A/N: Apologies for the 10-month delay. Changed plans with this chapter about 5 times before finally settling on this course. But at least I finally do have a set path for this to take. Pace should increase dramatically for this one.

All credit/blame for David Jericho here goes to BluePaladinium, who has graciously allowed me to use him. And another character a fair bit later (assuming my plans don't completely change again).

From the grassy hilltop, Ragna snarled at the blue legions advancing on the town. In the distance, green-coated ships silhouetted in the afternoon sun raced toward the city. Fist clenched, Ragna turned to Jubei. "Yeah, no, you really think I'm gonna just sit back and let this place get bombed by Shebalves?"

"Course not." Jubei's ear flicked at the roar from above in his ears. "N' keep yer voice down, kid. Don't want 'em to spot ya or Tsu here. Stay here, n' keep outta sight."

And with that, Jubei crept down along the hill, low enough for the tall grasses to conceal him. After only a few steps, he turned back to Ragna. "N' Ragna? Make sure 'Baki stays safe, ya hear me? Didn't give ya that sword for nothin'."

"Of course." As Jubei disappeared into the grasses, Ragna sighed and turned to Tsubaki. "Right, we're staying right here, got it?"

Tsubaki gave a sharp nod, although she couldn't tear her eyes from the advancing army. Below, the Shebalves caught up with the foot soldiers and came in to land in unison. They…they really were going to attack this town… But she could trust Jubei, right? "R-right…"

"Colonel Mutsuki. Your orders?"

Heaving a heavy sigh of disdain, Kagura planted his sword end-first into the soil and leaned on it. Damn the Librarium, what the hell were they thinking? Invading a peaceful, neutral village? For resources, when this war was all but over already? Cute though the Imperator was, he failed to see any sense in these orders.

Not far away, a gathering crowd of villagers listened intently. They carried shovels, pickaxes, sickles, anything they could use to defend their town at a moment's notice. With a vicious shake of his head and a brush of his raven hair to clear his eyes, Kagura scowled at the infantryman before him. "Wait here. I'll open negotiations."

"You?" A cold voice, little more than a whisper, chilled Kagura's spine. "Your diplomacy lacks."

Although he desperately wished not to, Kagura turned to the sound of the voice. In contrast to the legions of bluecoats, a single man stood in their midst, clothed in a white robe that concealed all features. He didn't even meet Kagura's gaze. After a few moments, Kagura found his voice. "So, who would you send, Jericho?"

Without a sound, the Wing of Justice strode through the ranks, cutting between them with the ease of a gale. Before he could leave the corps, however, a ripple of gasps sounded among the men. A single figure stood atop Kagura's sword hilt. Though shorter than all, he carried a grandeur that cowed the entire force. Jubei raised a paw in a wave. "Howdy. Who's the cap'n here?"

"Yo! Kagura Mutsuki, Colonel." Kagura returned the wave and smirked. One of the Six Heroes, here? Good, he'd have an excuse to just pack up and leave. "What brings the great Jubei here?"

"Heh. Alright figured me out, did ya?" Chuckling, Jubei bounded down from the mammoth blade. "So, yer the leader? Why don't we talk 'bout this a little?"

"I will. David Jericho, Zero Squadron." The cowled man beckoned for Jubei to follow him. "Follow me."

Jubei flicked an ear and glanced up at Kagura, who sighed. "You're probably better off talking to him than me. I'm not very good with negotiations."

"N' he is?"

"No idea." Kagura yawned and stretched, before leaning on his sword once more. Discontented murmurs arose from the soldiers. "Well, I'll leave this to you two."

"Aye." Jubei turned to the growing crowd and shook his head, looking straight at a familiar, grizzled elder. "Y'all clear out, ya hear? Ain't no good for the situation for yer added tension."

"Tch. No way in hell." Standing at the front of the group, old Hatchkin shook his head. "We're not about to let the Library trample over Ikaruga any longer. I ain't stepping away 'til you send 'em packing, Jubei."

"Well then. Guess I'd better mosey along n' sort this out." With that, Jubei crept after Jericho, toward one of the landed Shebalves waiting at the rear of force. As he knifed between the ranks, he granted all who met his gaze the same look, a warning to not march on the town. And none who fell under such scrutiny harbored any further thoughts of doing so; not on penalty of incurring the wrath of a hero. Soon enough, he was past the soldiers and out of sight.

