A pity Nago and Gii aren't here to see this once in a lifetime miracle in person."
Ragna glared the woman inside the shadows. He didn't know what Rachel's problem with him was, but she'd often insulted him whenever she found the chance. He didn't hate her, Ragna knew that much, but her constant snide remarks often tempted him to think otherwise.
"Nice to see you too," Ragna scoffed. "So what does the Princess of Roses want with a lowly Reaper?"
"Do you really keep insisting on calling me by ridiculous title you've made for me?" Rachel asked with a sigh. "I grow tired of your sarcastic attempts to impress me."
"What?" Ragna asked with a chuckle. "Would rather I call you… what was that name master had used, 'harlequin?' I could call you that or do you prefer 'rabbit?' That one's always fun."
"Your attempts at humor leave much to be desired Ragna," Rachel told him with a glare. Her narrowed red eyes would be enough to send most people cowering in fear, but Ragna hadn't been intimidated by this when he was a teenager, he wasn't intimidated now. "I had intended on coming to check on your progress, but it seems I should've waited until after you'd had you shower. I had thought it impossible for you to smell any worse, but you've actually managed to prove me wrong for once in your pathetic life. Quite the achievement."
"You seem pretty pissed today rabbit," Ragna commented. "And checking up on my progress? You've never done that before, why start now?"
"You're taking far too long to scout this cauldron. I'd thought you'd have wanted your revenge the first chance you gotten, not hoping to waste time with obnoxious woman in attempts for your perverted ideals of romance."
"First off, I think I can get a vacation after all of the work I've been doing lately. Second, those three are the least obnoxious people that I know. Third off, who's looking for romance? And most of all, stop stalking me! You're such a pain!"
"I beg your pardon!" Rachel demanded. "If you think I'm stalking you you're sorely mistaken. I just happened to overhear something about you and a Beastkin, what was the term? 'Making out in broad daylight,' was it? I swear Ragna, your morals have dropped even lower than I'd have thought."
"Hey! Leave Makoto out of this! I don't need you insulting her because of her race you little blood sucker!"
"Rest assured Ragna, the insult was directed entirely to you."
"That doesn't make me feel much better," Ragna admitted. "Hey rabbit, what's the deal with my master? I don't see him since the day I finished my training and now he's sending Bullet to keep tabs on me. What's really going on here?"
"I'm afraid I can't say anything more. It's not my business to what goes on in the minds of the Six Heroes. And even if it was I believe that's Hakumen's business not yours."
"You staying out of someone's business? I'm calling bull, you've always butted into everything I've ever done and that includes now. Sheesh you're such a Tsundere."
"I beg your pardon? I'm a what now?"
Ragna grinned smugly. "Sorry Rachel, I believe that's my business to know. Later… Princess." With that last snide remark the Grim Reaper took his leave and continued his jog.
Rachel stayed in the shadows, her face uncaring and void of emotion before the tiniest of smiles tugged at her lips. "Really Ragna, do you have to be such a complicated brute?"
*Two Hours Later: Ronin-Gai*
"So why'd you want to go here with me?" Ragna asked as he walked down the street with Bullet. The two were surrounded by Chinese architecture and other sights that were familiar in Ikaruga. Bullet and Ragna who were both well-traveled recognized these signs and continued to walk along the streets.
"I just heard about this area and was wondering if you wanted to check it out. There's nothing wrong with that is there?"
"I guess," Ragna admitted. "But what's bringing this on?" He was referring to Bullet hanging on two one of his arms with both of hers like she was some sort of clingy girlfriend.
"Protection… for both of us."
"Huh?" Ragna looked around and saw that there were many people eyeing them, some men some women. The looks they were getting from some of them seemed to imply jealousy and longing to possess on one of the two they were observing. "Fair enough."
In truth, Bullet was more than confident she could take on anyone who came their way (having Ragna with her guaranteed their chances of success) but the real reason she was doing this was her inexperience with dating. The mercenary had never been one to partake in the arcane practices of romance and relationships. Well, that wasn't completely true, she had made a couple of friends… okay a few friends… one friend…? All right screw it, she was able to make friends with Ragna and to some degree the other girls; that was the most social activity she's ever been able to do in her life.
It wasn't all bad, if Bullet had to have only one friend in the world, she was glad it was Ragna, a man who was always there for her and rolled with the punches that their friendship brought with a smile on his face and a hilarious attitude. At the same time though that left her with (supposedly) more pressure than the other girls. If the other girls lost this contest it'd be hard for them sure (she could tell they were crazy about Ragna, who wouldn't be?) but at the same they'd still be able to find a boyfriend without going through excruciating difficulty altering their life style and personality.
