Shaky Foundations
(A/N) Moving on to Chapter 4 now, which starts an actual ongoing plot! :D
WARNING: A Tsundere Kokonoe, a sort of OOC Ragna, awkward sexual tension, and some naughty words courtesy of our favourite bitter cat and demon! :D
Chapter 4: Just this once
"Fine, I'll go to the bloody theatre with you! All right? Jeez..." Kokonoe groaned, prompting a cheer from the towering demon at her side.
"About time, I knew you'd break out of that sassy exterior soon enough!" Ragna grinned, doing a little dance that grabbed Kokonoe's glare with its ridiculousness.
Kokonoe had come to ask herself why Ragna seemed to hang about her lab so much. He constantly went on about how his one motivation in life was to destroy the NOL and find his sister, but for some reason he usually just visited her and generally loitered around, often being a total nuisance.
"Stop dancing, people might see you." She growled, elbowing him in the stomach. He dodged it with ease, but understood her desire and complied.
"You seem awfully worried." He stated, curious as to why she spoke out so suddenly. Kokonoe pulled out a test tube from her desk filled with a strange green liquid, and flicked it with a slender digit.
"Well, if you accidently jog me I might spill this highly unstable acidic compound all over your trousers." She laughed bitterly, her fangs curled into a grin at this sudden burst of confidence.
"I see, so your plan is to get my trousers off?" Ragna smiled, instantly finding something to point out in her words. "How cheeky, I didn't think you approached guys like that!"
A swift desk-chair to the cranium sent the man scurrying away, the fluorescent red face of the Professor twisted in rage.
"D-Don't flatter yourself, you bastard!" She called after him, prompting him to turn around and reply.
"Heh. Well, I hope this trip of ours sparks the first of many, Kokonoe!" He smiled, sincere hope filling his firm yet calm voice.
"... Just... Just this once..." She replied, casting her head to the side to hide her reddened cheeks.
As the door gently came to a close, Kokonoe's hands shot to her mouth.
Ragna had said to meet him on Saturday down at the local park, from which they'd traverse the bustling crowd and head to the theatre to watch a film he'd been hell bent on watching, "Attack of the Giant, Savage, Completely Invisible Aliens". Apparently, the film had won multiple awards for having some of the greatest effects in modern movie making, with the invisibility of the aliens being so real that reviewers couldn't even tell if there was anything there.
This was all fine and dandy; she could easily take a horror film. The problem came from the fact that it was almost 10pm on a Friday night.
She had about fourteen hours to prepare herself for her first outing in years.
For her first date.
"Tuh... Tager! Oi, Tager!" She called, grabbing the attention of the polite giant who was craned over his workbench as usual.
"Yes? What's wrong?" He asked gently, looking back but not turning from his work.
"... Do you know what I should wear for the dat... The visit to the theatre tomorrow?" She inquired, not being able to explicitly say the right word. Tager exhaled deeply, going over the question in his head.
He'd been on a few dates in his younger years, before he became a hulking mass of iron and muscle. Most of them weren't too complicated: Walks in the park, dinner at restaurants, that sort of thing. Still, he definitely had more experience in the field than the loud mouthed yet incredibly nervous girl firing the question at him.
"If I were in your position, I'd wear my usual." He said, a bulky finger rising up to reposition his miniscule spectacles. Ticking that off her mental checklist, Kokonoe moved on to the next question.
"Make-up? Should I wear some make-up?" She continued. Tager raised a furry eyebrow, his upperbody swivelling to let him look at her.
"Make-up? I thought you were going to the theatre, not a ball-room dance!" He chuckled lightly. Ragna only meant this trip as a friendly gesture, yet for some reason Kokonoe thought he was practically offering her his hand in marriage.
"S-Shut up, blockhead!" She shouted nervously, on the defensive and not understanding what he meant. She ticked off that option herself, remembering her previous disaster with Litchi's lipstick and eyeliner.
