Amane: Now I'll do the review in one go so we can move along. Everyone arrive in Yabiko. That pretty much cleared it all up. So now. Terumi, please.
Terumi: Good.
Ragna: Are we REALLY doing this? What the hells the big deal?
Terumi: Yes you son of a bitch! I can't believe you ju—!
Amane: Alright settle down you two. Now before we get to you two. Tsubaki.
Tsubaki: Yes?
Amane: We'll do yours next chapter ok dear?
Tsubaki: I just DON'T want to do it!
Makoto: Oh your gonna!
Noel: So… What is this about?
Kagura: We'll find out soon. So let's just watch.
Amane: Now that we have all that down, let's get to you two. Terumi, please address the issue.
Terumi: The issue? The fucking ISSUE! Is that I do my fucking best to be a good nemesis for him! And I troll him so he'll resent me. And what the fuck does he do!? He goes out and PAYS Yasha to replace me!
Saya: You did brother?
Yasha: Yep.
Amane: I see… Now how did that make you feel?
Terumi: It…made me feel bad. It hurt… And it made me feel inadequate. Like I'm just not good enough.
Ragna: Oh come on. It was a one time thing.
Terumi: Was it really!? Because there's an ENTIRE fucking arc coming up and something tells me you aren't excited to see her again!
Ragna: Well I'm not, but—
Terumi: See!? That's the shit I'm talking about!
Amane: Ok… So now Ragna. Why did you pay Yasha?
Ragna: It's very easy… I'd rather Yasha over him any day. She is just so much more… Her words hit closer to home. She just…DOES things you know? Things Terumi can't.
Terumi: So she's better then me huh!? I bet if you saw Yasha and me you'd probably run over to me instead of her!
Ragna: Oh come on we fought like…two months ago and tried to kill each other.
Terumi: I bet if you would've attacked Yasha first if she was there!
Ragna: Hey listen that's not fair I—!
Amane: Ok, ok settle down. Let's try and settle this calmly.
Nine: I can't believe I'm watching this…
Terumi: Listen bitch. When you've got someone trying to steal your archenemy then talk to me. Otherwise from that, shut the hell up and stay in the peanut gallery.
Amane: Don't take your anger out on them.
Terumi: This is ridiculous! Ragna is nothing, but a two timer! I bet if Yasha said one word to him he'd be ready to kill her! But I've gotta hold an entire conversation!
Ragna: Oh come on! Yasha is just so fucking annoying. She just gets me angry quicker. I can't go my whole life knowing the same things from you.
Terumi: Oh I get it now! After all this time I just don't excite you anymore is that it!?
Ragna: You know. I bet if me and Yasha were in this situation she wouldn't have said something. Or would be been cool with it.
Terumi: Oh! So that's what this is now huh…
Amane: Listen Terumi. Nobodies saying your not his archenemy anymore.
Terumi: No! I want to fucking hear it from him!
Ragna: I mean…
Terumi: …
Makoto: This…this is so entertaining. It's like I'm watching some old couple fight.
Kokonoe: This universe has some SERIOUS problems…
Celia: Tell me about it…
Yasha: Well I guess we're done here. Yo Ragna!
Ragna: Shut the hell up!
Yasha: Aw what's the matter?
Terumi: Ok that's it!
*Terumi stands up and stomps to do the door*
Terumi: If you'd rather her over me that's FINE!
*he opens the door*
Terumi: We're THROUGH!
*Terumi walks out and slams the door shut*
Relius: What an interesting show I just witnessed.
Imperator: Seeing him like that truly was a wondrous thing. Ragna. Please continue to upset him. It makes me happy.
Rachel: Now let us move on since that little therapy session is over.
Saya: So next time is Tsubaki's turn.
Tsubaki: NOOOO!
Kagura: Better prepare yourself Tsubaki.
Noel: Stay strong Tsubaki!
Celica: You can do it Tsubaki!
Tsubaki: No I can't! Just start the chapter!
Chapter 24: The plan
"Uh… Damn it." Ragna felt as if a knife just ran through his head from the migraine he was having. His head was pounding in pain and his visage was blurry. He blinked a few times as his vision started to get back to him. With his vision cleared, he finds himself in an unfamiliar location. The room seemed to be some kind of cell.
"The…hell is...?" Strongly pressing his pounding head on his right hand, he rose up from the bed he was laying on and tried to collect himself. "What happened? God my heads pounding…!" Removing his hand from his face, he looks into the palm of his glove. Through the pain he had in his head, his memory started to come back to him. "I came to Yabiko and… Kagura!"
"You called?" he heard a familiar voice as he turns to the metal bars. A scowl came across his face as he looks to see Kagura staring at him with a cocky smirk. With a chuckle he spoke. "Looks like the Grim Reaper finally decided to wake up. How was your nap?"
"You piece of shit…" he walks over to the bars and looks dead at Kagura. The two had a staring contest, but it was soon interrupted as a soldier came over to Kagura.
"Sir, would you really like to leave him here?" The soldier asks in a cautious tone.
"I think he'll be better under my direct supervision so just leave him to me. For now, make sure the preparations are complete." Kagura orders. The soldier gives him a proud salute and walk off, closing the door behind him and leaving Kagura alone with the Grim Reaper.
Silence takes them up as Ragna stares at him with a curious glare. Breaking the silence, he asks. "Kagura… The hell are you up too?"
"Well," Kagura starts. "I guess all that time walking didn't make you weaker Ragna. You definitely live up to the name "Grim Reaper". Mr. Ragna the Bloodedge your being called?"
"Cut the crap. The hell was that?" Ragna asks in an irritated tone, his eyes turning to slits. "What are you planning…?"
"So you finally caught on? At least your not a complete idiot." Kagura smirks. "Sorry about that, but I needed to maintain my image here. Plus we needed to stage this in order to go through with our other plans." Ragna's frowned expression started to lighten up a little as the tension left his face. "At least you know when to read the situation."
"So you needed this for your plan… That I can understand." Putting a hand on his hip, he leans on his leg and asks. "What I don't get is how you're commanding officers in the NOL."
"So you wanna know huh?" Kagura smiles proudly. "Well after we arrived here earlier then we expected I went and asked my uncle for a little favor. Right now he's one of the big figures in the duodecim. So I asked him for a little favor, in exchange for some information."
"So," Ragna folds his arms and cocks a brow at the man before him. "What would that information be?"
