Arc Two: Ikaruga
Chapter X: Hero
"We should be in Ikaruga soon," Ragna said as he continued to travel the plains with Makoto and Noel. The weather had been pretty fair for traveling, not too sunny, but at the same time, not too cold. The three had been making solid progress in their journey, but they had come across a few obstacles, namely Seither beasts. They'd been dispatched of fairly quickly, but the things were acting much more active than Ragna had ever recalled.
"You want to take a break?" Makoto asked. "If we come across and NOL members I don't want to be exhausted from traveling."
"If you want," Ragna said simply as he simply flopped over in the grass. "We'll leave in five, so rest up."
Makoto could only agree as she sat beside her boyfriend. Noel looked at the two and smiled, they really did go well together, both as her friends and as a couple. After observing the area around her Noel realized something. "Hey Makoto, aren't we close to your village?"
"Yeah, we are," Makoto admitted. "But I'm not really sure if now's a good time to stop in. If the NOL's going to brand me a traitor they could go after my parents. And if I just happened to visit them before being branded, who knows what charges they could try to put on them."
"True," Ragna said from where he was lying down. "But you should at least let them know you're alright, we don't have to stay for too long, just to let them know what's going on."
"Yeah, I guess. Just to warn you my family can get pretty crazy, so expect a lot of nonsense from them."
"Yeah, yeah," Ragna said as he got off the ground. "C'mon, we should head out."
"Well, isn't this surprising meow?" Ragna turned behind him and saw someone who looked similar to his friend Taokaka, save for the fact that she had a black coat and a tail that was closer to that of a tiger. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it Ragna?"
"Hey Tora, it's been a while. Where the heck have you been?"
"Meow. Around and about I suppose you could call it. But who are your friends?" Torakaka asked regarding the other two women present.
"Oh, yeah sorry, this is Noel and my girlfriend Makoto." Noel gave a small friendly wave while Makoto had a big smile on her face.
"Oh, girlfriend? Well good for you I suppose, I wasn't expecting to find something so… unexpected meow."
"Unexpected, is that really all you have to say about?" Ragna asked bitterly. "You sound just like Tao. By the way, whatever happened to her?"
"She's traveling with cat person and the person she's been calling… Ice Man meow."
"So Tao and Jin are both traveling with my old master… I wonder how that's going to be."
*Meanwhile- Elsewhere*
"So," Jin said, recollecting in his mind what Jubei had told him. "Essentially if I wanted to deal with the Izayoi blade I'd have to deal with several forms. That and the weapons is known to steal the light from its user."
"I reckon you got it kid," Jubei said with a serious face. "Though another thing, you should really-!"
"Meow! Cat Person! Ice Man! Tao's bored! And Hungry! Can't we go find something to eat meow!?"
"As I was sayin'," Jubei started. "You could ask-"
"MEOW! A BUTTERFLY! COME ON LET TAO CATCH YOU! NGH!"
Jin glared at the hyperactive cat, she was getting more and more on his nerves. "Ask who?"
"MEOW! Ice Man! Give me your sword! I want to cut that butterfly, like a cat ninja! Meow!"
"DAMN IT CAT! SHUT UP!" Jin roared, his cries shaking the very forest they were in sending the birds to the skies.
*Back to the others*
"Meh, better them than me," Ragna said as he shrugged. "What about you, Tora, where are you headed?"
"Ikaruga, meow," the Kaka replied. "Apparently Valkenhayn will need some help there, so it requires that I be there to help in whatever way I can."
"Yeah, well were headed that way as well just over there… Is that smoke on the horizon?"
"It can't be," Makoto said. "That would mean it's coming from my…" Realization was apparent in the Beastkin's eyes as Makoto fell to her knees. "…village. NO! MOM! DAD! EVERYONE!" Makoto got to her feet and began running to the village, fear filled with what she would find.
Noel ran alongside her friend, ready to help her in any way she could. That was when she noticed Ragna was trying to comfort Makoto by saying things were going to be alright… in fact he wasn't even here. Neither was Tora.
