Epic I: Home

Ragna groaned as sunlight hit his eyes. It took him a second in his drowsiness to realize that he wasn't sleeping on the ground, but in an actual bed. Sadly, realizing this brought memories flooding back from the day prior. 'Saya...' Ragna thought sadly before he shook his head. 'No, I can't mope like this. I need to find something else to do, something that can take my mind off of it.'

After making the bed he'd slept in he went down the stairs and saw Jubei sitting down on the his rocking chair with his eyes closed. Ragna tried to be quiet, but the slight creak the floorboards gave off caused Jubei to open his good eye slightly.

"Good morning," Jubei said to Ragna, still relaxed on his chair. "Sleep well?"

"I guess, given..." Ragna didn't need to finish that sentence. "Did Celica and Kokonoe already leave?"

"Yeah, but when did you meet Kokonoe?" Jubei asked.

"She brought me some tea last night to help me sleep. Thank god for it too, I wouldn't have been able to doze off otherwise."

"Guess I must be getting old, about a year ago there was nothing that went on in this house that I couldn't hear. Now I sleep right through it." A low rumble was heard and Jubei realized it had come from Ragna's stomach. "Hungry? I'm pretty sure that Celica left us some bread and eggs for breakfast. After we eat you can just take it easy today."

"No," Ragna said, surprising Jubei. "If I can't do something to keep myself busy, I'm going to go crazy. You let me sleep here last night, what can I do to repay the favor?"

Jubei thought to himself for a moment before realizing Ragna had a point; he needed something to keep his mind off his sister's death and there was plenty to do around the house. "Alright, we still have a few pots to clean from last night. If yer up for it you'll have to restock our water barrel when that's done. Just be sure to eat first, you won't go long if you don't eat a good meal."

"I'm already used to going without food for days at a time, I'll be fine," Ragna assured him before noticing the authoritative glare Jubei had sent his way. "...But I guess I can eat something beforehand."

"Smart move," Jubei told him as Ragna grabbed one of the plates of eggs.

The chores Ragna had been assigned hadn't been that hard to take care of by any stretch of the word, but it had still surprised Jubei that Ragna had come to him barely an hour later asking for more work. The elderly beastkin had debated on sending Ragna into town for supplies, but knowing the town's apparent hatred of the youth Jubei decided he'd take care of those errands himself. Though knowing Kokonoe would hate it, Jubei then asked Ragna if he could try organizing her desk.

When Ragna stepped into Kokonoe's work room he knew he'd be there awhile. Not only was the entire room crammed full of cluttered paper heaps, there were blacksmithing tools laying about, herd and incense mixed together, strange glasses filled with liquids of vibrant colors, and sigils drawn around the room that Ragna had never seen before. After staring at the room for a moment, he decided it be best if he dove and got started.

An hour or so later, Ragna still hadn't made much progress. He'd managed to make a small system for the papers, but there were still holes in his idea and there was just so much to go through. Documents on politics, armor, weapons, even a select few on different types of magic. There had to be over two hundred times more knowledge here than he'd found in the thrown away books he'd used to help teach Jin and Saya to read when they were little.

"At least I managed to get all of that moldy food out," he said to himself. Indeed, he'd come across a few plates of uneaten meals or simply unwashed plates. As he started to put another paper away, he noticed it was the tenth copy of the same sword he'd found since he'd started his job. "What the hell is this Blood-Scythe anyways?"

Later

Celica and Kokonoe were dragging their feet as they made their way to the well sized house they called home. Both ladies had needed to endure an exceptionally long day at work; Kokonoe had needed to complete an alchemy exam that she'd been preparing for months ago and Celica had been called in to help some of the midwives give birth. Though Kokonoe knew how much Celica cherished her job, she was too damn tired to care about how cute the seamstress's newborn had been.

"And he's just got these beautiful big blue eyes and these little cheeks I can't help but want to pinch!" Celica said giddily. "You should have heard him when he started cooing, it was just adorable."

"That's great Celica," Kokonoe told her cousin for the umpteenth time so far. The Grimalkin had passed her exam with flying colors as always, but this procedure consisted of multitasking up to twenty different things at a time. She'd known Celica hadn't had an easy day either, and worse yet she still needed to make dinner for everyone.