After casting an anxious look over his men, Kagura leaned on the sword once more. He glanced off to the side, up the grassy hill, and blinked as the grass shifted. He drew the midnight blade out of the ground and turned back to the soldiers. "Stay here. I'm gonna check something out real fast."

He marched up the hill, sword across his back. As he approached its crest, the grass rustled again. He stopped short and smirked. "Come on out. Don't worry; not gonna hurt you."

The grass fell still, and he sighed. "Well, if that's how you're gonna…"

A man jumped out of the brush from behind the crest of the hill, mammoth sword raised overhead. Ragna roared as he brought Blood-Scythe down. "Go to hell, Library bastard!"

Kagura caught the attack on his own sword, noting that a feminine squeak arose from the grass. "Mine's bigger." He lunged forward and struck Ragna in the gut, buckling him. "Alright, look. Not here to hurt you. You guys here with Jubei or something? Because he's probably gonna work out a truce here. We'll pack up and leave, maybe with a few steelrams. That work?"

"Tch. 'You guys'?" Ragna rose to full height again, snarling. "Dunno what you're talking about. Just me here."

"Really?" Kagura smirked. "Pretty sure you've got a cute little companion with you. Why doesn't she show herself? Shy?"

"I'm telling you I'm alone, asshole."

No sooner did the words leave Ragna than Tsubaki stepped out as well. She came to Ragna's side, slightly behind him, but looked upon Kagura little fear. "You… you're from the Mutsuki family, aren't you?"

"Oh! Hey there!" Kagura grinned and waved, which prompted Ragna to grip Blood-Scythe tighter. "Yayoi family, right? How's Gesshy doing? And… um, what brings you out here?"

Ragna opened his mouth to shout at Kagura, but Tsubaki nudged him to keep him silent. "I honestly can't answer that; I've been traveling with Ragna and Jubei for the past few months." With a sigh, Tsubaki looked away. "We're here for supplies. I assume we'll be leaving Ikaruga entirely once we're finished. Um, please don't attack this place."

"…Tsubaki, right? You were there at the last Duodecim meeting, weren't you?" Fighting back a chuckle at the naivety of the request, Kagura stepped closer, although he kept a wary eye on Ragna. Once close enough, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "Gotta say, you've grown nicely since then."

"Don't touch her." Ragna swatted Kagura's hand away. "Piss off already, and take your army with you."

"Ragna, please." With a light blush, Tsubaki stepped forward and bowed her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you here. May I ask your current rank, Kagura?"

"Well, hey, you do remember me. Awesome. Um, Colonel right now. On the brink of a promotion to Brigadier General, though." Kagura grinned at her star-struck gaze, pointedly ignoring Ragna's discontented grumbles. "So, why're you with Jubei, anyways?"

"He's training us." Although he kept his scowl, Ragna's grip on the sword Jubei had lent him loosened. "Um… sorry for kinda attacking you. Not about to let anyone here hurt Tsubaki, and… uh, yeah."

"Hey, no worries, man. If I had as cute a girl as Tsu with me, I'd be about that protective, too." Kagura chuckled and extended his hand Ragna's way. However, his sidelong gaze remained fixed on Tsubaki. "So, who're you, anyways? I mean, you're privileged enough to have Jubei train you."

"Name's Ragna." Ragna scowled at the hand stretched toward him, and chose not to return the handshake. "Now, how about you go back to your men instead of staring at Tsubaki?"

With a nervous laugh, Kagura backed away. "Well, hey, can you blame me? Look what I have to march with; not a girl in sight. I figure—"

"I don't give a shit. Get outta here already."

"Alright, alright." With a defensive wave of his hands, Kagura turned and started back down the hill. Well, least he'd been able to chat with a cute chick. Too bad he was in the midst of such an ugly operation; it had been eons since his last date. About halfway down the slope, he cast them one last look as they crouched behind the grass again. "Oh, hey. Listen. If this whole thing erupts—which I don't intend to let it—get out of here, alright? Don't you guys to get hurt here."

No response came, and Kagura sighed. Oh well. He made his way back to his troops. Judging by their palpable anxiety, negotiations were still underway.