*Beastkin Village*
Beastkin villages are found throughout the world these days. Whether they are part of a Hierarchal city or simply trying to survive in a wilderness, they are a unique and, to very few, beautiful part of society. The Beastkin are known for coming up with some of the most unorthodox ways of building a community.
The Squirrel Beastkin in particular are known for actually carving out parts of a giant tree and creating their living space inside. Some of these trees can actually be large enough to house entire communities due to mutation from Seither. The Village that Makoto came from had individual trees instead of a giant one… but it was currently in flames.
Sargent Mina Baster of the Novus Orbis Librarium oversaw the operations, soldiers tearing through the houses, knocking over objects, lighting the trees on fire, and most importantly, putting the residents in binding arrays and bringing the entire group before him. The power, she loved it, every second of it. She'd hated Beastkin ever since he saw one of those freaks of nature, so… horrifying. And to have them all kneeling before her, helpless to resist their fate, the exhilaration gave her chills.
"Bring the Nanaya family forward, NOW!" she yelled as she brushed aside her long, light blue hair with on hand and held her spear with another. Ah, her spear, it had always been a prized possession of her, ever since she'd received it after her services in the Ikaruga civil war. It was rumored to be almost as powerful as a Nox Nyctores and she could clearly see why, its power was overwhelming.
With it, she could truly establish her power and superiority over that so called 'Hero of Ikaruga.' Jin Kisaragi, just think of that man infuriated her in multiple ways. Yes, the major had been quite eye catching with the time she'd spent with him in the academy, even when he had just started his first year. But… THAT FOOL hadn't wanted anything to do with her; instead he'd spent his time with little Miss Tsubaki and her friends, one of which was the squirrel Beastkin.
This wasn't just a mission to her. This was the perfect chance of revenge, seeing that Beastkin's face full of remorse and torture as she saw her dead friends and family would be the greatest thing she'd ever experience. Then she'd kill that bitch herself and bring her head to Tsubaki, a perfect day in every sense of the word.
"So, this is the family of bastard freaks that's related to the NOL traitor? As pathetic as ever. Tell me, where is your little bitch of a daughter?"
"Our daughter is NOT a bitch!" one of the females yelled, the mother of all things, struggling to carry a newborn despite the binding array she was in. "And she's never been here ever since she left for the Academy!"
Mina let out a disturbing laugh. "There are two thing in the world that I hate most of all: Handsome men who don't listen to me, and Beastkin liars. I don't see any handsome men around here, so tell me; what am I hating right now!?"
"But we're not lying!" came the voice from a male, not the father, but the oldest child.
"Bring one of the children forward," Mina said with an evil sneer. "Make it the young daughter."
"Mikoto!" the father yelled as one of the NOL guards dragged the child from the family.
"Mommy! Dad!" the child cried out.
"Let her be an example! This is what happens when Beastkin garbage dares to mess with the NOL!"
The man who was dragging Mikoto drew his war axe and brought the blade into the air. "DIE YOU SUBHUMAN SCUM!" he shouted as he brought the blade. The child's family let out a final plea.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
CLANG!
The executioner looked at where he had swung in surprise. Holding him back with a giant sword, was a man in silver hair dressed in red; Ragna the Bloodedge.
(Cue a fight theme, any fight theme! I'll let you pick!)
"Not happening!" Ragna roared as he turned and blasted the attacker with his fist. The man went flying through the air, hit a tree, and then went limp. Many of the Beastkin present gave a collective gasp as NOL troops began to surround Mina in their formation. "Run," he directed to the Beastkin as he broke all of the binding arrays with a single pulse from his BlazBlue. "You don't need to see this."
"Kill him!" Mina shouted.
