Chapter VII: Caretaker for a Vampiress

"Dammit, that… that just SUCKED!" Ragna groaned as he sat on the side of Rachel's rose garden. He was covered from head to toe in soot, it felt like he'd never be clean again, and he'd have been coughing like a smoker for a solid week if it wasn't for his healing factor. "I still can't believe we had to go through all of that just to get a fire out."

"My idea's results speak for itself, does it not?" Rachel said trying to maintain an air of superiority and composure. In truth she was just as exhausted as Ragna from her efforts, though at least she hadn't needed to step into the fires.

With neither entirely sure of the condition of the mansion's main water source or if they'd have access to it during the inferno, they'd been forced to improvise to ensure their water source and that meant working together in only the most unorthodox of ways. Rachel was the mover, constantly teleporting Ragna in and out of her realm while Ragna was the muscle, filling up every container he could with lake water before Rachel teleported him back. From there it was rushing around as fast as his legs could carry him and extinguishing as much fire as he could before being sent back to refill the containers. He'd barely managed to save the mansion's furniture in the courtyard once he'd broken down the fire enough to where he could finish it off with a shockwave from his sword (doing it earlier had only served to spread it further like Rachel had said, something about the fire's unique property)

"Looks like we weren't able to save much," Ragna groaned as he got up and fruitlessly dusted himself off. "Now what?"

"You'll need to be cleaner than that before we proceed to the next stage of the plan," Rachel informed him.

"Pretty sure your bathroom is cinders right now, so I think you're going to have to deal with-" One final teleport for good measure and Rachel had sent Ragna off. She used the few moments she'd been given to finally catch her breath before regaining her composure and bringing him back, thoroughly soaked. "Right into the lake? And after I did all of that to help you out?"

"Stifle that mouth yours and follow me; we have plenty of work to do and…" She couldn't look him directly in the eye. "I'm trusting you a great deal here."

"You have a funny way of showing it," he grunted before shaking himself off, not unlike a wet dog. Rachel found a miniscule amount of humor in it. "Look, I might've done my fair share of repair work now that I don't have to worry about fighting every damn day, but I'm not sure I'm up for fixing your manor. Especially not for the kind of quality and recreation you're looking for. You'll have to get Valkenhayn and-"

"I possess a method to repair my entire estate down to the fine details, I'm just requesting your help with what comes after," she interrupted as she looked on at the smoking of her castle. "I'll need you to clear the smoke before we proceed."

"You sure you want me to do it? These shockwaves are pretty rough and even a controlled one's going to cause some damage to what's left of the foundation. We could still salvage some of that framework."

"I'm aware. That won't matter with my plan and for right now I need to conserve every bit our energy I have left. In fact, I want you to blow the rest of the foundation away, so don't bother holding yourself back."

"…Last chance," he said as he carefully unslung the Aramasa once more. Rachel only gave a single solid nod. "Hope you know what you're doing."

Ragna slash was so powerful that what little smoking husk remained of the Alucard dissipated in a cloud instantly. Rachel's still active Tsukuyomi shield protected the roses from the violent backdraft, but it faded the moment the winds had settled down.

"Good. Now we find a path to the basement," she instructed as the two became walking the cleared ground floor, carefully stepping over the remaining rubble.

"You couldn't just teleport us there?" Ragna asked as he tried to keep an eye out for the path down. "Found it, but there's a lot of debris in the way."

"Again, you can clear it aggressively now. There's not much point of finesse until we reach my father's vault." Ah, that explained why she couldn't teleport them inside; plenty of protection from that kind of entry. With a hefty swing he managed to clear the path in a single blow, though Rachel didn't descend just yet. "I'm trusting you more than anyone save Valkenhayn by bringing you here; this is the deepest den of secrets the Alucard family has."

"Got it, stay quiet on the whole and don't touch anything without your say so. You gonna tell me your plan now?"

"In due time," she promised as they followed the stairway far below the Alucard manor.

Undoing the great seal at the front, Rachel led them inside her family's sacred vault. There were magical objects that seemed to defy any conventional sense and rare treasures that Ragna assumed could buy an entire city. One thing of particular note that got his attention was a collection of horridly shattered crystals. Some blue, others yellow, purple, and even red. Somehow it almost felt… nostalgic.