"He's been curious about the inner workings of the NOL. They've been really sneaky as of late apparently and after I told him what's really been happening he gave me a place in the NOL. It took a while to convince him. I had to get Celia on the line and have her back us up, but we finally got through. Also there's a little interesting fact about him…"
"And that is?" Ragna asks.
"It looks like he's trying to rebel against the NOL. Over eighty percent of the NOL is on his side." Kagura says.
"Eighty!? The hell!?"
"Yep. He even got me into a rank as major. Call it an inside job… Filling in achievements I've never even done, but damn is it hard to keep up my image."
Ragna smirks and leans against the wall. "Damn you worked your ass off. My bad for not doing more."
"It's fine. You did enough back at Akitsu. Noel is here because of you." Kagura says reassuringly. "And as for Kokonoe, Saya, Celica and Makoto, I got them to be my personal assistants and secretaries. Tsubaki was admitted in the Zero squadron though…"
"Wait the Zero squadron? Don't they…"
"Yep. Basically the garbage collectors. But there's a little bonus to it." Kagura says.
"How so?"
"When she was admitted into the Zero squadron she was assigned as Major. So she's actually the closest to the imperator and has even spoken with her before."
"The imperator…" 'That woman… I think I might…' he soon became lost in thought over that woman once more. Kagura's voice soon shocked him out of it.
"Hey Ragna?" Kagura snaps his fingers as Ragna jolts. "You listening?"
"Y-Yeah I'm listening. But isn't that dangerous? Terumi and Relius are there. Especially those nox nyctores and even Nine's sister. I don't think it's a good idea for her to go in alone like that." Ragna says.
"She's fine. I was worried about the imperator mostly…" Kagura recalls the last time they all crossed paths with her. It didn't end well for them. "She creamed us last time."
"No… You don't need to worry about her…" Ragna says.
"What? Where did that come from? You got a plan to handle her or something?" Kagura asks.
"No, but…she wouldn't hurt Tsubaki blindly like Terumi would…"
"Ok… So that's just your gut telling you that or what? Do you know her?"
"I think I might…but that's impossible…" Ragna mumbles to himself as his voice trails off.
"Yo. Ragna. Try and keep it together man." Kagura snaps his fingers and gets his attention once more. "Anyway, back to Tsubaki. She was able to get some pretty solid intel on their plans so we're acting accordingly. Of course Terumi found that out…"
"Terumi…" Worry soon filled him as he asks in a cautious tone. "Is she ok?"
"She's fine. If she wasn't, Jin would kill me… You know how scary that guy can be when he wants to be…" Kagura shivers. "He leaves one hell of an impression on you once you piss him off…"
"No kidding… Anyway, where is she now?"
"That's the best part," Kagura smirks. "She's been sent to keep an eye on me and is supposed to stay by my side. Pretty convenient right?"
"Convenient my ass… You all planned that. All you did was get lucky." Something comes to mind as Ragna asks. "Oh yeah I almost forgot. Hey Kagura, speaking of Jin, did he come by yet?"
"No he didn't." Kagura shakes his head. "I don't know what that idiots up too, but it has to be important. I know he'll be here, but we need him here as quickly as possible."
"Yeah. I just hope he didn't get into any trouble. I know my masters with him, but he can be really stubborn when he wants to be."
"I'm sure he's fine. Come on, we gotta fill you in on a little…situation." Kagura snaps his fingers as the electricity on the bars flickered off and the bars went up. Walking out, Kagura motions Ragna to follow him. Leading him out of the holding area and into the main branch, they enter the halls. Continuing a few doors down Kagura stops at a rather large door, at least larger then the rest of them as Ragna stops right next to him. Kagura opens it and walks in.
"Welcome to my office." he boasts.
Ragna walks in and looks to see Rachel and a young man standing next to his desk. He had on a blue uniform, short black hair and a rather skinny and almost feminine appearance.
"Lord Kagura," the man bows, his tone calm and collected. "You have returned."
"Yo, Hibiki! What's up?"
The man sighs. "I guess tact is something you just never have." He looks passed him at Ragna and says. "So he is Ragna the Bloodedge?"
"I guess…" Ragna sighs. 'So that's what I'm gonna be called from now on huh?'
The man walks up to him and puts his hand out. "My name is Hibiki Kohaku. It is a pleasure."
Ragna takes his hand and shakes it. "Likewise…but I don't think I need to say my name."
"No you do not. Kagura has already explained everything to me. I find it quite ironic however that someone like Kagura is not wanted as well. Not for destruction, but his sexual endeavors."
Kagura stares at him blankly. "You do know I'm your boss now right?"
"Ah yes, right you are. You seem to manage me just as good as your relationships and personal hygiene." Hibiki smirks.
"Smartass…"
"Meh. I kinda like him." Ragna heard a familiar voice saw and looks to see Kokonoe, Lambda and surprisingly Celia walk through the door. The moment Lambda saw Ragna she ran up to him and hugs him.
"Ragna, I'm so glad your ok." Her tone was the same as always. Very monotone and robotic. However, in her monotone voice, he could hear joy and relief within it.
"I'm fine. How about you?" Ragna asks.
Lambda looks up to him and nods. "I'm fine."
"Good." Ragna pants her as she smiles and giggles as a shade of pink came across her cheeks.
"So you finally woke up. Good. I was beginning to wonder if I should wake you up myself." Celia says.
"I was ready too, but Saya insisted I leave you alone. You should be grateful you have such a loving little sister." Rachel says playfully.
"I'm glad you didn't wake me up… Gotta thank her later. Wait, but where is Saya and everyone else?" Ragna asks.
"Saya went with Celica, Tsubaki, Noel and Makoto somewhere. They should be back soon." Kagura says.
"Ok…now this kinda slipped my mind, but what are you doing here? I thought you were back at the Sector Seven base."
"Yeah about that…" Celia groans and scratches the back of her head. "How about we wait until the rest of them get here. Makoto and the rest of those idiots said they would be back soon and wanted to "sight see". Damn idiots…"
"It was probably Makoto's idea." Ragna figured. She was the only person who would think of going shopping at a time like this. "Good old Makoto… As care free as ever."
They heard a knock at the door. "I'm coming in." a familiar upbeat voice said as the door opens.
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear."