"I hope Uncle Jubei managed to get everything that we need for dinner," Celica told her sister. "I was planning on roasting a pig from the butcher's tonight to welcome Ragna, but it's getting late so I might just have to make stew again."

"Yeah, well maybe we can make something tomorrow or something," Kokonoe told her before sniffing the air as they came close to their house. "Funny, I'm smelling roasted pig. Did Jubei decide to start it himself?"

"Maybe," Celica said with a shrug. Jubei had been the cook of the family before Celica had decided to move in with them.

When the two opened the door they found Jubei sitting on his rocking chair as he'd been when they'd left him early that morning. The smell of roasting pig was potent in the air and it smelled delicious to the three of them.

"Uh Dad? Shouldn't you be cooking the pig?" Kokonoe decided to ask, expecting Jubei to realize that he'd just left the boar to cook.

"Ragna's got it," Jubei said simply. "Tried to tell the rascal to wait until you got home and not to trouble himself, but the kid's been keeping himself busy all damn day."

Kokonoe took an actual look around the house and realized the Ragna had been extremely busy. The pots have been scrubbed clean, the floors had been swept and washed, the water barrel had been refilled and there was a fresh supply of firewood, and now he was busy working on making them all a nice dinner.

"Damn, I wasn't expecting him to do all this," Kokonoe commented. "I guess I'll drop my stuff off and get ready for dinner then." Celica headed upstairs with her as Jubei waited to the explosion to take place. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY ROOM!?"

In an instant Kokonoe was downstairs and boy did she look pissed. She glared at her father, her nostrils flaring as she gritted her teeth waiting for an answer. Jubei just calmly sat back in his chair.

"I asked Ragna to clean it, figured if he wanted to keep himself busy he'd be there for awhile. You should thank him; looks like he worked hard."

"Thank him!?" Kokonoe shouted, no one messed with her work room. Her family often referred to that room as Kokonoe's domain for a reason, and now an outsider had entered this forbidden realm and desecrated it. Kokonoe was god of the workroom and god was NOT happy.

"Um..." Kokonoe turned her head and saw Ragna standing in the doorway to the kitchen looking very nervous. He was wearing a new set of clothes Jubei had given to him, he'd washed himself after grabbing the water from the stream, and he was also currently wearing a white apron that Celica often used when cooking. "Dinner's ready."

"Thanks for making it!" Celica said as she cheerfully came downstairs and took her usual seat at the table. That was when she realized there was an error in the setup. "Ragna, you only put enough plates and silverware for three people."

"Sorry, but I don't feel like I'm up for eating with all of you," Ragna admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I've been through a lot and-" He paused midsentence when he noticed Kokonoe stomping towards him. Before he could react, the Grimalkin grabbed his ear and tugged harshly. "OW! WHAT THE HELL!?"

"So you think you can just go into my room, rummage through my stuff, and get away with it!?" Kokonoe yelled into the ear she was using to hold Ragna in place. "You're going to suffer at the table like those two!"

"Kokonoe!" Jubei yelled, scolding his daughter.

"ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT! Just let go of my damn ear and I'll bring dinner out!" Ragna yelled at the slightly shorter woman.

Though only somewhat satisfied with the answer given, Kokonoe released Ragna. The youth groaned as he grabbed his ear, rubbing the sore spots where Kokonoe had gripped the tightest. He muttered a small string of curses under his breath which was heard by both Kokonoe and her father. Kokonoe rolled her eyes and Jubei let out a sigh as the two took their seats.

This was the first time Ragna had tried cooking pig, but he'd used to same teaching he'd used when he'd needed to cook meat for his other siblings and stuck with that. He also applied spices to the roasted beast and that even heated a few small loaves of bread to accompany the main course. Ragna set down the boar on the table and set a place and silverware for himself before taking off his apron. He then took his seat and waited for everyone else before digging in himself.

"This is so good!" Celica said with a mouth full of food as she eagerly dug into a slice of the pig. "Ragna you're a life saver! And here I thought I'd have to cook stew for dinner again!"