Back up on the hill, Tsubaki scowled at Ragna. "What's your problem, anyways? He wasn't out to hurt us."

"My problem is that he's a Colonel for the Library, in charge of an invasion force, and I'm not about to let him touch you." Ragna returned the frown. "Listen, you gotta stop trusting everyone, okay? It's as good a way to get killed as any."

With a scoff, Tsubaki looked away. "Not even trusting a family friend is acceptable?"

Ragna pointed to the gathered army. "Does that look like coming in peace to you? For all we know, his orders are 'exterminate everyone in the area'."

"The Librarium wouldn't order such a thing."

"Right. Because it's totally pure and bloodless in this war."

Tsubaki opened her mouth to retort. However, a thunderous cacophony drowned her out. A pressure wave rolled over them, flattening the grass in its wake and kicking up a storm of dust. By the time the heat hit, they had finally turned to the source of the blast.

The Shebalve that served as the hallowed grounds of negotiation lay in smoldering ruins.

At the sound of thunder, Kagura dropped to the ground, as did every last soldier around him. He looked up at the rising smoke that billowed from the remnants of the Shebalve, and realization struck him. As he found his feet again, he eyed a pair of soldiers scrambling off their bellies as well. "Kotomine. Seward. Investigate and report, on the double."

"No." Jericho's icy voice slipped from somewhere, although Kagura couldn't see him anywhere. "Negotiations failed. Orders were to kill Tenjou, his guard and all further resistance. Jubei proved the latter. He is disposed. Commence invasion. Accept surrender of civilians, but none else."

"What?!" Kagura straightened up, snarling. "You can't be serious! You destroyed a Shebalve to take out Jubei? Are you mad?!"

"Fight with Jubei suicidal. Had pilot set missile to fire without opening port, then escape. Slipped out, left Jubei behind. Simple. Effective." Jericho reached Kagura, and gave him an icy stare from beneath the cowl. "Give invasion order, Colonel."

"I will do no such thing." Still snarling, Kagura looked back over the wreckage. How the hell could this have happened? He'd been the wary the moment Jericho had been placed among his ranks—what use was an assassin within a traditional army, anyways? Wondering what stake Jericho had in this town's destruction, Kagura shook his head. "We have yet to conduct proper negotiations with a leader. Jubei was a traveler. I'll—"

"Jubei spoke on town's behalf. No further negotiations." Jericho looked among the gathered soldiers, and drew a piece of paper from his robe. "Authority received directly from the Imperator, until NOL representative of choice arrives. I am countermanding Colonel Mutsuki's orders. Three units, scour city for civilian and resistance containment. One unit, to the mine. One unit, secure the refining plant. I will seek out Tenjou."

"Let me see that." Nervous about what he would find written on the paper, Kagura stepped forward and snatched the paper away. As he read, he deflated. As Jericho had said, the form bestowed authority upon the Wing of Justice 'in the event Colonel Mutsuki proves unable to follow through on orders'. God dammit, had this been planned from the start? Who exactly had sent this man, anyways? With a sigh, he handed the paper back. Oh, he was definitely going to investigate this at first chance. "…Men. You are now under his jurisdiction. I, however, will not join this slaughter."

Jericho's blue eye glinted. "Look forward to your next quarterly evaluation, Colonel. Prepare for—"

"Wait!" A young, feminine voice rose and Tsubaki raced in between the NOL force and the still growing crowd, arms spread to either side as though she could wall the army back. "I demand you don't come any closer."

"What the hell are you doing, dumbass?" Ragna raced after her and caught her by the wrist. "Get the hell back here! This isn't—"

"By what authority do you make your demand?" Jericho crept forward, hands hidden in his robe. Behind him, Kagura shook his head, a plea for Tsubaki to back off.

Of course, Tsubaki had no intention of doing so. She wrenched herself free of Ragna's grasp and scampered a few feet away. "By my authority as a Duodecim heir, I, Tsubaki Yayoi. Order you to leave this place."

And then Ragna's hand found her wrist again. Ragna buried his face in a palm. "You idiot…"

"Interesting." Jericho turned to his men. "I will track down Tenjou. Yayoi and her companion are resistance. Don't allow them to escape." And in a whirl of winds, he vanished.