She'd seen what the other girls were like. They had personality, flair, culture, and looks. While Bullet knew she wasn't low in the looks departments by any means, she also knew that she had about as much personality as a third rate soap opera actor. On an side note, she had tried watching soap operas to try being more knowledge able for female social groups, but they were having a special on international martial arts on the next channel and she'd always wanted to study Muay Thai so she switched after the second time the characters had told each other of betrayal and made out… and only five minutes in.
In the end, she knew that she was the least likely out of the three to find a significant other if the contest didn't favor her, so it was time to bring her A game and start with some risky plays. Arm holding was a start and she certainly wasn't complaining, but she'd never seen a relationship forged because a man loved the way you held his arm. The mercenary noticed a perfume shop to the couples left. For a split second Bullet was considering it before she remember a bodyguard job that she'd taken with Ragna in the past and how he almost suffocated when he'd smelled how much perfume the girl was wearing.
Huh, maybe should could try playing on some of the things she noticed from Ragna from all of the jobs the two had taken together, that could work. She was so absorbed in trying to come up with a strategy that she almost didn't notice when the ground began to shake beneath her feat.
"YOUR LIFE OF PETTY THEFTS AND CRIME ENDS NOW, EVILDOER!" a gruff voice shouted from a block away.
"I know that voice," Ragna thought aloud, before he faced Bullet. "C'mon."
When they got the scene they noticed a small crater in the ground with a scrawny man in it that Ragna had recognized as a B rank dead or alive bounty. The man was clearly beat to a bloody pulp and had nowhere to run. Standing over the man was an Ikaruga ninja in green attire with a giant nail on his back. The man had an X shaped scar on his forehead and a five o' clock shadow, and overall appearance that could only be summarized as scruffy.
"Lloyd the Runner, you have been subdued by none other than I! Bang Shishigami, the champion of Justice and Love! I have allowed you to live so that you may come to regret your wrong doings and reconsider your terrible misdeeds which have-!"
"Hey Bang!" Ragna shouted with a grin plastered to his face. The Ninja in green stopped in his speech of justice to face the newcomer. His face broke into less serious smile when he notice the Reaper.
"Ah, Ragna the BloodEdge! To think I would see my rival in justice not two months after our heroic deeds against the slave cartel!" He then looked to Bullet. "And I see that you are also taking your lady friend on a grand tour of Ronin-Gai." This made Ragna and Bullet blush, however slightly. "I cannot think of a better way to bring two people together than experience the culture and beauty of my homeland!"
Bullet instantly had her answer of what to do to get close to Ragna: Everything Here! Ragna often told Bullet that one of the best parts of being a bounty hunter was traveling. This meant seeing unique sights, meeting interesting people, and experiencing the culture. This was the perfect place to do so.
"It's nice to meet you Bang," she said to the vigilante as she shook his hand. A group of Bangs subordinates were restraining the criminal. "My name's Bullet."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Bang told her. "I see that as of the moment you are currently busy at this moment, but perhaps you two would be able to join me at my residence later? I have something that I'm sure you'll be quite happy to see, Ragna."
"I guess?" Ragna shrugged.
"Very well, I will see you two this evening then." With that, Bang left with his men.
While the Reaper happy to have the chance to see one of his friends, Bullet had to contain her excitement to keep her from squealing like a school girl. This was perfect! She now had the perfect plan for what she wanted to do with Ragna: absolutely no plan at all! Well except for visiting Bang, but that could wait. For now it was sightseeing time!
"Hey Ragna! Let's try this place over here!" Bullet shouted as she grabbed Ragna's arm and proceeded to drag him by his arm towards an old art shop.
"Whoa! Bullet, what the heck's gotten into you? Hey slow down!"
For the next two hours the couple aimlessly wandered Ronin-Gai, not having any idea where they were going or any plan make beforehand. It took Ragna a few stops to see where this was going, but eventually he decided to join in the sporadic fun the two were deciding to embrace.
Starting off the two ventured into an old antique shop that had several pieces of art on display, some of them telling many parts of Ikaruga's history. After that they decided to check out several of the shops along the way eventually finding this odd form of merchandise called Manga… Bullet was hooked instantly, though Ragna seemed adamant about her not reading Sailor Moon for some reason.
After that they decided to stop at a sushi restaurant for lunch. Things were going great there until Bullet proposed a contest of who could handle more Wasabi on a single piece… Ragna lost in the first round and Bullet could swear she saw him breathing fire as he screamed. But, though painful, Ragna laughed it off and Bullet joined in with him.
Window shopping wasn't the only thing the two did, they also managed to get a look of some of the astounding architecture of the Ikaruga federation and even witnessed an impressive street show with balancing tops and katanas.