From the door, Makoto, Tsubaki and Noel walk into the room. Noel looks to see Ragna and gave him a smile. "Your awake! Thank goodness!"
"Brother!" Saya jumps on him and giggles. "Your ok! I'm so glad."
"Yeah I'm fine. By the way," Saya lets him go as Ragna couldn't help, but notice her new clothes. "Looks like you went and got some new clothes during your time here."
"Yep!"
Ragna looked to see Saya wearing a blue long sleeved bolero with a white skirt, the edge of the skirt the color black with a belt slanting off it and loosely buckled, with black thigh high tights and white gloves with a white a and navy blue corset and blue boots similar to that of Jin's.
"So what do you think brother?" Saya asks.
"It looks really good on you Saya." Ragna says in approval.
"Really!? Thank you! At first I was wondering whether or not I should buy this, but then I decided to! I'm glad you like it!" Saya smiles. She turns around and cheers to herself. 'Yes! I think I just earned some SERIOUS points! Thank youuuuu store clerk!'
"Come on… I need an outfit... Brother is on his way..." Saya sighs as she walks around the clothes shop, searching for a new outfit for herself. "I need to make an impression… But nothing too flashy... Hm…" The blond taps her chin as her eyes scanned the large selection of clothes around her. With a sigh she hung her head and whimpered. "Aw man…"
"Excuse me?"
"Hm?" Saya heard someone calling her and turned her head to the right to see a woman with short, curly brown hair. By the way she dressed it seemed like she worked here. "Do you need something?"
"Yes. I couldn't help, but listen to you… Your after someone's heart are you?"
"!" Saya looks down and blushes hard and twiddles with her fingers. "M-Maybe…"
"Then I've got the perfect outfit for you! And it's half off! I promise it would fit perfectly on you!" the woman walks over to her and puts both hands on her shoulders. "As a pursuer of love myself I can't resist helping someone find their love! I promise what I have for you will make the person your chasing look at you without a second thought!"
"I'LL TAKE IT!"
'Looks like she was right! Hehe!' Saya cheers in her head. She turns back to him, her wide cheery smile still present on her face.
"Hey Saya are you ok? Your awfully happy."
"Of course I am! I just have butterflies after hearing that you liked this look."
"Yeah, you look cute in that. Seems like your style." Ragna smiles.
"Oh brother," Saya cups her cheeks as she giggles and blushes a dark pink, her body shaking side to side. "You shouldn't…" 'Do these clothes have magic powers!? Oh my gosh this is so great, he's noticing me! I think I owe that clerk a tip.'
"Oh wow Saya… You are lookin' good…" Kagura smirks as he takes the blonds hands. "Now how about you and me…have a talk?"
"Talk? Um… No…"
"Oh come on… I'll make it worth your wild babe." Kagura winks.
"Haha," Ragna let's out a fake laugh and smile as he slaps Kagura's hands off Saya's and hold his hand tight. "Listen, Kagura if you even THINK of putting the moves on, Saya I'm gonna chop off your nuts, put them where your eyes should be," he squeezes hard as Kagura grunts and shuts both of his eyes in pain. "Put a sombrero over your head…and then beat you like a fucking piñata!"
Kagura squeezes his hand back as Ragna grunts in pain and shuts one eye. "Oh so you think you got that shit on lock down!? Well," they both started to squeeze as they slam their foreheads together. "Your not the only king in this castle anymore asshole!"
"Wow this is ridiculous..." Celia sighs. "Alright you idiots that enough." The scientist walks between the two and separates them. "We've got more important things to worry about right now..."
"Fine…" Kagura groans in defeat.
"Alright… Wait…so Jin really isn't here yet?" Ragna asks as he looks to see everyone here, but him. Honestly now it was starting to worry him.
Tsubaki shakes her head. "No he's not. But I know he'll be here soon."
"I see…" Ragna turns back to Celia and asks. "Ok Celia, so you mind explaining to us just what your doing here?"
"Yeah about that. Ok, before I go into it I promise all of you that I took all your families to safe locations that the NOL won't bother. Some no name towns outside the Akistu region."
"That's good to hear." Noel sighs in relief.
"Now as to why I'm here…" Celia started. "I was attacked."
"Attacked!?" Saya gasps. "By who?"
"The Mad dog… Azrael."
"Azrael!?" Ragna asks wide eyed. "You mean THE Mad dog!? Wait…but how!?"
"Alright let me explain… Might as well grab a seat cause this might take a while…"
Celia just put down her communicator as her fingers began to move along the keys. After finishing a conversation with Kagura as he just entered Yabiko and was currently getting everything set up, she leans back in her chair and let's out a long sigh and stretches her arms out. "So much work to do… Shit I'm in for it." The sceintist let out an annoyed groan as she puts both hands behind her head and closes her eyes.
Out of nowhere the door was kicked opened as a several men marched in, guns in their hands and all of them aimed right at her. With an irritated sigh she opens her eyes and cocks her head to the right and examines them. She treats it as nothing and with a heavy sigh stands up and looks at them in annoyance.
"Those are some pretty scary toys you have there. You wanna tell me what this is about?" she asks in a casual tone.
One of the soldiers walks closer to her and spoke in a commanding tone. "Professor Celia. We need you to come with us."
"You really think I'll do that?" Celia questions.
"You have nowhere to escape. It's pointless to resist. We are authorized to shoot if necessary."
"Authroized?" 'I see… So that's there game…'
"Now come quietly before we have to…" he stops himself as he looks to see Celia starting to chuckle. "What's so funny?"
"The first mistake you guys made was coming into my lab. You really don't think I'm not prepared for crap like this? I mean come on." With that she quickly grabs the soldier by his neck and throws him into the rest of the soldiers behind him. Celia jumps over then and makes her way out the door as the soldiers begin to gather themselves.
"Get that bitch!"
Celia quickly closes the door as she slams her fist onto the panel next to the door. A shudder quickly came down as she heard a large explosion come from her room. She fishes something out her pocket and smirks. It was a small thumb drive the size of an ant. With a chuckle escaping her throat and a cocky smile finding it's way on her lips she spoke. "I'm so glad I'm me."
She slips it back into her pocket and began to run down the hall. As she ran she heard several explosions at once as she felt the entire building shake. The alarms went off like mad as the hallway was encased in a red light. "What the hell is going on in—?" Celia felt her entire body shake as she quickly jumps back as the wall next to her suddenly exploded. But it seemed less of an explosion and more like it was smashed down.