'Why can't I remember why though? I shouldn't have forgotten any of the old timelines now.' "Hey, Rachel?"

"I can't remember either, but I know at one point they weren't shattered and the display had a different seal around it." She wasn't hiding anything from him, somehow they'd both forgotten. "We need to stay focused on the task at hand."

"Right, sorry," Ragna apologized as Rachel lead him to a sealed door in the back. "A vault within a vault?"

"One of two… the other holds my father's coffin." Ragna didn't feel the need to ask anything more about Clavis Alucard. "This one though…" The seal was undone and the door opened, revealing a mass of energy within a containment circle. "It contains the heart of my realm."

"The heart, eh?" Ragna asked as he got close to take a better look at the pure energy within. "Seems pretty active with all the damage that fire just did."

"Thankful so, I couldn't be certain," Rachel admitted. She wasn't normally this giving, Ragna noticed. "From here though, my real work shall begin so you'll need to listen very carefully."

"Shutting up and listening," he told her humorlessly as he crossed his arms.

"This core is not only the most important part of my realm to protect, but it also holds the potential to repair my manor. I have the ability to manipulate this with my power, but it's not going to be easy. The process is going to be extremely taxing on my body, which is why I'll need you afterwards."

"You going to be in any danger?" So much for shutting up and listening, but Rachel wouldn't fault him with that question.

"If you're asking if the process would kill me, then only if I'm reckless. Something I know better than to be. Afterwards though…" She was hesitant at this new vulnerability. "You'll have to do almost everything for me. For a time at least."

"It's going to drain you that bad?" Ragna didn't bother to hide his own worry, far past the point of putting up walls for that. "Okay, what's almost everything?"

"You'll have to carry me everywhere and that's just the start. You'll need to prepare my meals, my tea, sit me upright to make me comfortable. Quite a bit." She turned away from him slightly. "I'll… mange to bathe and dress myself, but I'll need you to settle the prep work beforehand as it's going to be excruciating to do even that much. Allow me this bit of modesty though."

"…You're right, this a lot of trust," he admitted. "You… sure you don't want me to grab Valkenhayn for this?"

"I promised him a vacation and I'm not about to go back on my word," she insisted.

'Might as well let her have her pride while she can still have it.' "I understand what you're saying, but why don't I try to fix it? I'm in better shape than you are."

"You'd have to be an Alucard to access this power and you don't know the specific incantation I'll have to use. Short of utilizing the direct power of the Azure Flame, you won't do anything to core. And if you were willing to go that far…"

"It'd just be quicker to use the Azure and rebuild the place myself." Rachel nodded. "Okay, but maybe there's still a way I could help you; if I transfer my regular power into you and you use that as the conduit, you'd be left in a better state afterwards."

"That…" Why was she blushing? "Could… possibly… cause me certain side effects."

"Side effects?" Ragna repeated. "What kind of side effects?" She answered him, but it was so quiet he couldn't hear it. In fact, she was even covering her mouth so he couldn't read her lips. "Rachel?"

"…pregnancy."

Ragna a good sputtering mess for a full minute after that revelation. When he'd finally come back to his senses enough to speak, he could only get one word out.

"HOW?"

A correct choice at least.

"You'd essentially be transferring your essence in this case and due to the process I'm undertaking, it would… manifest inside me as a sort of union." She still refused to look him in the eye. "It's not the same as a physical pregnancy of course, but… I'm in no hurry to explore the differences. Or either option if I'm being frank."

"Yeah… let's… not," Ragna grunted. 'If the old geezer came back to that… Let's not even consider it.'

"Agreed, so I'll rebuild my manor from the ground up," Rachel concluded, refocusing her mind after that revelation.

"Hmm… actually, you just said that heart affects this entire realm. Does that mean it's possible it can turn back time for the rest of the mansion?"

"It should be able to," Rachel informed. "Why would you propose that alternative?"

"If I'm supposed to be taking care of you, this'll mean we'd still have the food so you wouldn't need to worry about recreating that much down to the details. Probably a worthwhile investment since I'll be stuck here without you."