She'd actually been practicing with those in her spare time, and had managed to master the technique of applying lipstick. Still, eyeliner proved to be a dastardly foe, and she had made little progress with that particular beauty product.
"Anything else? How should I act?" She begged, eyes wide as her conveyer belt of questions moved on. Tager raised his hands, a tad bit bewildered by her jumpiness.
"Just act like yourself Kokonoe, everything will be fine." He said warmly.
There was a brief silence.
"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." She muttered to herself, walking out of the room in deep conflict with herself. Tager shook his head and returned to his work.
There's no winning with that girl.
X
Kokonoe had settled with getting a good night's rest, though for the eight hours sleep she planned, she barely managed two as she tossed and turned in anxiety. Morning came quickly, and in panic she got ready and left for the local park.
She'd been waiting there for at least fifty minutes now, arms folded irritably and her foot tapping rapidly as she slouched on a bench. She had half expected Ragna to be late, but this revelation still worried her.
Maybe he was lying? She theorised, paranoia kicking in. He doesn't care about you, this is just some sort of prank!
Kokonoe really hated how whiney her mind was sometimes. Why should she be worried? She knew Ragna would come, he was that kind of man. He would never abandon someone, especially her!
... Wouldn't he?
The area was busy, the scorching sun casting many a shadow of wandering children and happy families. Boys played with balls, girls sat in circles under the shade of trees and couples sat together near the artificial stream for a romantic picnic in the daylight.
The heat was unbearable for her, having spent most of her time inside the freezing cold lab. She breathed in deeply, feeling the effects of hay fever kicking in with her reddening nose and watery eyes.
"Damn hot today, hmm?" A young yet confident voice said from next to her. Turning her head, she saw Ragna the Bloodedge to the side with a bottle of dripping water in hand.
"Yeah..." She groaned, too exhausted by the burning rays of light to nervously mumble. Ragna threw his head back and took a gulp of freezing water, a trickle sliding down his sharp and angular chin.
Damn it, was he the only person in the world who made managed to look sexy when he was drinking?
"It's strange." He started, rolling up his sleeves. "Boiling in the morning, freezing at night. Has been for the past few weeks."
"Mmm..." She acknowledged, dazed and confused. Ragna frowned, and offered the bottle to her.
"Thirsty? Makes sense with this weather." He smiled. A shaky hand reached out to receive the bottle, Kokonoe's mind begging for the drink to repair her parched body. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Ragna had just taken a gulp from the same bottle, the tip having been touched by his lips.
Essentially, she was about to kiss him.
She shook her head and licked her dry mouth.
She was sounding like a little girl.
She took a small sip from the bottle, the embarrassed pink of her cheeks easily blending in with the overheated red of her body. Never before had a bottle of chilled water been so succulent and divine for her, partially due to her need for it and partially due to the sweetness she felt knowing that she was touching his lips.
"Better?" He asked, gently plucking the bottle from her grasp. She coughed to clear her throat, and cut to the chase.
"Y-You're late." She stuttered, glaring at him as if he'd stolen the last sweet in the tin. He smiled goofily, scratching his head.
"Well, I got sidetracked. Nothing too brutal; couple of kids who thought they were bounty hunters tried to take me down." He chuckled. Kokonoe let her eyes flutter, still recuperating from the burst of energy the water had given her.
"I was worried." She frowned.
"How endearing." He teased, the phrase seemingly becoming his motto over the past few months.
"S-Shut up." She whispered, hiding a faint giggle. Checking his arm for a non-existent watch, Ragna surveyed the crowd with a scowl on his face.
"Didn't think it'd be this busy today, should we get moving or do you think it'll die down?"
Kokonoe would've preferred to have sat down for a bit longer, but she had noticed a couple at the riverbank in the middle of sharing a kiss. A spike of embarrassment hit her at the concept, her stare having autonomously wandered over to Ragna barely seconds later.
"We should get moving." She mumbled, politely rising to leave the frisky couple be.