Heavy footsteps became audible as she looks to see the silhouette of a large bulky man. Slight chuckling came from the shadow as it spoke.
"Professor Celia." A man called her name. His voice was deep and gruff. Celia could feel the atmosphere tense up as she knew she heard that voice somewhere before. The man walks out from the smoke as her eyes widened.
"You're… Azrael!" she looks at the man. He had a jacket thrown over his back and clipped across us chest, several tattoos covering his body. He had long blue hair and demon like red eyes. "Mad dog…"
"Greetings, professor. Looks like you already know my name so, I don't need to introduce myself."
"Of course I do." Celia scowls. "I don't think there's a single person in this world who doesn't know your name. So what do you want with me?"
"Well I made a little deal with a "certain someone" and they asked me to come and kill you. I can't say I'm not excited to feast on you though. Now let the hunt begin!" Azrael winds his fist up. Celia jumps back as he slams his fist in the spot she was just standing in. His fist went right into the floor, creating a crater. As he picks it up some debris falls off his hands as he looks back at Celia. With a laugh he charges at her.
Celia readies herself for him as she stood her ground. He threw punch after punch at the scientist, but she was rather nimble. She ducked, jumped, weaved and sidestepped out the way of his blows. "Come on!" Azrael tries to deliver a kick to her face, but she ducked. He brought his foot down to drop kick her, but she quickly jumped back. "Come on and fight! This fight is pointless if it's one sided."
"I've had enough of this shit." Having enough of playing defense she tries her offense.
Azrael swings his fist down as she jumps up and dodges the blow. With a yell she delivers a swift kick to the bulky man's face as he grunts and staggers a bit. Celia lands back on the ground and wondered if she did any damage, but his laughter gave her the answer.
"Not bad…! Not bad at all!" the Mad dog roar as he brought his foot up and slammed back down onto the ground. Celia jumps back to avoid the powerful strike as she lands and uses her feet to stop herself from gliding too far from him.
"Well shit… This is just what I needed today." A few rocket launchers come from behind her as she launches them all at him, encasing him in a thick cloud of smoke. The only sound that was being heard was the alarms and the announcements saying "all personnel evacuate" over and over again.
The dust cloud created from the attack began to vanish as a shadow stood inside the cloud. "Of course not…" With a wave of his hand the smoke disappears, Azrael standing there in one piece and not a scratch on him.
"Did you really think that would work?"
"No, but that did buy some time."
Azrael saw a sigil appear under her and hisses his teeth. "Teleportation!?"
"I'll see ya around mad dog."
"And with that I ended up a few miles away from Yabiko. Thankfully the teleportation device I asked Tager to install before he entered Yabiko worked with no interference. Though I doubt that would be the last time I see that mad dog." Celia finishes.
"So… Sector Seven tried to kill you and then the mad dog shows up? What the hell is with that… That's a little too convenient." Ragna says.
"Most likely, if they planned to take me out of the picture by force, they probably intend to take the library on for real." Celia surmises. "If that's the case this shit could spark into all out war if the right fuse is lit. They did attack your school for the Azure Grimoire you know."
"Shit… Then we gotta hurry." Ragna says.
"We intend to. It's the reason why we staged that little capture of yours." Kagura winks and points to Rachel. "Gotta thank Rachel for that."
Ragna looks at Rachel and scowls. "Are you fucking serious?"
"I must say, when I heard what they were planning to do I could not help myself. It just seemed like too much fun." Rachel giggles. "Seems like I made the right decision."
"You little…!" 'I swear I'm gonna shove this stupid rabbit in a fucking pot and deep fry her!'
"I think it all worked out. You got to sleep on a bed after all this time. I think you should be thanking me." Rachel smirks.
"I hate you… I hate you so fucking much…" Ragna groans.
"So Kagura. What's the plan?" Makoto asks.
"Well with the news about Ragna the Bloodedge being captured by Kagura is being spread like wildfire around the hierarchical cities."
"Which is true enough." Kagura adds as he turns to the Grim Reaper. "Isnt that right?"
"Your not gonna let me live this down are you?"
"Nope."
"Now it has turned into a gladiator tournament for his bounty." Hibiki says.
"For my bounty only? That's a little extreme."
Kagura walks up to him and pats him on the shoulder. "Dude… You have no idea just how much your worth do you?" Celia sighs and takes a slip of folded paper out her pocket. She unfolds it and shows it to him.
"A wanted poster? Of me?" he looks at the picture and scowls. "Is this…me?" 'What the hell is this!? They couldn't even get the nose right!? God I look like one of the three freakin' witches!'
"The NOL isn't well known for it's art…" Kagura sighs.
"I can fucking see that!"
"Yeah… Now look at the bottom."
Scrolling his eyes along the paper, he makes it to the bottom as he saw the reward.
"One, two, three, four—Why the hell are there so many zeros!?"
"Yep. You have no idea how many bounty hunters are showing up for you man." Kagura chuckles.
"I'm so royally screwed…"
Saya walks up to him and pats him on the shoulder. "It's gonna be ok brother. I won't let a single bounty hunter get their hands on you."
"So you want to use Ragna as bait pretty much?" Makoto asks.
"That's the idea. This also works out a little theory we need to have proven." Kokonoe says.
"A theory? What theory?" Tsubaki inquired.
"With this event in place, the eyes of the world will be watching the fights. With that in mind, phenomenon intervention would be rendered useless. I'm sure you've noticed the strange sensation around Yabiko haven't you?"
"Yes. The imperator seems to have all of Yabiko in a massive phenomenon intervention. She is taking full advantage of the Tagamagahara systems power. Quite the smart move to take it right from under our noses. Not to mention this barrier…"
"What do you mean by that rabbit?" Ragna asks.
"Apparently the imperator encased all of Yabiko in a massive phenomenon intervention, using the Tagamagahara systems. So right now…" Rachel trails off.
"She knows we're here…" Noel finishes.
"Exactly." Celia nods.
"Right now, the imperator is hauled up in her own private branch. Now one is allowed to see "her highness" unless called or given permission." Kagura says.
"I've taken up anti phenomenon intervention steps down in the basement. I'm aware that the Master unit is keeping you all from experiencing any, but with the Master unit no longer assisting you all, I think you can feel that little protection charm is gone." Celia says.