"An…" Whatever half-mocking backhanded compliment, Rachel stopped herself. "A sound idea Ragna." She was stopping herself from playfully insulting him, Ragna knew he couldn't let her down now. A magic circle appeared before her and the heart of her realm started to pulse. "Even if it appears that I'm in great pain, you mustn't stop me. That would be the most likely cause for my harm."

"Right, but stop yourself if you're getting in over your head. This ain't worth it after everything we've been through." A small smile tugged at the corners of Rachel's mouth, only to be replaced immediately with a harsh wince as the heart began to glow. 'Come on Rachel, you got this…'

While she'd winced, it was more out of shock than any physical harm. Instead of pain, what she felt was her very power leaving her body. It reminded her of the Nemesis Horizon where she'd been unable to maintain her role as an observer, but she couldn't think back to that. Not now. Not when it was already a fight for her to remain conscious, let alone maintain her connection to the heart of her realm so she could turn back the clock. Soon though the entire realm began to rumble, but as it did and (she hoped) time was resetting, Rachel could feel her entire body grow further numb as she lost all feeling.

'Just… a little… further back…' she could barely voice in her own mind as her vision blurred. With one final push of effort, all of her vision turned to void and all feeling was gone. She'd lost consciousness before even beginning to fall.

Later

"Don't… try anything like that again."

That was the first thing Ragna said to her when she regained consciousness… or was it only the first thing she'd been able to hear him say? Rachel awakened to find herself in her bedroom, restored how it had been before the fire down to the exact details. She'd been tucked into bed, but with her blankets only gently atop her to provide no resistance to her breath. She was still in her dress instead of her usual nightwear, but considering her circumstance that was more a result of dignity.

"Are you okay?" Ragna asked from where he'd pulled a chair at the side of her bed, likely having watched her the entire time she was unconscious. She opened her mouth to give him a dignified response, but the stress of getting the words out caused her to wince. "Sorry, bad idea to have you do too much at once. Hmmm… How about winking then? Left wink for yes, right for no." …She sent him a skeptic look. "Your left or right. Okay?" Left for yes. "Good. Now we're getting somewhere."

Glancing her head out her window (which still took solid effort) Rachel glanced outside to her estate, only to find it the exact same as she'd left it that morning. It was almost ironic, she'd spent so much time in her war against the world's stagnation, and yet she'd just put so much effort returning her own world to an exact prior state.

"Didn't look around much since I was supposed to keep my eye on you, but I did make sure that nothing in your kitchen was about to start another fire." Rachel at least had strength enough to give him a dignified roll of her eyes. "What did you want to reset the entire mansion a second time? I'm being careful with everything here." She hated how she couldn't voice a rebuttal to him. More agonizing than her numbness. "Anyways, next move. Next move… How about I try to make you something to eat? I'll just heat us both one of the old man's meals and we can think about what to do from there." Left wink. "Alright, up you go."

Pulling the blankets of and gently picking her up, Ragna began carrying the vampiress in the bridal style. Using what muscle control she had, Rachel wanted to glare up at him but the Reaper hadn't a choice in this manner and she didn't have the bodily functions to manage that. Instead she settled for keeping her head down so Ragna couldn't see her blushing.

He at least knew where to take her so she didn't have to worry about guiding him. Getting her situated in the large chair at the head of her dining room table (with plenty of cushions to help with her height), Ragna did his best to make her comfortable. Leaning her back at a comfortable angle so she wouldn't need to make the effort to sit upright.

"You going to be okay if I leave you here to make the food?" A slight up-down movement from Rachel, but he needed to be certain. "Was that a nod?" The wink for yes. "Okay good, I'll try to hurry back."

Making his way into the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator and was relieved to find that it was fully stocked. Locating Valkenhayn's premade dishes in their Tupperware, Ragna selected a container of vegetable soup which would be perfect for her assumably sensitive stomach. Bringing it down, he found some paper attached to the top.

