She could handle it, they said. Rachel rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, flipping through a magazine. She'd taken the graveyard shift once and swore to never do so again. No customers, nothing to do– it was just so boring. To put the icing on the bloody cake, drunken fools gallivanted outside at this time of night. Rachel prayed none of them walked in.
What is he up to? she wondered. She awoke late that morning and didn't have time to poke her head into Ragna's shop and say hello. She texted him, though. He responded, making her feel eighteen all over again. Her heart thrummed and butterflies fluttered in her stomach, almost like freshman year when she'd first met Ragna during a rather unpleasant encounter.
Though eighteen years had passed, the memory remained on the forefront of her mind. Snow had fallen in Akitsu one December Monday morning. Akitsu wasn't as bad as Kagutsuchi, but some areas were dangerous; Rachel's high school was a stone's throw from one of the more notorious neighborhoods. Fights between students were a daily affair as were bullying and muggings. She learned to mind her own business at a young age. She would rather be alone than with a group of friends, but doing her best to be a social outcast brought attention to herself.
Almost everyone belonged to their own little cliques, and mean kids were always searching for opportunities to pick on the weak. It disgusted Rachel, and on that Monday, she could no longer ignore her surroundings and stood up for a girl a few guys were picking on, then they made her the target of their abuse, throwing one cruel comment after another. Rachel responded in kind with her own verbal insults. Things got physical, and she couldn't forget the wrenching feeling of that boy's fist in her gut.
"Hey. How 'bout you back off, yeah?" a male voice shouted.
The gang's leader, the one who delivered that devastating blow to her stomach, glared at the owner of that voice. "Who the fuck are you, hotshot?" He snickered and loosened his grip on Rachel's hair. The three boys surrounded the interloper and the leader got in his face. "Got something to say?"
"Yeah. You took somethin' from her, didn't you? Give it back."
"What?" He held up a necklace and smirked. "You mean this?" His smirk faded and he jutted his chin out. "Kiss my ass."
"Not exactly my option two." Her savior was tall for his age, definitely younger than the snickering sophomores. There was no fear on his face, no emotion for that matter, even when he punched the kid so hard he fell right on his ass. Blood covered his knuckles, and his harsh glare spoke volumes. The two flunkies probably saw that, which is why they chose to back away instead of defending their boss.
"M-my nose!" The sophomore cried while wiping the blood spewing from his nostrils. "You broke my fucking nose!"
"You're lucky that's all I did. If you're unhappy," he cracked his knuckles, voice deep with malice, "I'll try and fix it." He took a step forward and they cowered.
One of his lackeys finally decided to speak up. "W-wait, we were just j-joking around!"
"You think I give a shit what you idiots were doin'?" He yanked the leader off the ground by his shirt collar. "A little advice– don't take what don't belong to ya, got it? If I see you again, I'm gonna break your legs. Now get the hell outta my sight."
Rachel watched as the three scurried off, muttering under their breaths. As the guy who saved her stood before her, her necklace in hand, she saw he wasn't much smaller than those sophomores. But he certainly looked the part of a street thug. Unruly platinum hair, a pierced ear, the kind of scowl that told others he didn't take shit from anybody. But his expression softened when he offered to help her up. "You okay? Those guys aren't gonna mess with you anymore."
She momentarily lost the ability to speak. His fearless action stunned her, especially since no one aside from her father ever stood up for her. All she could do at that moment was nod and take his helping hand. It was rough, but warm.
Following that day, people thought twice before trying to pick a fight with Rachel when she had Ragna at her side. She had no idea he had a reputation in the community; the few arguments she got into ended quickly because people feared Ragna would swoop in and save her. Rumors even spread that they were going out, but he seemed oblivious to their supposed hook-up at the time. Despite his rebellious ways, awful temper, and horrible manners, the two got along surprisingly well. She would never imagine a day in her life she would invite another man into her room unfazed. Well, until he left her alone to hug her pillow and roll around on her bed, of course.
Rachel realized she'd been reminiscing a little too long when she read the clock to see twenty minutes had passed. A glance around the store assured her that nothing had gone missing, but it seemed she snapped out of it at the right moment as the front door opened and Ragna walked in. He scanned the place and she jolted –hopefully he didn't see that jolt– when his eyes met her. Her mouth curved into a smile on its own as he approached.
"This place really is dead at night, ain't it?" Ragna noted.
"Tis nothing exciting, but what are you doing here? Did you just close?" Rachel asked.
"Had somethin' to drop off at the post office. This place was open, figured I'd get a snack before I went home." A part of Rachel hoped she was the snack. "But I didn't expect to see you workin' the graveyard shift. That sucks."
"Would you believe me if I told you that you are the first customer I have had in almost two and a half hours?"
Ragna grimaced. "Slow night, then. By the way, you have any plans this weekend?"
Rachel almost stuttered. "I have Saturday off. And because I work on Sunday, it is the only day I have the chance to relax."
"Nothing fun to do?"
"It has been a while, I must admit. I neither have the time nor the expenses," Rachel explained with a soft giggle, a little embarrassed over her lack of funds for her own joy.
"That sucks. Oh, wait! Hold up." Ragna's entire body tensed. "I just remembered the other reason I came here. Which way to the can?" He placed a Milky Way on the counter, then rushed to the back where Rachel pointed to the men's bathroom.
She shook her head, a blush searing her cheeks at the direction of their conversation. Maybe that snack theory of hers wasn't as much of a dream as she thought. She couldn't hide her smile as another customer entered, instantly giving her a sketchy vibe. Her smile immediately vanished when he walked up to the counter and pointed a gun at her head.
Credit to Wild Blue Sonder; she beta read this and all the other chapters I have for this story.