"We're aware. But if she has that kind of power, wouldn't that mean she has the power of a god?" Tsubaki asks.
"In a sense... But unlike the Master unit, the Tagamagahara systems has their limits. Even if they amplified it's power of observation, interfering with the memories and actions of all the people in the world is impossible. Also with Noel here, as the "eye", even the Master unit will be watching this. So I wouldn't go as far as to call it the power of a "god" as they aren't one." Celia explains.
"Oh I get it now! So because everyone is watching! They can't bother us and we can continue without worry!" Celica says, finally getting what they were talking about.
"Y-Yeah," Kokonoe nods awkwardly. "I guess you can look at it like that. So Ragna we need you not to lose until you make it to Azrael."
"Got it. But what happens when I meet him? Kick his ass and send him packing?" he asks.
"No. I'll handle him." Kagura says.
"How come I can't just fight him?" Ragna asks.
"Well besides that would be you begging for your death, it would look good if I were the one to finish him or like you said "kick his ass and send him packing". Also..."
"Also?" Ragna raises a brow.
"That Azure Grimoire of yours… Try not to use it too much." Kagura warns. His joking tone vanished as it was taken by a much sterner one. This caught, Ragna off guard a little as he asks the current commander in chief.
"Huh? Where the hell did that come from?"
"Just a little tid bit I heard from, Celia and Rachel that's all. So, Ragna, try using the Azure Grimoire as less as you can. You do remember what could happen to you right?" Kagura asks.
"Yeah…"
"I'm not trying to hurt you or anything, but we can't have you going around and waving that massive power around." Kagura says.
"Also I'm trying to track Terumi." Celia says. "Your Azure Grimoire would get in the way as I'm tracking his. If you use it, it could mess up the readings."
"Besides… Without the Azure Grimoire, both Azrael and I are way stronger then you. You know that don't you?"
"…" he clenches his fists. "Yeah… I do…"
"Brother…"
"Don't lose until you get to Azrael. We're counting on you." Kagura folds his arms. "Once that Mad dog appears, drop the match. Then I'll take over."
"I got it. So I won't lose until I get to Azrael… I can do that." Ragna nods. 'Damn it!' he grinds his teeth together as his expression turned into a small scowl. 'I hate it sometimes when he's right…! Damn it all…!'
Saya looked to see Ragna was a bit distraught from what Kagura told him and puts a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. It seemed to have worked somewhat as his teeth were no longer visible and his fists unclenched. However the sheer frustration on his face was undeniable. What he said cut a bit deeper then she realized and she saw Kagura saw it too.
"Ok. So when does the gladiator tournament start?" Makoto asks.
"It starts tomorrow." Hibiki informs.
"Damn really!? Holy shit your quick, Hibiki. Nice job." Kagura praises.
"It was nothing. The moment you told me your little scheme I had it being worked on."
"You actually had faith in me? I'm touched, Hibiki..." Kagura wipes a tear coming down his face and smiles. "It makes me happy."
"No I did not."
"What." Kagura said deadpanned
"I had faith in professor Celia since she seemed to actually have her head on her shoulders unlike a certain idiot I know."
"Wow… I think I need a minute to soak that insult in." he hangs his head down as he felt a hammer hit him on the top of his head. "That… That cut deep bro..."
"I think I see a scar." Ragna smirks.
"Shut up…" Kagura groans. He gets himself back together, recovering from his secretaries words. "Well anyway get some rest for tomorrow Ragna. Tsubaki, Makoto, Celica and I will go with you to the coliseum. We can't just have you walk in by yourself."
"I shall be accompanying you. I cannot think of watching this on television. I need to see this up close and personal. The upper classes of watches lowly criminals beat the tar out of each other for centuries. And I want to see them do it to you."
"Suddenly I have the urge to punch her…" Ragna groans.
"Wait I can't come?" Noel asks.
"No. I mean your wanted too. Just not as much as Ragna, but you being seen will alert the guards." Celia explains.
"Oh…"
Lambda walks up to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I'll stay here with you Noel."
"Thank you Lambda." Noel smiles.
"I'll stay here too." Saya says.
"Ok now since all that's decided, the tournament will begin at noon tomorrow." Hibiki informs.
"Alright then. Well if you guys are hungry you can get something to eat." Kagura says.
Noel shakes her head. "Not really. Ragna cooked for us the whole time. He's really good!" Lambda nods in agreement. "Yes. I liked his cooking. It tasted good."
"So you guys aren't hungry hm? Aw well, I am, so for now just walk around and when your ready to sleep just head to any room on this floor. Sorry Ragna, but you gotta sleep in the holding cell."
"Alright… Damn that's unfair."
"I'll sleep with you brother! I won't let you sleep alone in that cell! If you sleep there so will I." Saya declares.
Noel shakes her head. "No you shouldn't! Maybe I should!"
"No! I'll sleep with him! You guys can just go to your normal beds he'll be fine with me." Celica reassures.
"Oh the hell you will!" Kokonoe says.
"What she said!" Makoto joined in.
"I'll sleep by myself ok!? You guys…just enjoy your rooms." Ragna sighs.
"Are you sure brother?" Saya asks.
"Yes… I'm sure."
'Already!? Damn this guy…' Kagura groans.
"If that's it for today and we all got the plan down, I'm gonna prepare my ass for tomorrow. I don't want any fuck ups." Celia heads out the room through the side door as Lambda follows her. Everyone else left the room one by one and went their separate ways.
Ragna walked out of the room as he asked where the shower was. Celia tells him where as she also tells him where he could find a new, clean pair of clothes to wear. He made his way, but soon stops as he hears footsteps coming up behind him. He stops and turns to see it was Kokonoe walking up to him.
"Kokonoe? What's up, you need something from me?"
"Not really, but I wanted to ask how your trip went." Her tone was oddly soft, which was different how she was talking only a few minutes ago.
"It went well actually. We ran into nobody that could cause us any trouble and came straight here. How about you Kokonoe?" 'Oh who am I kidding that bitch Yasha kept popping up! When I get my hands on her I'm gonna shove my sword right down her damn throat she'll be shitting my grip for a month!'
"Well I um… I had to help Aunty Celia with the anti phenomenon intervention equipment so it was hard work. But I managed to get through it so…" Kokonoe trails off as she looks down to the ground. Ragna just stares at her, curious as to what was the matter with her.