"Uh... thanks," Ragna said as he bit into his own pig. He couldn't really understand what she was getting so damn giddy about, it was just food right? Looking to the other end of the table he found that Jubei was also looking incredibly surprised as he enjoyed his portion of the pig and Kokonoe was trying her best to remain passive, but still seemed impressed.

"So how'd today treat both of you?" Jubei decided to ask the two ladies.

Celica was about to jump right into to talking about the adorable baby she'd helped deliverer, but her older cousin decided to answer first, partly to just so she wouldn't have to listen her drabble on again.

"Managed to pass that damn test. Most of the projects were simple day to day alchemy tasks that had you making healing salves and other D grade mixtures. It took me all day to convince them that I knew what I was going, even though they'd used the potions on some of the wounds the army trainees had gotten and it gave them the results they wanted. Just being stupid I guess?"

"Hey Kokonoe?" Ragna asked. The Grimalkin looked at him expectantly. "What exactly is it that you do? I saw a couple of those papers and there was a lot more on them than just alchemy, so what are you studying?"

"I'm studying to become the king's advisor," Kokonoe told him. "While the king's the brute force and the political power of Rendul, the advisor holds almost all of the smarts and lays the options for decision making. But they're so much more than just that; they're alchemists, inventors, philosophers, blacksmiths. Hell, my mother was this first woman in over a century who had the right to even touch Blood-Scythe!"

"Blood-Scythe..." Ragna said, mostly to himself. "I saw that name in your notes quite a few times. What even is it?"

"Ragna..." Kokonoe deadpanned. "That's the name of the king's sword. Blood-Scythe is quite possibly the most important symbol of all of Rendul since it's been with us ever since our kingdom's creation over three thousand years ago. In all that time, the blade's never been broken once, it's never dulled in the slightest, and it's even shown amazing powers in it's suppressed form."

"Oh."

"But Ragna?" Kokonoe looked at him sternly. "Go in my room again or look through my notes and there'll be hell to pay."

"Kokonoe calm down," Jubei told his daughter. "It's not like I had him clean your bedroom."

"I don't think Ragna would've survived the job if you had," Celica said with a giggle.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kokonoe demanded.

"I think you know what I mean," Celica said slyly.

Kokonoe continued to demand answers and Celica continued to avoid answering. Jubei chuckled at the scene and Ragna managed to crack a small grin. He admitted that he liked it here, staying with Jubei and the girls, but he was worried.

"Hey," Ragna asked, his tone low. Celica and Kokonoe stopped their little back and forth to listen to Ragna. "How long are you guys willing to keep me around?"

"What are you talking about?" Jubei asked. "You think we're just gonna kick you out after everything you helped us with? I'm not going to throw out kid. I'd be sad to see you go. As far as I'm concerned Ragna, your home's here with us."

Ragna turned to Celica who gave him a bright cheery smile. Then he turned to Kokonoe who was eating her dinner, but he saw her give him a small smiirk. It'd only been a day, but they'd already accepted him into the family when no one would even accept him into the town.

"..Thank you." It was all he could say, but it was all he needed to.

One Week Later

Ragna had kept working the entire time he'd stayed with Jubei. Even though his foster father had told him it wasn't necessary, Ragna did his best to keep the house clean and keep the meals cooked in time. Part of the reason was his obligation to Jubei, but he was mainly doing this so he'd keep his mind off of his sister. He'd had to suffer through nightmares of reliving her death every night, and he'd woken up screaming most of the time. While he'd appeared fine on the outside during the day, it was little more than a facade as he tried to keep himself from going completely berserk. This wound he had was one he thought would never heal.

Currently he was sweeping the front steps of Jubei's house, trying to ignore the glares he got from those who passed him by. Ragna had started going into town in order to gather food and other necessities for the family he now had and so far it hadn't gone too bad. Most of the people did give him a mean stink eye, but he'd just shown them the list saying it was for Jubei and they gave him what he was buying. Overall though, the town still resented him, more so now that he'd been showing his face more, so Jubei decided he'd buy supplies today.