After a good few hours of running around, the two decided to head over to Bang's place. They didn't have much trouble finding it (the ninja was very well known in town) and arrived at his estate shortly. After getting the introductions taken care of early the three began walking in garden.
"So what's this… thing you were talking about? You know, the one you said I wanted to see."
"Ah yes, well I would have thought we'd run into-" Bang wasn't able to finish that sentence.
"ONII-CHAN!" a young voice shouted out. Ragna turned in surprise for a moment getting tackled by a young boy, only about eight years old. He had spiky brown hair, tanned skin, and a giant smile on his face. Ragna recognized him instantly.
"Whoa, Ling!? What are you doing here?"
"Mr. Bang's helping to raise me, he said he was going to train me to be a ninja when I grow up," the child said with a giant smile. Bang laughed at the child's innocence and energy. "But I told him I wanted to be a Grim Reaper like my older brother." Bang's laughter was then replaced by Ragna and Bullets. "C'mon! You got to see this place, it's amazing!"
"Whoa! Hey slow down! I'm coming!" Ragna said as he was dragged away yet again. This time by a child about a third of his height.
Bullet smirked. "I guess that kid must really look up to Ragna."
"He certainly does," Bang said with a smile. Bullet noticed that this wasn't a happy or content smile, but a bittersweet one. His may have been directed towards Ragna and Ling, but Bullet could tell he was really looking at the past.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
Bang sighed. "Ling and Ragna did not meet under good circumstances. This was during Ragna's most recent job where to two of us worked together. I normally don't leave Kagutsuchi, but after hearing word that refugees from Ikaruga had been taken by a vicious slave trade, I had little choice." The elderly ninja let out a sigh. "Ling was one of the children we'd found that had been captured. When we rescued him he didn't even react. Others told us that he'd had to watch his own parents die of disease while they were in that hellhole." Bang gripped his fist in anger. "Lord knows what else that child had been forced to witness."
"How did he recover?" Bullet asked.
"Ragna is the cause of that one," he said as he saw the two in the distance as Ling pointed out all of the different fish in the pond. "The entire time we spent escorting the group to the safe zone, he took it upon himself to care for the child. Eventually Ling started to recover with time and care and soon their bond became similar to that of two brothers. Quite an extraordinary man."
"He certainly is," Bullet agreed as Ling tried to catch one of the fish with his bare hands. She could see Ragna was giving the child some encouragement and some advice when he didn't succeed. "What do you know about Ragna?"
"Though our time together has been short, I can honestly say that I can put my complete faith in that man. Though he acts cold and uncaring, it seems that he may be one of the most caring souls out there. When it was time for us to receive the reward for our actions do you know what he did?" Bullet shook her head. "He gave every penny he'd earned to refugees, telling them to use it and make a better lives for themselves. I suppose it's ironic for the Grim Reaper to be so caring."
Bullet nodded. She'd remembered some of Ragna's actions like that from the past, like the time he'd helped an entire group of kids living off of the streets by buying food for them, merely because he'd wanted to.
Ragna and Ling walked back just as the two finished their conversation. Ling looked at Bullet and asked, "Are you Ragna's friend?" Bullet nodded. "Then I guess that makes you my nee-chan!"
"What!?" Bullet shouted her face slightly crimson. She remembered from the manga she'd read earlier that it stood for older sister, but this child called her that this soon? She noticed Bang giving a smile that went from ear to ear while Ragna let out a loud barrage of laughter. 'Maybe it isn't that bad,' she thought to herself.
*Time Skip*
After the group had enjoyed dinner at Bangs, Ragna and Bullet went back to the square in Ronin-Gai. There was a huge cherry blossom tree in the center that was in full bloom. This tree had been a part of Kagutsuchi long before the city had been built and many people came from all over the world to see the this cherry tree, the largest of its kind.
"Quite the day we had," Ragna commented as the two walked under the large branches. "Looks like you made sure I got another jog in today Bullet," he said with a chuckle.
"You complaining?" she asked him with a smile.
"Nah, I had great time. Wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"Glad to see we agree," Bullet told him. It was in that instance a large gust of wind blew by sending several of the fallen petals right into her face and cause several more to slowly trickle down over the two. "Ah!" she shrieked in surprise.
"C'mon they're just petals," Ragna said as he started pick a few out of her hair. It was then that Bullet noticed how close they were as he did it, how softly the blossoms fell to the ground, and the slight gleam of Ragna's unmatching eyes. "Uh, Bullet?"
The mercenary slowly closed the distance between Ragna's lips and her own. The Grim Reaper was surprised, but wrapped his arms around Bullet's athletic frame. The two continued their passionate embrace, and in that time nothing mattered. There was no hate, no money, no crime, no war…
Just two lovers, under the cherry tree…