"Hell is this?" he swore before snatching the note off the top of the container and getting a better look at it. "Oh, cooking instructions that Valkenhayn left. Good that I'll know exactly how long to heat it." …Then paper started unfolding to show more information. "…And I'll know how to work the microwave." …Even more flaps that reached all the way to the floor. Every detail for working the microwave written out in only the most excruciating detail. "…How the fuck was she able to burn down her entire mansion with this?"

Glancing over to the object in question that had caused all of this trouble in the first place, Ragna was suddenly filled with a harsh dose of dread. Rachel had to have input the directions correctly, right? Did that mean that the issue was with the microwave? How was he supposed to protect Rachel if another fire broke out and she was stuck this defenseless? Steeling himself, Ragna knew she had to eat and began following Valkenhayn's exact directions. It took over five minutes just to get the microwave started this way and he didn't his eyes off it once he had. He waited for something to go wrong, especially with his luck; a single spark or a rotted wire is all it would take.

…Nothing, he got the dish out of the microwave and it appeared cooked to perfection. Baffled at the current situation, he then made his own dish in the microwave and set it without fully reading the instructions. This was risky, but he HAD to know. Knowing in this instance meant that the dish would once again come out perfectly without a flame to speak of. …And it did.

'…I could give her SO much shit for this,' he considered. True, Rachel had asked him here because she needed the help, but with just how uppity she tended to be with him it would pay to have some worthwhile argument ammunition. 'Nah, I'm looking at this the wrong way, I've needed her help before and she's given it to me… after some convincing… and plenty of hazing… why am I against this again?'

Because he'd matured. And that meant leaving this pettiness aside… so long as Rachel proved she could do the same.

It wasn't anything nearly as fancy as Valkenhayn's presentation, but Ragna had quickly assembled a small tray complete with both bowls and their needed silverware. Rachel was sitting right where he'd left her, not that she'd had much say in the matter. Setting down the food, he took a seat right next to her.

"Need me to feed you?" A reluctant nod, but one that he could see much easier this time. "Okay, you're getting your strength back at least. Let's hope that means you'll be back to your old self before long." Rachel wouldn't argue with that even if she could have. "Alright, so…" Rachel opened her mouth just wide enough for a small spoonful which Ragna gingerly gave her. No issues to be had so the two had their meals in peace. Only once both bowls had been finished did Rachel speak.

"…Thank you."

"Oh, good. You can talk already. That's pretty fast progress," Ragna commended. "And your first words out of your mouth are actually thanking me? I could get used to this."

"Don't count on it," Rachel insisted, though she knew she'd have to count on Ragna for a time yet. She then managed to turn her head to the empty bowl. "Ironic, this was exactly what I was trying to cook when the manor burned down."

'Good lord Rachel, that just means that there's no chance that you had to do anything harder than what I was just doing. And everyone chastises Noel for her cooking… Okay, if it HAD been her the would've been irradiated instead of just on fire. We still got off easy somehow.'

"What are you thinking about?" Rachel asked with an accusatory glare.

"Stuff that I've learned to keep to myself by now." At least she accepted that answer. "So am I still going to need to carry you around?"

"Certainly for a time, I can tell that I haven't gotten that much of my strength back," she informed before sighing. "What I'd really like to do is freshen myself up with a hot bath and a new dress, but even with your assistance in the preparations I won't manage it on my own."

"Nothing for it then, we'll just have to hold off until you're well enough for that," Ragna conceded. "Did you just want to go back to sleep for a bit then? You're probably still exhausted you're probably in the mood to call it after a warm meal."

"Actually, I doubt I'd be able to fall asleep that quickly and I was already bored to near tears without my loss of independence. You accepted the honor and responsibility of being temporary servant, that involves keeping me entertained."

'Bullshit, like Valkenhayn could've kept you entertained. If he could've, you wouldn't be bothering me every damn chance you got.' Ragna kept these irate thoughts to himself. "Maybe you can insist on calling me your servant, but I'm not about to be your damned fool. No matter how many times you've called me that in the past."

"I was implying nothing of the sort." She tried not to smirk as Ragna gave her an unamused glare. "…This time."

"And there it is."

"No matter, for all I require for my own entertainment is for you to bring me to the library. I just so happen to have a copy of your book I've been meaning to read and critique you on."