Ragna had just finished sweeping the steps when he heard footsteps coming towards him. They were trainees for the king's army, six of them, all of them a year or two older than him and most of them were taller than him. They were all dressed in leather practice armor, wore wooden practice swords at their sides, and looked like they wanted to start trouble.

"So it's true," the lead man said with a sneer. He had messy blonde hair, fair skin, and a very long nose. "Our local devil's hired himself out to work for the ex-general and his kids. Who would've thought? What, did they promise you their souls if you worked hard enough?" A couple of the kids let out demeaning chuckles.

"I've got nothing to say to you," Ragna said, already on edge; last night had been to worst night for his nightmares thus far and he'd barely gotten an hour of sleep, and none of it was peaceful.

"Good, you sound like a moaning prostitute anyways," the same one retorted. The others laughed while Ragna was practically seething. "But speaking of them, where's you sister anyways?"

"She died a week ago," Ragna said, trying his hardest to keep if temper under control. If he lost it now he'd lose his life with Jubei, Kokonoe, and Celica. He kept telling himself he couldn't lose it, he just couldn't.

"Aw, that's too bad. Guess you can't sell her for a copper or two anymore," the lead boy laughed and his cronies howled. "How many times did you force her to do you before she croaked from the plau-?"

A horrid cracking sound was heard down the street as Ragna's fist met his instigator, dead center in the face. The fool was sent flying six feet back before his back slammed to the cobblestone. He laid their dazed as blood trickled from the wound Ragna had given him.

"Boss!" one of the flunkies shouted. His leader slowly lifted his hard up his eyes filled with fury.

"Be broke by bose!" he shouted as he grabbed his face in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. "BE BROKE BY BUCKING NOSE!"

"It's an improvement," Ragna said darkly. The other recruits could practically see that he was seething with anger. He spoke again, this time sounding like something from the darkest pits of death. "Get the hell out of my sight."

"He's just one runt! Teach him a lesson!" A thug shouted as his friends all rushed Ragna with wooden practice swords. Ragna roared as he met to meet them unarmed, ready to let out a week of pent of aggression he'd had ever since Saya died.

Later that Night

Ragna hissed as Kokonoe applied the healing ointment to a bruise on his cheek. The pink haired half-cat had told him that his wounds could get infected and if she applied some of her special mixture it'd both prevent that from happen and the wounds would be healed by morning. What she hadn't told him was how much it would sting.

"Ow!" Ragna shouted as another helping ointment was applied to his cheek. "I'm fine damn it!"

"Quit whining already," Kokonoe muttered. "You're lucky I had some extra ointment or you'd have to get this taken care of tomorrow when Celica or I finally master that damn healing spell."

"I'd rather wait!" Ragna shouted before Kokonoe applied yet more ointment to the wound. "OW! You're putting too much on!"

"Who's the expert here, you or me?" Kokonoe questioned.

"Who's the one who has it out for me after I destroyed her precious workroom? Oh yeah, you are!" Ragna bit back.

"I don't have it out for you," Kokone said, putting down her jar of ointment. "At least not anymore... I guess I was pissed that someone went through my room and saw everything, but at least you didn't throw anything important away... and I guess it's easier to find stuff now."

"Hm? Is that a thank you?" Ragna asked, not really sure if it was.

"Not quite, my threat from earlier still stands," Kokonoe told him. "Is that everything?"

"Yeah that's it," Ragna told her. Kokonoe glared at him, causing Ragna to gulp. "All right, all right, I have a wound or two on my chest or back, but they'll heal up quick." Kokonoe's glare intensified. "Okay! Okay! Jeeze!" Ragna complained as he took his shirt off, causing Kokonoe to blush slightly.

Judging by his arms, Kokonoe figured that he had to be fit, but she was still a little surprised when she got a look at the full package. Ragna's abs were already perfectly developed, a little too developed for someone of his age. Though his shoulders were pretty broad, his waistline was slim. He also had some weird birthmark just under his neck, but Kokonoe had never seen the symbol before. Looking over him, she doubted she'd find a pinch of flab anywhere.

"Well, are you going to apply the damn stuff or not?" Ragna asked, a little annoyed that he'd needed to strip his shirt.

