Ragna's Freedom
The NOL had been revamped, and to celebrate, all bounties were cleared. Ragna the Bloodedge strolled down the streets of Orient Town, for once not having to avoid being captured. He kept walking around the Chinese section of Kagutsuchi, stretching and grinning widely. Looking into a shop window and surveying the trinkets that were on sale there, Ragna kept repeating the same thought in his head. What the hell am I gonna get Noel for her birthday? And for Christmas for that matter… Can't just give her one present when there's two special occasions going on, even if they are on the same day. He walked into the shop to get a better look at the inventory, finally deciding on a turquoise necklace and a silver bracelet. Dammit… don't have enough cash… As Ragna turned to leave, he saw a familiar silver braid in the window. "No, not again…" The former wanted criminal ducked behind a rack of jewelry as a young girl entered the shop. "I know you're there, Ragna! You can't hide from me!" Sighing, Ragna walked into plain sight to see the girl who used to be his worst enemy. She looked young and sweet, with a red patch over her left eye but otherwise appearing to be your average, if pale, little girl. She smiled at him and ran over to grab his hands. "Oh, Ragna! I've been looking all over for you!" "Nu, let go of me!" Nu, the cyborg girl, used to be obsessed with fusing with Ragna to become even stronger a weapon than she already was, but now wanted him romantically. He still didn't like her though. "Seriously, get the hell off me! There oughta be a law against this!" Nu jumped up to wrap her arms around Ragna's neck and hang on him. "Ragna! Is that any way to talk to your future lover?!" "We are NOT doing that! Ever! How many times do I have to tell you?!" Nu smiled and pressed her face against his chest. "That's what you think now, but we're going to be together forever and ever!" "Hey, can somebody get this little girl off me?!" Nu giggled as she hung on Ragna's neck, rubbing her face against his coat. Just as Ragna grabbed her arms to pry her off, a familiar voice filled the air.
"Ah, young love! I wish Miss Litchi and I could be on those kinds of terms!" Bang Shishigami was looking at Ragna and Nu with a grin. Ragna's face turned bright red; it looked like he was beginning to embrace the girl. "Old man, do me a favor and get this little stalker off me!" Bang tapped Nu on the shoulder and spoke with the grin still plastered on his face. "Little girl, you should respect your boyfriend's space. Not everyone likes constant attention!" Nu turned to look at Bang with her uncovered eye and narrowed it, annoyed. "You're always stalking that doctor, old man. Besides, I belong to Ragna!" Ragna then pried Nu's hands off him and set her on the floor. "Dammit, I almost liked it better when I was trying to destroy you! At least then you weren't constantly hitting on me!" Bang took Nu's hand and began leading her toward the door with a spoken, "Let's get you home. Ragna needs his space." Nu glared at Bang and yelled, "HELP! HELP! I'M BEING KIDNAPPED!" The shopkeeper turned from a display box to see Bang pulling on Nu's hand and yelled in response, "Old man, let go of that girl now, or I'll have you arrested!" The ninja released Nu, startled, and the cyborg girl ran back toward Ragna. "Dammit dammit dammit!" Ragna reacted a split-second before she jumped on him again, placing his hand on her forehead. Her arms were shorter than his, so she couldn't reach him while he held her back. Nu smiled at that moment and grabbed Ragna's arm, beginning to nuzzle his hand. "Oh, Ragna, you actually touched me! And not even with a sword this time! I knew you liked me!" Ragna pulled his arm away from the girl and said, "I-I gotta go. See ya!" Before taking off into the streets. "RAGNA!!!" Nu dashed out the door after him, chasing Ragna through Orient Town while the shopkeeper glared at Bang. "You see, I was trying to help Ragna keep his space. I wasn't intending to abduct the girl…" The ninja dashed out the door, not wishing to confront the angry shopkeeper.
A half-hour later, Ragna was hiding in a trashcan in a dark alley, desperately hoping Nu wouldn't find him. Her voice sounded from the mouth of the alley, calling, "Ragna, Ragna! Where are you, Ragna?" He closed his mouth tightly, trying not to breathe. Her footsteps drew closer, her fingers drummed on the trashcan lids… and she stopped at his can. Almost panicking at this point, Ragna remained perfectly still as he heard Nu tapping her fingers on the can's lid before climbing on top of it. The little cyborg sat on the trashcan, wondering aloud, "Where could Ragna be? I just wanna talk to him." Ragna heard her voice from her place on top of the can and whispered, "Shit." The air in the trashcan was beginning to turn stale; Nu's weight kept it airtight. Ragna felt himself getting dizzy from lack of oxygen, then finally decided to make a move. Pushing up against the lid with all his might, he felt it and Nu fly up into the air. "AHHH!" The little girl screamed as she was sent flying and Ragna tried to get out of the trashcan. However, he moved a little too quickly and ended up getting his pants caught on the edge of the trashcan's opening, tipping over the can and himself. To add insult to injury, Nu landed right on his back. "Oh God, why me…?" Nu leaned down and whispered in Ragna's ear, "I told you, it's destiny. You're so warm, Ragna… Even if you don't make a soft landing place with all that muscle." She then began playing with Ragna's hair like an ordinary little girl would, running her hands through it with a giggle. The swordsman groaned and let his face fall against the pavement as his admirer played with his hair…