"Hey Kokonoe, you alright?"
"Y-Yes!" Kokonoe looks back up at him as he saw her cheeks were red. "W-What makes you ask me that!?"
"Well your just…acting a little off is all… Besides your face is glowing red right now."
"O-Oh it is!? Well um maybe I have a fever!? Haha… Haha…" Kokonoe laughs awkwardly. 'Come on what the hell am I doing!? I blowing this! Ok I need to calm down… As long as I'm the one asking the questions I think I'm good.'
"So… What did you want to ask me?"
'FUCK!' She curses in her head. 'Ok come on calm down! This isn't me! Normally I just say what the fucks on my mind! Come on I've known him since middle school why is this so hard!? Ok! Time for plan A!' Kokonoe gulps. 'Ok… Here goes…'
"Is there something you wanna say Kokonoe?" Ragna asks. She doesn't give him an answer as he furrowed a brow. He snaps his fingers a few times to get her attention and was about to speak, but she spoke first.
"So how about you and I spend some time together huh Ragna…?" she winks at him as her words ran off her tongue. She walks over to him and puts two fingers on his chin. "I've just been wanting you for so long… Meow..."
"W-What the!?" Ragna's eyes popped open as he heard her change in tone. "K-Kokonoe are you ok!?"
'Damn it's not working! All I did was get him flustered!' Kokonoe backed away from him as he stared at her in confusion.
'What is she trying to do with THAT tone...?'
'Ok…something else… I just need to calm down and ask him. But I need to do it as subtle as possible.' "Let's go on a date."
"A date?"
'FUCK! I wanted subtle not direct!' Kokonoe waves her hands dismissively as her speech turned erratic and quick. "I mean do you want to talk!? If you've got other plans that's ok! And if you don't want too that's fine!" her voice quickly turned to that of panic as she began to ramble. "Your tired and you just came back from a god only knows how long of a walk! Oh what am I saying!? I sound like a fucking idiot! I can't even keep myself from falling apart an—!"
"Kokonoe…chill…" Ragna as in a calming tone, trying to ease the rambling beastkins nerves.
"R-Right…" Kokonoe clears her throat.
"So, you just wanted to talk?" Ragna questions.
"Well kind of. I just…" Kokonoe groans in frustration. 'Come on Kokonoe you can do this… All that practice wasn't for nothing damn it! All that time playing dating simulations won't go to waste! It was all trial and error. Now it's time for the test!' she motivates herself, trying to muster the confidence she needed. She calmed herself down and took a deep breath. "Ragna. I want to spend some time with you. Just us."
"Just us?"
"Oh shit!" Kokonoe curses. 'Oh crap that was misleading! Shit I need to fix this!' "I mean… Let's catch up… I know it's been only two months, but let's talk."
"Talk? Sure I guess." Ragna agrees.
"Great now let's go. There's some pretty good food here and Hibiki is a great cook." Kokonoe says nervously as she takes his arm and drags him off.
The day went by fast as night came down on them. Kokonoe had him for the rest of the day as they talked and even went around Yabiko's main plaza for a walk out. They even went into a few shops and glanced around a bit at what they had to offer. Time went by quicker then they expected as the sun began to set on them. Seeing it was getting dark they made their way back.
Kokonoe felt like she accomplished something as all her hard work paid off. The streets lights soon flickered on, illuminating the way for them. Making their way up they come to the NOL base and walk in as quietly as they could to not walk or alert anyone.
"I wonder if everyone's asleep?"
"Not sure…" Kokonoe says. "They might be getting ready for bed. And," she stretched and yawns. "I guess I should too. I was working my ass off with the anti phenomenon equipment…"
"Just don't push yourself. Celica would be all over you." Ragna warns with a small smirk on his face.
"That idiot…" Kokonoe groans.
"Well anyway… I'm gonna get myself ready for bed… If you could call it one." Ragna groans in dissatisfaction. With the small stuffy jail cell he had to sleep in and the rather small bed, he didn't really feel himself being at home.
"Hey Ragna?"
"Yeah?" he turns his head to the beastkin to see her staring at him with oddly worried eyes.
"You be careful tomorrow alright? It's the Mad dog himself and anything could happen… I'm sure you've heard the rumors..."
"I'll be fine." He reassures, but it didn't seem like it worked very well. It wasn't like her to be so worried. He sighs and puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Look… I'll be fine. Thanks for worrying about me."
"It's not that easy… You could do something reckless and end up without an arm again… Hell maybe you lose a leg or a goddamn eye..." Kokonoe takes his hand gently into her own. "Just don't do anything reckless like that again… That scared the shit out of me to be honest… You have no idea how shaken up I was to see you like that…" she looks down as she rests her head on his chest. "Dumbass…"
The tone she used was much softer then even that of a whisper. It was full of concern. Which was odd for her since she's the go with the flow kind of person. To see her showing concern was a rare sight and that was only with Celica. A smile formed onto the man's face as he tightens his grip on her hands. The sudden actions caught her attention as she looked up at him.
"Seriously Kokonoe… Thanks. But nothings gonna happen… I'll be fine."
"You better mean that. I'm serious Ragna. You can be such a dumbass sometimes. Getting yourself in the dumbest and most dangerous situations… You've…almost died once…"
He recalls what she meant by that as he let out a sigh. "Yeah… I guess I did. Can't say just forget about it and it's alright… I'd be lying to you since I still think about it."
"Fucking idiot…" Kokonoe releases his hands from her grasp and wraps her arms around the taller mans neck. She moves up and plants a short kiss on his lips. He just blinks as she parted from him. "Don't do anything stupid… Come back in one piece this time yeah?"
"A-Alright then…"
"Good," the beastkin gave him a genuine smile and took a few steps from him. "I'm glad we got that out of the way. Goodnight, Ragna." She walks off as she waves to her in a daze.
"Yeah… Nite…" Ragna waved until she went out of sight before he slowly put his hand down to his side. He couldn't fathom what just happened, though the action she took was quite clear, he still couldn't process it. Figuring his brain would fry if he continued this thought process he just left it alone and went to get himself ready for bed.
Rachel went into a single room and Makoto, Noel and Tsubaki sharing a room. Kagura heads into his own personal quarters and Celica, Saya and Kokonoe shared a room as well. As Kokonoe went into her room Celica and Saya questioned what she was doing all day. She tried her best to dodge question, but that only served to increase their suspicions.