No sooner had the leader disappeared than Ragna gave Tsubaki's arm a sharp tug and dragged her away. "Goddammit, Tsu! Come on, we're getting over to the…"

He break off as a cry rose from the soldiers and they rushed forward. A second too late in breaking along with Ragna, Tsubaki found a small group headed specifically for her. Snarling, Ragna jerked on her arm to speed her up, then let go and stopped to draw his sword. "Go! I'm right behind you!"

He didn't hear her reply as a soldier reached him and delivered a slash. Metal rang as Ragna caught the blade on Blood-Scythe, and he stepped in for a straight kick to the man's gut. As the soldier recoiled and took the defensive while allowing his comrades to assail Ragna, a scattering of small, grey orbs arced out from behind houses, tall grass, and high tree branches. On impact, the spheres erupted into a single, concealing veil of smoke. Knives rained down from above upon the soldiers, although one gashed Ragna's shoulder. Before Ragna could turn and bolt after Tsubaki, a wave of Ikarugan shinobi dashed by him to unleash an assault on the Librarium forces.

Ragna paid them no further mind. He took off out of the grey veil, desperate to find Tsubaki and keep her from harm.

As Ragna and Tsubaki vanished from view, Kagura scowled. He glanced at a small squadron of foot soldiers at his side. All were handpicked soldiers who, in times of peace, would serve in the Praetorian Guard. But for now, they were his personal force, existing outside of the otherwise rigid structure of the units. Even after Jericho's orders, they remained at Kagura's side, faithful to the end.

Kagura straightened up and gripped his sword tighter. "Hey, men. You saw those two? Yayoi and her friend? Follow them, and make sure you get them out of here alright. I'm gonna go find Jubei here."

No sooner had Ragna escaped the smokescreen than a hand clutched his wrist. Tsubaki yanked on him, eyes wide with fear. "Ragna! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, let's move, dammit!" Ragna bolted deeper into the town, all but dragging Tsubaki with him. "You okay? They didn't get you at all, right?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Tsubaki gave him a resolute nod. "Where are we going?"

"Outta here." Ragna broke off to the left, down an alleyway cutting between houses. "Out to the side, then we go figure out where Jubei's at. No way in hell that blast got him. No goddamn way."

"R-right…" Tsubaki glanced off to the side as they passed a library. She couldn't just leave these people on their own, defenseless before the oncoming military waves coming to crush the town. Her pace slowed for a few steps as she chewed her lower lip, and fell a few steps behind Ragna.

That was all the time she needed to vanish with a shriek in a blur of midnight blue. With a strangled cry, Ragna skidded to a halt and turned to pursue the Ikarugan ninjas and the cries of his friend. His right arm bathed itself in black mists and he swung the fist. A line of the Azure's force split the earth after them, but for naught. They broke to the side and bounded over a building, vanishing from sight entirely with one last cry for help from Tsubaki. "Get the fuck back here, you assholes!"

Panting, Ragna only sped up. Behind him, a cadre of Library soldiers broke after him, but he paid them no mind. Nor did he particularly give a shit when a cannon went off to blast down a shop, fortified to protect the Ikarugan resistance held within. A column of smoke rose from the remains, one of two dozen similar plumes that dotted the town. The smoke proved a beacon, and an Ikarugan ninja downed the soldiers pursuing Ragna with a set of well-thrown kunai. None of that mattered in the least to Ragna, though. No goddamn way was he just going to let those bastards abscond with Tsubaki.

What they hell did they want with her, anyways? She'd put herself in danger's way to defend their people; why the hell would they abduct her? With a roar, he drew the blade Jubei had loaned him. They were not getting away…

"Stop right there, you treacherous villain!" Another ninja descended upon him with a kick to the chest and sent Ragna skidding away. Bang landed and jabbed a finger down at him. "The loving people of Ikaruga take you and your fair friend into their bosom, and you repay them with violence and destruction? Are you but another murderous agent of the Library?"

"Get the hell outta my way, or I'll fucking kill you!" Ragna charged forward and swung the heavy blade at Bang's neck, caliginous violet fogging the edge. The ninja leapt back from the wild swing, and Ragna pressed on with a vicious kick at the gut. "And those 'loving' assholes just kidnapped Tsubaki."