"Okay, grab my hand." He said absentmindedly, offering his gloveless hand to her to hold. Not feeling her grip, he turned around to see that there was a good few feet between the two. Kokonoe stood reservedly, her arms hugging herself and her shoulders tensed.
"... What's wrong?" He asked, his fingers flexing as if searching for something to find purchase on. Kokonoe shifted her weight to one foot, rocking back and forth in a childish manner.
"Do we have to... H-Hold hands?" She asked shyly. Ragna motioned to the bustling crowd ahead, a thick wall of fat and muscle blocking them from their destination.
"I don't want us to get separated, that's all." He replied, understanding the girl's nerves. Slowly she extended a frail hand, which Ragna took in a firm and secure grip.
"... Promise not to let go." She demanded rather than asked, shuffling closer and standing side-by-side with him. He smiled, finding this behaviour adorable.
"I promise." He said softly, prompting the cutest of smiles from the Professor.
X
Squeezing through the crowd was rather a daunting task to say the least. At many points Ragna was certain that he'd lost Kokonoe, only to find her still clasped to his hand firmly. When they finally emerged from the maw of the beast, they breathed a sigh of relief. With a chuckle, Ragna lead the way through the theatre door, their hands still held together.
His hand felt different to the last time she had held it, the rough texture of his glove being replace by the smooth, soft flesh of his human arm. It was inviting; she couldn't bring herself to let go of him. He seemed to have similar feelings, his fingers often times tempting to intertwine with hers.
She knew he'd never abandon her.
X
With a bright flash, the small chamber was illuminated by three high-powered spotlights. There was no trace of the alien's activity: No blood, no debris. Doctor Ricgard didn't want to come to such a conclusion, but it seemed apparent.
The alien specimen had escaped.
In the densely populated theatre, Ragna munched on a large pack of sweet popcorn balanced on his legs. To his side sat Kokonoe, sipping quietly on a small soft drink, and to her side sat a rather large fellow whose breathing was deeper than a Renaissance romance poem.
"Want some popcorn?" He asked, tilting the container to the side slightly to give her easier access. She was about to take him up on the offer, before suddenly she realised the position of the container on his lap, and choked hard on a gulp of juice.
A container of popcorn on his lap?
... Surely he wasn't...?
"Excuse me." A woman whispered, trying to slip through the small amount of leg-room that the theatre provided to return to her seat. With a hushed "Sorry", Ragna moved the popcorn away and flattened his body to let her through, as did Kokonoe.
So he wasn't doing that Kokonoe thought. Thank god...
As they sat back down comfortably, Kokonoe wondered why she'd suddenly concluded on such a perverted explanation for his offer. With a soft reddening of her cheeks, she reached out for some of the snack, awkwardly brushing hands with him as she grabbed a few sugary pops of corn.
The man held the gun to his head, his fingers twitching for the trigger urgently. With a grunt, Officer Lawes lunged for his arm and pushed it away. A shot was let loose, narrowly missing his cranium and lodging itself in the wall panelling.
"You're under arrest, kid!" Lawes growled, twirling the crying man onto his front and slapping cuffs onto him roughly. The gun span across the freezing kitchen floor and stopped at the fridge with a blunt conk.
"Just kill me! Kill me, now! They're EVERYWHERE!" He squealed, his eyes filled with terror as they begged for the pistol to return to his vacant hands.
"I hear this is where it really starts to get scary, so watch out." Ragna whispered, licking his sugar coated fingers and politely cleaning what remained with an on hand tissue. Kokonoe scoffed rather loudly, prompting a confused glance from the fat bloke next to her.
"Please, which one of us is the oldest here?" She smirked confidently. True, she was the older of the two by a good few months, but Ragna was certainly the braver and more mature one. His eyes filled with apparent concern, worry directed towards the girl.
"I don't want you breaking out into tears, Kokonoe. Do you want to close your eyes?" He chuckled. She scowled, flicking a chunk of popcorn at him.