Noel couldn't sleep however. Makoto and Tsubaki were out like lights next to her, but she found herself tossing and turning around the bed. Finding herself not able to sleep she gets up and quietly heads out the room. She heads down the hall and looks to see a bench. Now that she was all alone, there was something that's been on her mind for weeks. Something she figured she might as well get done.
"Ok… Here goes…" she sits down on the bench and closes her eyes. Once she opens them again she finds herself in a white space, a girl with blond hair that looked exactly like her, but had azure blue eyes instead of emerald green, stood a few feet in front of her.
"Noel… Why are you here?"
"Since I have the time… I want to…bury the hatchet with you." Noel sighs and continues. "As we made our way here I thought of you still here and as much as tried to get angry… I just couldn't. I couldn't be mad at you and I still can't now." She walks closer to her and stops right in front of her. "So Mu. I want you and me to try and live with each other."
"…Liar."
"Huh?"
"You just want to use me…" Mu let's out a sigh and looks down. "You don't want me… You just want to use me like Terumi did. I guess I don't blame you and I'm in no position to say no."
Noel shakes her head and grabs her hands. "That's not it! I would never do that to you no matter what!" she tightens her grip on her. "You hurt my friends… Makoto, Tsubaki, Kagura, Kokonoe, Saya, Jin and Ragna… You hurt them all… But then… Knowing the reason you did it… I can't help, but feel sorry for you. I just want to understand you Mu. Please just…give me a chance. A chance is all I'm asking from you."
"A chance…?"
"Yes." Noel nods. "Just one chance. I'm sorry for being so cold to you, but I didn't know how to act towards you. I didn't know what to say and because of that confusion I was cold to you… For that I'm truly sorry Mu. I am…really." Mu doesn't say anything. She started to lift her head as the two just stare at each other, not a single word being said. Noel grips her hands tighter, using her eyes to beg instead of her words now.
"Ok…"
"Really!?" Noel smiles excitedly.
"Yes."
Noel started to jump up and down and hugs Mu tightly. "Thank you Mu! Thank you so much! I promise I won't mistreat you anymore!" she lets go of her, making Mu see her smile. "Now you and me are friends!"
"We're…friends?" Mu asks in a bit of shock.
"Yep! I want you to think of me as your friend too! It's time we really buried the hatchet and work with each other!"
"O-Ok then Noel… We're…friends." Mu couldn't help, but smile as those words left her lips. That smile soon turned sad as Noel asks in a worried tone.
"Hey… What's wrong?"
"I might have gained a friend…but I already lost one. You'll probably just leave me too." Noel didn't know who she was talking about and it took her a second, but she finally got it.
"You mean Ragna?"
"Yes… He probably hates me… Just using nice words, but I know he hates me. He doesn't want to talk to me…"
"No he wants too! When he told you that I know he meant it. I saw the hurt in his eyes when I turned down the offer for him to talk to you. So how about I make it up to you! The next time you want to talk to Ragna I'll make you."
Mu's smile returns as she says excitedly. "Really!? Are you serious!?" she moves her face closer to her as her face filled with joy and anxiety. She grabs Noel's shoulder as she started to shake her excitedly. "Your not lying are you!? Are you!? Please say no!"
"I-I'm not lying." Noel said as she was being shaken. Mu quickly stopped herself as she saw Noels dazed expression. Her eyes were rolling in her head and she was wobbling side to side.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"
"I-It's ok I just… I just need a minute." Noel says. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks as she was back to normal. Getting back on topic she says. "I promise you I will… I owe you that much."
"Thank you Noel." With that the space fades as Noel opens her eyes to see herself in the dark halls.
"Mu…"
"Huh? Noel?" she heard a gruff voice call her name and turns her head to see Ragna.
"Ragna? What are you doing awake? I thought you would be sleeping by now."
"I was, but," he walks over to her and sits down next to her. "I woke up and felt thirsty. So I went to get something to drink. But what are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep. So I decided to take care of something that's been weighing a little heavy on me."
"What is it?" Ragna asks.
"Someone wants to talk to you Ragna." The blond smiles and closes her eyes.
"That didn't really answer my question. But who are y—?" before he could continue Noel mysteriously threw herself on him. "N-Noel?" she looks up as Ragna sees her eyes were a bright azure blue. "Wait…those eyes…!" he gasps.
"Ragna…"
"Mu…? Is that you?"
Mu nods her head and hugs him tightly. "Ragna… Finally. I finally get to hold you… To talk to you…"
Ragna places a hand behind her head and smiles. "It really has been a while…"
"It really has…"
A sense of nostalgia took the two up as they held each other for a while, Mu wrapped in his warm embrace. The last time they encountered each other it wasn't on the best terms. Now they finally had time to themselves. However, that silence soon changed as Ragna felt her started to shake and could hear her sniffling a little. His shirt started to get wet as he realized what was going on. She was crying.
"Mu? What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry…" Mu looks up at him, tears running down her face. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry Ragna! Please forgive me! I didn't…! I didn't want to hurt you!" she weeps, her tears falling down faster as she sniffed and caught her breath. "I just didn't want you to get hurt! And look what I do!?" she felt a lump at her throat that stopped her for continuing for a second. It soon passed as she continued. "Please Ragna believe me! I never wanted to hurt you!"
"Mu…" he rubs the back of her head gently, stroking her hair and trying his best to calm her down. "I ain't mad at you… I saved both you and Noel because I wanted to and I don't regret my decision. Not one bit."
She sniffled a little. "D-Do…do you mean it?" Mu stared up at him with her teary azure blue orbs. Waiting in anticipation for his answer.
"I do."
"You don't hate me?"
"I don't."
"You really don't hate me Ragna?"
"I don't hate you. That's the farthest thing from my mind." Ragna puts his hands on her shoulders and pushes her gently off of him. "Jeez… Look at you… Your crying…" He takes his thumb and wipes her swollen eyes. "There's no reason to cry." He moves his hand to the top of her head and pats her gently, her cheeks turning a light pink. "I ain't gonna hate you. That's just impossible."
"Ragna…" Reaching for his hand, she takes it gently in her grasp. She moves closer to him, her gaze locked onto his and never leaving.
"H-Hey Mu? What's wrong?" she doesn't say anything and wraps her arms around his neck. She closes her eyes and puckers her lips slightly, moving her lips closer and closer to his.