"Lies and slander! My countrymen would do no such thing." Bang blocked the kick and came in for a punch. The gauntlet covering his wrist sparked just before it erupted into a burst of flame. "In the name of justice, I, Bang Shishi-"

"Shut up!" Ragna rose into the air with a heavy slash. The blade hacked through the ninja's robes, and a moment later an axe kick swathed in the same mists that coated Blood-Scythe sent Bang to the ground. After landing, he snarled down at the man, who clutched the deep wound carved into his chest. And gave him one last swift kick to the gut. "Asshole. I lost them…"

Ragna knelt down and grabbed Bang by the collar. "You're taking me to Tenjou, you bastard."

Out of the smoking ruins of a Shebalve, Jubei pulled his way back to freedom. He snarled as he finally escaped, fur and cloak scorched but no worse for the wear beyond that. As he turned and looked over the town, his ears flattened. Smoke rose from the inner roads. So Jericho never had any intentions of actual negotiation. So be it; he wasn't leaving the town.

A rustle from the other side of the wreckage caught his ear, and he crept around to take a look. The commander of the force—Mutsuki, wasn't it—stared around. "Ya lookin' for me?" Jubei stepped out, drawing his twin blades. "How 'bout ya call off yer men, hm?"

"Whoa, hey!" Kagura dropped his sword and raised his hands in surrender. No way did he want to give one of the Six Heroes reason to strike him down here. "Look, I don't got anything with this anymore. That guy you, uh, 'talked' to kinda countermanded my command. Was gonna order a withdrawal until then."

"…Is that so?" Jubei's eye narrowed. "N' yer just dawdlin' 'round here for what exactly?"

"Looking for you. Your, uh, students…um…" Kagura looked away and rubbed the back of his head. "Yayoi tried to stop Jericho from ordering the destruction of the city, and he kinda…marked them both for death. I got my own personal squad looking for them, though. They'll come back safe, I promise." So please put away those swords, he wanted to add.

"…I gotcha." Jubei turned and bolted toward the town, so fast and sudden he almost left Kagura out of earshot. "I'll find my students myself. You go n' deal with this Jericho."

Kagura blinked twice before giving a salute. "Yes, sir!"

Tsubaki struggled against the two ninja that held her bound by her arms, a hand covering her mouth to keep her from unloading a blistering storm of curses upon them. Her flails were to no avail, of course. But at least she got some vindication in chomping down on the palm that gagged her. With a shout of pain, the ninja withdrew his hand and glared at her from behind his mask. She skewered him with a defiant scowl. "What the hell do you want with me?"

"You're valuable, Miss Yayoi." The other ninja didn't even look at her. "As you know, your precious, barbaric Library's winning this war. With you in our custody, we may have a valuable bargaining chip. Wouldn't you agree, heir of the Duodecim?"

Tsubaki paled, her struggles frozen by the explanation. "You're going… to use me as a hostage? To blackmail the NOL?"

"Attempt to. The Library doesn't seem to hold your life in high regard." The ninja closed his eyes and sighed. "My…apologies for this, especially after what you did. We hope this will not come to a situation where you must die. But our options are becoming progressively more limited."

Tsubaki just stared down, throat parched dry. It took all of her effort to ask, "Where are you taking me?"

"To meet with our leader. Lord Tenjou."

Outside the town, a lone figure leaned against a tree and smirked. This was just wonderful. The death, the destruction, the screams of agony… Could there ever be a symphony finer than this? Of course not. Not even the cowardly ninjas and their guerrilla tactics occasionally taking out scatterings of Librarium soldiers—no, marauders, could ruin this scene. All apprehension that Mutsuki's soldiers might be incapable of delivering this deathblow to the Ikarugan rebellion was mercifully for naught. Elevating one as dutiful as Jericho to such a position was, in hindsight, a stroke of genius; he doubted quite strongly that Mutsuki had the gall to actually order the attack. Well, guess who wasn't getting that promotion anytime soon, then?

Throwing back his head, Hazama laughed and started forward into the city. Everything was perfect. Everything was according to plan. Maybe he wouldn't need the Kisaragi runt after all… No, Jin still would need a role to play. But that could wait until the assault on Wadatsumi…

He froze. Was… Did he just see that right? Blood-red jacket, spiky white hair? Of course, he viewed the city from a distance, so there was no way to be sure. But still. Hazama's smirk formed once more. If he had seen that correctly, this could get very interesting.