"Shut up, idiot."
Lawes stepped back, his phone clenched firmly with white knuckles. He'd smelt the stench of blood before, the copper smell often overpowering him to the point of sickness.
It was coming from the kitchen.
Slowly tip-toeing towards the room with his weapon drawn, the image of a bloodied body slowly came into view.
It was Doctor Ricgard.
His body had been torn to pieces, his head cast aside like a stray piece of rubbish and left to roll away into a dusty corner. What remained of his body was completely limp; he was probably caught by surprise.
Nothing human could do such damage to a man.
"Bet you twenty that there's a jump scare here." Ragna whispered, the tense music of the film drowning out his voice. Kokonoe shook her head, already knowing that a jump scare was coming and not willing to offer a bet.
Lawes cautiously paced towards the body to inspect it further, gradually crouching and holstering his weapon. He made sure to leave the safety off, not willing to let his guard down. Upon closer review, he discovered that there was a journal in his hands, open and blood stained with the pen alongisde his severed head.
He was writing when he was killed.
Lawes rolled on his gloves and opened the book, not wishing to disrupt any evidence. The book primarily contained random notes on work, as well as dates for events with friends and family. He turned to today, the 13th of August.
They're here, crawling across the ceiling and fondling me with vile tongues. They're watching me, judging me, playing with me like a child with an anthill. I cannot get out, they shall kill me. I cannot speak out, they shall kill me. I cannot work any of this out, or they shall kill me.
The police officer has left to take a call now. Perhaps this could end well, if they do not reach out from the sky and pluck us from the mor-
The entry stopped there.
"Right here." Kokonoe whispered, prompting an absent nod from Ragna.
Lawes slowly looked up, the journal slipping from his hands. He saw floating blobs of blood highlighting the rough shape of a humanoid.
It screeched and launched itself towards him.
"HOLY CRAP!" Ragna and Kokonoe screamed in unison, jumping despite their predictions. The two grabbed hold of eachother in a firm hug, eyes wide in shock. Their grips were firm, defensive in their nature.
Once the panic dissipated, the row behind the two stared at them curiously, whispering and gossiping amongst theirselves.
"Are those two on a date?"
"I bet they did that on purpose."
"They look like a cute couple!"
Hearing this, the two exchanged a quick glance and let go, scooting away to increase the distance between them. Kokonoe quickly found herself a tad bit too close to the large man next to her, and went back to how she normally sat with a red glow on her face.
Sneaking a glance at Ragna, she realised that he was just as embarrassed as she was.
He was probably just angry at their suggestion of a relationship between them.
Or perhaps he was blushing for the same reason as her?
X
The two left the theatre with tense bodies and numb backsides. As their eyes slowly adjusted to the light of the lobby, they soon came to realise just how dark it was outside.
They discussed the film in length, praising the brilliant effects and acting from Lawes, but expressing joint anger at the terrible twist ending that was more predictable than the final score in a New Zealand – Japan game of Rugby. As they reached the exit, the chilling air suddenly hit Kokonoe hard.
"Ugh... How could it be this cold now?" She asked, folding her arms for warmth. The scorching heat from hours before was still fresh in her mind, and the sensation of the now chilly night air on her exposed body was extremely uncomfortable for her. Shaking his head, Ragna quickly whipped his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Here, I'm not cold." He said, marching forward to lead the way.
"... I-Is this how you flirt with girls then?" She stuttered, the fresh and intoxicating scent of sugar and aftershave emanating from the coat driving her already extremely sensitive sense of smell haywire. Ragna stopped and turned, flexing his stiff body as he went.
"What, is that what you're hoping?" He replied bluntly, offering his hand. Kokonoe smiled gently, taking his hand with a surprising amount of confidence.
"Shut it, dummy." She said softly.
X
(A/N): Woah, that was longer than I thought it would be! :P
I wonder what will happen next? :O (Well, I know... Obviously :l)