"AH!" she screamed suddenly and fell back.
"H-Hey Mu! Are you ok!?" Ragna looks to see her eyes were no longer azure blue and returned to it's emerald green color. "Noel?"
"R-Ragna!" Noel sits up.
"Hey are you ok? You just screamed out of nowhere."
Noel nods her head quickly. "Yep I'm ok! I'm gonna head to bed now Ragna! See you tomorrow!"
"R-Right… See you tomorrow." Ragna says awkwardly as Noel nods and dashes off to her room, leaving a massive dust trail behind. He just shrugs and heads back down to his cell. He walks down the stairs and heads back to bed. He lays back down and closes the cell bars using the key Kagura gave him earlier. His hands behind his head and staring up at the wall he starts to think about tomorrow. "The Mad dog…"
'Besides… Without the Azure Grimoire… Both Azrael and I are stronger than you…'
Kagura words echoed through his head as he bit his lip. "Damn it he's right… Without the Azure Grimoire I'm useless…" he closes his eyes and curses. "Shit…"
"…"
Kagura leaned against the wall, his arms folded, as he stood outside of the NOL branch. He stared at the massive tree outside as it was a marvel. It really made the atmosphere serene and served to calm his nerves. He needed it for what's to come. He closes his eyes and mumbles to himself. "Was…that the right thing to say?" he asks himself. "I feel like it was uncalled for… Why the hell did I say it? All that did was make him feel worthless. I'm such an idiot…"
"Ah. So this is where you went. It would seem I am interrupting something."
"?" Kagura heard a light, unchanting voice speak and looks up to see the sourcs of the voice descending down to him. "Rachel? Whats up?"
The vampire lands gracefully on the floor, her boots making a soft clap once it tapped the floor. "Nothing really." Rachel closes her umbrella with a clap as it transforms into a black cat. "You could say I have come to thank you."
"Thank? For what?" he asked in a confused tone.
"It is what you told Ragna earlier," Rachel starts as Kagura let's out a sigh. "It would seem as if your words caused him to think about himself. So I thank you."
"You would've told him… No need thanking me."
"However the impact it would've had would have been very different. The human minds works in interesting way you know." Rachel says. "Say if I were to tell him, he would have taken my words at face value. But since you told him it struck a little closer to home."
"What's the difference between me and you?" Kagura asks.
"There's a big difference between friend…rival…and brother."
"…"
"You should keep that in mind." Rachel says. A short breeze came by them as a silence took them. With a bow she spoke. "Sorry to take up to your time," She apologizes. "However, I would advise you get some rest as it will be you who faces Azrael in combat."
"Gotcha. But I'm more worried about you Rachel." He winks at her. "A beautiful damsel like yourself should be off in bed relaxing and sleeping soundly. Don't worry about a thing we got it covered."
"You seem quite confident. Very well. Goodnight Kagura." Rachel snaps her fingers as she vanishes, leaving a scent of roses in the air.
Kagura closes his eyes and sighs. "Friend… Rival… Brother…huh?" he opens them back up and pushes himself off the wall. "Guess I should go to my bed too. Wouldn't want to disappoint the princess." With a chuckle he walks back in and closes the door as lightly as he could.
"Ugh! God, the imperator really knows how to ride me!" Yasha makes her way through the streets of Yabiko. Moaning and groaning as she walked with both hands behind her head as she wobbled side to side. Boredom struck her again like the plague and she had nothing to do to ease that boredom. "Come on… Maybe I could find Ragna…?"
"Meow!"
"What the fu—Gah!" Yasha was turning her head to the sound, but instead got tackled and fell to the floor. With a grunt she opens her eyes and stands up slowly, holding her head in pain as she rose from the ground. "Aw man… What the crap was that?"
"Tao's head is spinning…"
"?" Yasha turns around and looks to see what seemed to be a beastkin laying on their back. She smelled like food and lots of it, but the real question is why was she running. "Hey um… What was…?"
"A person…?" the beastkin slowly got up and looked at Yasha. "We're you the one who hit Tao?"
"Um…you hit me…"
"Tao did? Tao doesn't remember that. What was Tao doing again?" she asked herself as she rubs her massive paw on the top of her head. She soon directed her attention to Yasha's chest as Yasha saw a rather odd glare come into the beastkin eyes. "Not bad… Not as big as boobie ladies! But they're still pretty big! Now let Tao feel them!" Tao quickly leap to her and grabs her chest as she started to feel her breasts.
"Wha!? What the hell are you trying to do!?"
"They're so soft and firm… Tao is impressed…" Tao let's go of them and smiles. "Tao's name is Tao! Nice to meet you dark lady!"
"Yeah we already got the name thing covered… I guess this could stop this damn boredom for a while."
"Well dark lady do you want to play with Tao? Tao was wandering around the city and saw a big fight tournament coming up! So Tao needs to be ready!"
"Tournament?" Yasha raises a brow.
"Yep!" Tao reaches into her coat and pulls out a flier. Yasha takes it from the girl and reads it over quickly.
"Huh… Maybe I'll watch. We've got blu-ray TV so this should be in high definition. Or maybe I can sneak in?" she chuckles a little as she folds the paper. "Alright then!" Yasha smiles. "I'm gonna make sure your ass is ready for tomorrow! I wanna see you win and get that prize money! Do I make myself clear!?"
"Yes ma'am!" Tao salutes.
"Haha… This might be fun." Yasha snickers.
"Oh that's right. Tao forgot to mention that we should run soon."
"Run? Why?"
"That." Tao says casually as she points ahead. Yasha turns her head and looks to see an angry mob running towards them.
"What the fu…?"
"GET BACK HERE YOU CAT!"
"Oh shit they're out for blood! Lets go!" Yasha grabs Tao's arm as she bolts down the street, leaving nothing, but dust behind. She looked behind her to see they were still following her. "Holy shit they're quick! What did you do you cat!?"
"Tao just ate some food… Without paying…"
"Are you kidding me!? Shit! Point me to a safe spot!" Yasha says.
"Yes ma'am! Follow Tao!"
"This is not what I meant when I said I wanted something to do… THIS SUCKS!"
I bring this chapter to a close. I hope you all enjoyed this and I'll see yall next chapter. Just like always, comment, leave your thoughts and review. See ya!
Next Chapter 25: Strength