"I'm just looking at the wound!" Kokonoe said, a little too hurriedly. She started applying ointment on Ragna's left shoulder. This time Ragna didn't grimace, apparently already used to the pain. Because of how close she was, Kokonoe finally had a decent look at Ragna's biceps. Trying to get her mind off of her 'patient,' Kokonoe tried to bring up a conversation. "So what did my dad say when he saw you like this?"

"Nothing," Ragna told her. "He just had this sort of sad look in his eyes, but he didn't say anything to me other than I should ask you for some ointment when you get back. I guess he wants me to explain when I'm ready or something."

"I can't believe those recruits were picking a fight with you," Kokonoe told him as she kept applying the ointment. "Was this the first fight you've been in with them?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't the first time they've bothered me. When I still had my siblings with me they'd often hit me with a practice sword just to prove a point. They're all sick assholes in my book."

'Funny,' Kokonoe thought to herself as she applied ointment to a bruise on Ragna's back which was just as toned as the front. 'You'd think if was hit was a practice sword when he was that young he'd have some kind of scars, but I'm not seeing any.'

"That should do it," she told him as she finished applying ointment to the last wound. She then closed the jar and put it in her alchemy bag. "I'd tell Jubei about the fight sooner or later if I were you. Those freaks are probably going to spread a nasty rumor about you and you'll want Jubei on your side if things go from bad to worse."

"I don't need his help, and frankly I don't want it. I've probably given him enough grief as it when I moved in... It's a miracle the town hasn't burned your house down yet."

"Idiot, you still haven't figured it out. We don't CARE what the town thinks of us now that you've moved in, and I was already getting enough trouble before you turned up!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ragna asked as he checked the ointment on his chest to see if it had dried yet, it hadn't.

"I'm a grimalkin, that means half-beastkin half-human, I've only been described in books as an 'impossible freak of nature.' It didn't matter that my dad was an old war hero or that my mom was the king's first advisor rather than the other nine men who were older and clearly more experienced than her, I was a freak in their eyes and I probably still am. When Celica's parents died in that Fullnear raid, the orphanage wanted to take her in instead of leaving her with a family of freaks."

Ragna didn't say anything at first, then he slowly brought his hand up and ruffled Kokonoe's hair, just like he used to do with Saya (Kokonoe's blush brightened). "I guess we're all freaks, but at least with you and me it's only appearance and blood. More than what can be said about everyone else."

"I guess," Kokonoe said, inwardly admitting she kind of liked it when Ragna touched her ears. It must've been her inner cat because she had the strangest urge to start purring.

"Ragna! Kokonoe! Dinner's ready!" Celica called as she walked up the stairs. "Ragna! Ko...ko..."

Celica saw them; a shirtless Ragna with his hand on Kokonoe like he was going to pet her, Kokonoe blushing madly, but seemed to be smiling through it. She then saw them jerk as if they'd been interrupted by something very (as it seemed) intimate. The shock finally hit her head and she passed out on the floor.

Ragna and Kokonoe stared at the passed out midwife before the former decided to speak up. "So... got any smelling salts in that bag of yours?"

Meanwhile- The Palace

Azrael sat in his office, simply mulling over life and collecting his thoughts with a glass of his favorite mead that was imported from the Vermillion fiefdom. The stuff was expensive and hard to come by, but even a brute like him could savor the tastes of finer liquor. When he wanted to drink in excessive amounts in a vain attempt to get drunk or just make a show and drink fifty men (and thirty women) under the table, he drank the cheap stuff. But this, this was the stuff where he'd take his time with it; he'd sip a small amount, let the taste and texture cover his senses, he'd analyze the current taste, and he'd try to think of what the taste reminded him on, and dwell on the memories brought up until the taste was gone and he wanted more and then the entire process would repeat itself.