"You have my book? …Guess that explains at the criticism I got from your toys last time you kidnapped me," he grunted before lifting Rachel up, once again in the obvious bridal style.

"You're going to leave those dirty dishes?" the young vampiress lectured.

"Once I've got you set up with my book I'll be back to make 'em sparkle," he promised.

Getting Rachel set up in the library wasn't too difficult; he simply found her most comfortable couch and gathered a few additional blankets for both comfort and to hold her in place while she couldn't rely on her own strength to do so. His book, Travelling Bloodedge, had been left on the accent table right next to her already. Even though he didn't see a bookmark, he figured she'd probably made some steady progress on it at least.

"Okay, that should be good as long as you're able to hold it," Ragna said as he watched Rachel take the book into her hands. She didn't appear to be straining from it, but Ragna knew that even in her current state Rachel was nothing if not prideful. She managed to open it without much difficulty, but scowled as she looked at the contents. "If you don't like it, I can find you another one."

"It's not that; I'm having difficulty reading. These words appear blurred in my eyesight."

"What the-? I don't think you should be so nonchalant over that," the Reaper insisted. "Remember what almost happened whenever that Tsubaki chick tried using the Izayoi?"

"This is hardly the same and I can see most objects and distances just fine. My issue lies squarely with your writing on the page."

"Guess you can't exactly enjoy my book if you're not able to read it." The book did have its fair share of pictures though; both from the few photos Ragna had taken during his travels for material and even some illustrations done by a starving artist. Nothing too spectacular, but he wanted every bit of flair that would help it sell and garner positive review (he needed every bit of help he could get there). "Want me to read it to you?"

"…So long as you're offering," Rachel agreed. She'd expected Ragna to take his book back, but instead he lifted her from her chair before taking the seat himself, leaving the petite vampires lying against his chest as he held the book before both of them. "Wha-? You-? Ragna!"

"This work for you?" the Reaper asked densely as if nothing were the matter. His nonchalant behavior eventually broke through to her and she simply nodded. "Great. Now I'm not seeing a bookmark anywhere in the thing. Where do you want me to start?"

"You may as well start from the beginning," Rachel instructed, using what little strength she had to shuffled against Ragna's chest and make herself truly comfortable.

"Right then. Chapter One-"

"Don't forget your introduction as well," she insisted.

"Alright then. If you're reading this book expecting some great insight into the Nemesis Horizon War, an apology or admission from my crimes, or even my opinion and standing with our world's current government, then you've picked up the wrong book. I'm here only as a simple writer with a new lease on life he never thought he would have. Even that never changed my outlook on the world as whole, but now that I can travel with a new appreciation with the chance I've been given, I've decided to use the chance to put my thoughts to pen. If that's not enough for you then I encourage you to pass this on to someone else. Or maybe you were that someone else and you're reconsidering your friends. Either way, if you're still reading this far then maybe you'd be willing to pay witness to my journey around this world.

Chapter One."

Meanwhile -Sector Seven-

"Anything yet?" Makoto asked as she impatiently tapped her foot on the cold steel floor. She always found any of Kokonoe's labs particularly unnerving, and she didn't even know some of the Professor's darker secrets.

"Depends if you're asking if I've found anything in the data, or if I've made any progress in getting you out of my lab undetected," Kokonoe responded. "The computer's doing its thing in sifting through and decoding absolutely everything of worth. I can take pride in knowing that there's nothing out there that my program can't crack given enough time. The problem is the multitasking I'm going to have to do with it; make sure my firewalls are up so no one's monitoring me, trying to break Azrael out, or just causing me needless crap. The last I can't prevent much; in fact I'm getting hit with more and more work all of a sudden, like they're trying to either get me to slip or run me ragged."

"Anyone in particular handing out all of these assignments? That could help us narrow down who's after you," Makoto asked.

"Wishful thinking. Not only is all of it coming from a good variety of sources, but they've all got pretty damn good cover stories too. If this is an actual attempt, their leader's being pretty damn organized. Can't even try to get the info out of Blood Hawk; he's being stubborn in his interrogation while in NOL custody."