The men roared as they charged at him for the kill. Ragna dodged one of the attacks by dashing to the side before retaliating with Blood-Scythe. The man was cut in half and the others rushed at him. Ragna dodged the sword slash from one of them and knocked the attacker into the air. He blocked an axe from another one and retaliated with his sword killing his opponent. As to more approach him from behind, Ragna grabbed the man he had knocked into the air by his leg and spun him in a daring haymaker, knocking out his foes, and his human weapon.
Another group started to attack Ragna from behind, but a quickly created Dead Spike, ended their attempt quickly. "One left," Ragna said as he turned to Mina, his eyes glaring at her with vengeance.
Mina, on the other hand, gave the Reaper a sultry gaze and grin. "Not bad, Bloodedge. You certainly live up your bounty, and you even take a certain gracefulness with your killing, not to mention you're not exactly bad on the eyes. But you're no Jin Kisaragi."
"Please, I'm hundred times better than my little brother," Ragna said as he played her game, only hoping the cover the Beastkin's retreat. "Unfortunately for you, I'm spoken for, not that it would've helped you any after what I've seen today."
"What? It's not like they have anything to actually offer other than meat shields for an army. Don't tell me that you actually care for these freaks of nature."
"There's only one freak here and I'm staring at her," Ragna said with venom in his tone. "And I'm not about to let you walk away from here alive, I'm ending you here!"
Mina let out a series of mocking laughter. "You're acting so confident! I doubt that you could even put a scratch on me! Even if you could, there's the matter of the rest of my men, spread out throughout the rest of the village, just looking to spill some of that squirrel blood! What are you going to do about that?"
It was then that infamous Wilhelm scream sounded as a body fell from the trees, covered in several deep gash marks. The look of surprise evident on the victim's eyes.
"What the hell is this?!" a man screamed.
"She's too fast I can't hit!"
"She's a DEMON! ARGH!"
There was another series screams before dead silence. Then came one sound that actually managed to send fear down Mina's spine.
"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoooow."
"Somehow, I'm not really worried about that," Ragna said, answering Mina's earlier question. "I'm more focused on the ugly hag in front of me."
UGLY. HAG!?
"DIE!" Mina shouted, her tone drenched with bloodlust. Ragna deflected Mina's stab off of Blood-Scythe with ease, though the amount of force it carried did surprise him. The woman's rage gave her the adrenaline she needed to attempt a second attack, but Ragna merely shifted his body and dodged the attack.
"What!? Did I hit too close to home!?" Ragna yelled as he returned the aggression with a slash of his own. Mina managed to guard the first one, but Ragna followed up with another that caught her in the shoulder and drew blood. "Inferno Divider!" Ragna shouted as he blasted Mina into the air with a powerful slash from his sword. He then followed up the attack with an uppercut before smashing his fist against Mina's gut and sending her crashing into a tree.
"Carnage Scissors!" Ragna yelled as he lunged forward with a devastating slash. Mina's spear glowed with Ars Magus as she managed to leap into the air, back flipping over Ragna's attack. Her spears glow increased in pressure.
"Turn to ashes!" she yelled as the point discharged a violent beam. Ragna barely managed to avoid the attack by diving to the side, good that he did too, because the tree he'd been standing in front of had a huge gaping hole in it, shot clean through it… and the trees behind.
"Hell's Fang!" he shouted as he rushed Mina and struck her in the gut causing her to double forward. "Darkness Consume You!" he shouted as his BlazBlue became a dark claw. He grabbed Mina and lifted her off the ground as dark energy erupted and struck her countless time. "Give your soul to the Reaper," he whispered emotionlessly as he crushed her within the claw.
(End song, or keep it going if you're in the mood, your call)
After the move was finished, nothing was left of the Sargent, not her body, not her clothes, nothing, save for the spear. Ragna lifted the weapon off the ground. He could tell it was a pretty powerful, so he decided to keep it, after all the old owner wouldn't have any use for it where she was going.
While the trees were skill on fire, the sounds of battle had ended. Taking his new weapon, Ragna made his way to where the Beastkin had run off to. He saw them gather what little they could from their homes, some attempting to put out the fires with little success.