Though it normally took close to a half hour to get through a single glass by these means, this was his favorite part of the day;, second only when he was in the heat of battle. This was the time when he could simply lounge in his office, enjoy a drink of premium mead, and let his mind wander to whatever battles he would remember... so it annoyed him beyond description when a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Lord Azrael, may I trouble you for a moment?" the voice on the other side of the door said. Even without his trained hearing, Azrael could tell that the voice was strangely muffled. Not that it mattered to him, he heard everything he needed to know about the person on the other side. They wanted something from him (most likely his strength or authority) and were willing to sacrifice all sense of pride in order to brownnose for what they wanted. By definition, a coward that Azrael wanted nothing to do with.

"No, so get lost," Azrael rejected, about to take another sip. The glass was close to his lips, ready for the next round of his drinking ritual.

"Please my lord, it'll take little more than a few minutes of your time."

Azrael would've been more than annoyed with the mere fact that he'd been interrupted not once, but twice, but when he stopped moving the glass a precious few drops of liquor escaped from it, hitting the floor to never be enjoyed. He gritted his teeth and grunted in annoyance, this was around the time that idiots started screaming.

"All right then, come in," Azrael said, failing to keep his tone level.

The door opened revealing a second-year recruit from the Reapers. The cause of the muffling was a group of bandages plastered to his face, healing salve that wouldn't completely heal the wound until the next morning. Beside his nose, the boy's right arm was also in a sling and it seemed he had other bruises as well.

"I am honored that you were willing to hear me out my lord," the recruit said. "Surely your tales of strength and honor are mere understatements when compared-!" Azrael snapped his fingers, interrupting the recruit and sending him a glare that said 'get it over with, or else.' "My lord, I, Seno, was travelling with my fellow recruits after our daily training exercise when we were ambushed by the devil. Normally it'd be little problem to shoo the little hellspawn away, but he came at us with a form of demonic magic, something he told us he sacrificed his own sister to obtain. We were greatly outmatched, but I took the worst of it as I let my follow Reapers escape. It's a miracle that no one managed to die and-"

"Get to the point, what do want me to do about it?" Azrael said, his patience wearing thin. He noticed that the boy seemed to be eyeing the bottle of liquor he'd left out, almost as if he was expecting to be offered a glass. Azrael wasn't willing to give him piss he'd make from the liquor; it was too good for someone like him.

"My lord, we've allowed that half demon to stay in our city for long enough. This RAGNAROK is truly a curse upon mankind and needs to be dealt with as such."

Azrael starred blankly at the man for only a moment, then he smirked, then he chuckled, then he let out a bellowing laugh. "You're pathetic."

"What?! My lord, why do you say that?"

"Because it's true," Azrael told him. "You and your little group of flunkies can't handle one simple kid so you come crying to me so I can handle it? I'm no fan of this supposed 'devil,' but I can tell you that you've managed to insult me more than he ever could."

"But my lord!" Seno shouted. "I carry the proof on me! These demonic wounds are the result of a blood sacrifice of-!"

"Let me tell you something kid," Azrael interrupted, a cocky grin on his face. "If you and your friends had been attacked by demonic magic we'd be sure of it. You know why?" Seno thought hard before shaking his head. "Because you wouldn't be here talking to me about it."

Azrael wanted to laugh as the recruit gapped and tried to think of something to say. He'd never been one for humor, but this man right in front of him seemed to be a living joke. "Now get the hell out of my office."

Seno didn't say anything as he left. He just got out of the chair and walked out the door and closed it, trying to keep his pride intact. Azrael chuckled to himself as he picked his glasses up and admired the liquor inside before bringing the glass to his lips once more. Before he could take an actual sip however, the door opened again to interrupt him.

"I thought I told you to-!" Azrael shouted before realizing that it was his brother, the king, that had entered. Now Azrael was regretting telling him he could come in without knocking. "Oh it's you. Sorry, just had to deal with a fool of a coward."

"You mean Seno who just left?" the king asked. Azrael nodded. "Funny, I thought he was the greatest swordsman of the second year cadets. How did he get those injuries?"

"From what he claims it was the work of the local devil," Azrael told his brother. "I can't really take him seriously when he claim that the devil learned black magic and he only managed to wound him. If that had been real magic I'd have known."

"It doesn't change that he was defeated by this upstart. I thought he'd be able to conduct himself rather well. Swordmaster Varis always gave him a favorable evaluation, but he must've been exaggerating if he can't even handle an unarmed, untrained boy."

"His own fault then, but I'm sure that you came here for more than just an update on that trash. What can I do for you Argus?"

"You're not fulfilling your duties, I want that to change."

"Which duties?" Azrael asked, taking another sip of alcohol. Closing his eyes for a moment as he savored the taste.

"Your duties with my daughter."

'Oh right, I'm supposed to be the protector of the heir,' Azrael thought to himself. "So, has the princess been assassinated?"

"No," Argus told him.

"Has she been injured in an attack?"

"No."

"Have there even been any attempts on her life?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Soooooooo," Azrael said in confusion. "What am I doing wrong?"

"I'm not talking about your duties as guardian, I'm talking about your duties as her uncle," Argus clarified. Noticing his brother roll his eyes the king let out a sigh. "You've barely spent any time with her the time you have spent you've only watched her from afar doing nothing. Can't you do something to change that?"

"Do I have to?" Azrael groaned to himself. "It just sounds like more pointless work to me. The one time I did let her decide what to do she wanted to braid my hair." He noticed his brother's snickering, probably thinking about seeing Azrael with his hair tied in a ponytail. "Have me watch her when she gets older, you know I can't stand kids."

"Well as your king I command it. You need to learn to human at times instead of relying as a battlefield as a way to get rid of your aggression. Spending some time with my daughter should help with that."

"Whatever, I'll try to take her to something fun tomorrow or something, but my hair stays the way it is."

"If that's what you want," Argus said before leaving.

Azrael then proceeded to finally continue with his drinking ritual uninterrupted. This sip being the last one of his glass. This time he thought back to Fullnear, his crusade of revenge, how he broke through entire armies with just his two fists, he was practically reliving all of the battle, all of the carnage he'd created... In his eyes, it was glorious.

Wanting more of his special liquor, Azrael reached for the bottle on his desk, before realizing it wasn't there. He looked to the floor and the bottle wasn't there either. Then he remember when he'd closed his eyes for a few lax moments during his talk with Argus, the perfect time for the king to steal his favorite drink.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

Author's Note: Don't own BlazBlue.

Since no one's putting up their OC into the pot and everyone wants me to forget about adding Keyz's OC's I guess this is now an OC free story. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but I tried to make it a little long for you all. (6000 words instead of 5000).

Review Responses:

Yuuki Terumi ouroboros master: Probably not going to make this Ragna x Celica, but pairings have yet to be truly determined. My favorite pair is actually Ragna and Nu, but I'm probably not going to be doing that here.

White Knight of Truth: Jin might be psycho, but I don't really have any plans of that for right now. Glad you enjoyed the story.

BloodedgetheReaper2113: One person hooked, let's see if I can fish for more.

Guest42: Thanks for the praise, now where's my cookie?

Blacklace70: I tried to make this emotional and I guess I can see some Naruto fanfiction in the last chapter, but I guess that's not a bad thing

Animeandgamerlover2: Wait no more, here it is.

Adv: I was crying when I wrote it... kind of glad I wasn't the only one.

Anony: See you soon.

Keyz05: By popular demand I'm afraid I'll have to drop your OC's. Good luck on redeeming yourself though.

Guest: Here's the second one.

IdeaPerson1097: I COMPLETELY forgot Arakune, but now I have the perfect idea for him.

Warlord13: I included as much as I could in this chapter, so hopefully I'll give you what you want.

Black sun 123: Afraid I don't know enough about the series to put him in.

Savage Theron: With Nu I keep going back and forth between my options... there's just SO MUCH I could do with her. And having Saya come back to make Ragna's life a deeper hell? I'm not that sadistic.

BlazBlue Fan: Hey, if it's my story I'll take it as a compliment.

Guest: Don't worry, this story is now OC free.

ZERONEX: I guess I just have a hidden talent for the more sorrowful chapters. I'm an emotional man at heart, so it was kind of hard for me to judge.

See you all next time. Next I'll update the much awaited 'Loss, Redemption, Revenge!' ...Well that or I'll put up the second chapter of 'Azure Guilt' before that, either way.

Until next time! Ciao!