"Thank you for saving us," a young boy in a group said to Tora.
"It was no trouble, but be careful from now on meow."
Ragna gave a small chuckle, Tora hadn't changed much from his childhood at all. He did notice that a couple of Beastkin did shift uncomfortably when he'd arrived, with reason Ragna admitted. He leaned against the tree to keep from causing panic.
"Mom! Dad!" he heard Makoto shout. He saw her run up and embrace her family with happy tears in her eyes. "You're alright, you're all alright."
"Yeah," Makoto's father said. "But we wouldn't have been if that cat lady hadn't showed up and… and him," he said pointing to Ragna a little unnerved at the Reaper's appearance.
The Reaper sighed to himself as he got up from the tree he'd been leaning against, it was better to get this out of the way now than later. He made his way up to Makoto's family, and one of the young girls approached him.
"Th-thank you for saving my life," she said to him nervously.
"You're welcome," he said with a small smile, as he bended his knees to easier see the child at a less menacing level instead of towering over her. "You're Mikoto, right? Your sister's told me a lot about you."
"What?" Makoto's father exclaimed. "What that woman had said about you joining Ragna the Bloodedge. Makoto, is that true?"
"Um, yeah…" Makoto said a bit unsurely.
"Makoto's got a boyfriend, Makoto's got a boyfriend!" the twins sang out playfully.
"Be nice you two," her mother said disciplining them her children. "Makoto just got home, I don't think you should be making wild assumptions," was what she had said before realizing that her eldest daughter hadn't denied it. "Makoto?"
"All of the men you could've fallen for," Makoto's older brother began. "And you just had to pick the most wanted man in history. What were you thinking?"
"Well he did just save my life, not to mention our village," Mikoto said. "I guess he's not all bad."
"Sorry to interrupt," Ragna started. "But we should worry about getting you people out of the village. Do you people have a chief of some sort?"
"You're looking at him," Makoto's father said to Ragna seriously. "And if it hadn't been for you Reaper, we would have never needed to worry about moving OR attacks for the NOL!"
"If it hadn't been for him I would be dead!" Makoto argued back. "You're doing a GREAT job thanking Ragna for saving your tail dad!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Time out!" Ragna shouted putting his hands in a time-out sign. "Listen, I know things are hard now and tensions are high, but we need to get out of here now! Look I can get you somewhere safe, life won't be easy there, but it'll be a hell of a lot better than having the NOL know where you are."
"There is an option meow," Tora said as she came over. "The Kaka's clan hallowed ground is close by. We find it sacred, but we would be more than willing to use it to help or homeless brethren there meow. The NOL is very suspicious of it so they won't enter and there are plenty of trees."
Makoto's father didn't answer right away. Ragna looked at the man with a serious glare in his eyes. "Hate me or don't hate me, I don't care, but what is important is too get all of you somewhere safe. I'm sorry for causing this damage, but you'll have to trust me."
The chief shook his head. "No, you're right. We've been under the heel of those NOL bastards for long enough, I'll tell the village what's going on and we'll get ready to move." He made his way off before calling over his shoulder. "Hey Reaper."
"Yeah?"
"Take care of my little girl, and kick some NOL ass!"
"You got it," Ragna promised. "So that was meeting the dad… that went easier than I thought."
Makoto went over to her boyfriend and put a hand on his shoulder. "You just got through the easy part. The hard part's yet to come."
Ragna gulped. "And that is?"
"Talking to my mom."
Ragna gave a look at Makoto's mother. She had her eyes closed and had a gentle smile in her face, but Ragna could practically touch the dark aura that was coming from her, and for once Ragna would rather face Hakumen at max power, at least then he'd know how to fight back.
"…Shit."
Author's Note: I don't own BlazBlue.
I felt a little weird writing a story about Makoto's family after writing them in a Gag reel. Anyways, this story is back BABY. Arc 2 is now official. I have a couple ideas for what to do with the story, but if you want a certain event to come up, be sure to Private Message me, I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Ciao!