"And you know that… how?" Makoto asked, wondering what Kokonoe was doing to infiltrate the Librarium.

"Because Kagura's also an informant and he's got access to all of those documents. Definitely much less shadowy than whatever Makoto was expecting. "Hard to get in contact with him though; that horndog seems to have a new girl with him every other night and I somehow he's found a way to turn communication off so I can't interrupt them."

'Same old, same old. Is he ever going to change?' In spite of Makoto's distaste at this news from her almost-lover, she didn't feel nearly as ashamed as she once did. It seemed that talking things out with Ragna had helped more than she'd thought. "Okay, what about getting me out of here then? I'll have to get back to work soon if I'm going to maintain my cover story."

"With everything else I just told you that I'm going through, it's been difficult to find you a route out of here. Especially while I'm trying to keep you hidden… Speaking of! Why aren't you in the cupboard!? If anyone comes in here-!"

"You have security systems in case anyone tries to break into your lab. Also, that cupboard was full of half-finished suckers and I just got finished peeling them off of my tail. You really need to get this place cleaned up every so often."

"Don't blame it on me! Thanks to this little coup I've gotta worry my ass over, I've had to constantly keep Tager in the repair and upgrade bay! He hasn't had the damn time to clean!"

'You're the one that made the mess,' Makoto thought but knew that it was better to keep that to herself. "What about Ragna? Has he found any trouble with the Sector Seven splinter cell since we split up?"

"I can't know for sure, but I don't think so. I haven't been able to track him through his phone since he just vanished out of nowhere." Makoto sent a look of disapproval at her superior. "I'm only bothering to track that bastard 'cause he's part of my mess! Once this is over I won't give two shits about following him!"

'I don't believe her, but I think at this point I need to believe IN her.' "But you're not able to track him down? Shouldn't that be worrying?"

"I would if he didn't have Rachel Alucard to worry about. Pretty sure you've met her." Right Makoto had run into the vampiress both in another timeline and during the events leading up to the Nemesis Horizon where she'd rescued Tsubaki. "My guess is that she's brought him to her own personal realm, somewhere I wouldn't be able to reach him… at least not without upgrading his phone."

"You mean you'd be able to make calls across dimensions? Why on earth would you want something like that?"

"Why not?" Kokonoe argued back, her smirk made it clear she was just proving she could do this for the sake of her own pride. "But I don't know why she's grabbed him for this long. Normally she only kidnaps him for an hour at the absolute most, but now he's vanished for nearly a full day. Wonder how she's putting her fangs in him this time."

"…Is that a euphemism?" Kokonoe actually paused in her typing so she could send a bewildered look at the fellow part-beast. "Uh… just asking?"

Back with Ragna

"Breakfast in bed?" Ragna offered as Rachel once again awakened tucked into her own bed. Just like the morning prior, the Reaper was seated at the foot of her bed only this time he'd grabbed a book from her library to occupy himself with while Rachel slept.

"No thank you, I've been stuck here long enough already," she answered before attempting to move her body and gauge her recovery. "…Still not enough to walk on my own, but I'll insist on bathing after I eat. It's been too long already."

"You could probably go without bathing for a month and still smell like roses," Ragna commentated, but decided to oblige as he bookmarked the novel he'd borrowed. "Not sure when you fell asleep in the middle of my book, but I carried you to bed all the same."

"And you still watched me sleep?"

"Not nearly as close as I had to last night; you seemed safe enough but I still wanted to be nearby in case anything did happen." In truth Ragna was starting to grow exhausted. Not only had he not slept during his time in the Alucard Manor, but he'd already had to play lookout for Makoto the night before so he was severely lacking on sleep… at least he'd gotten more than enough nap time in with Taokaka.

"Then from now on you'll be sleeping the guest room; I've already recovered so that my life is no long in danger," Rachel insisted. Ragna only gave her a nod. "Now… you promised breakfast."

"I did." Ragna pulled back the blankets and was about to once again lift Rachel bridal style, but she put her hand out to stop him. "Something wrong?"

"I have strength that I no longer required to be cradled," she insisted. "I'll suffice on your back for the time being."

"If you're sure," Ragna agreed as he set in a piggyback on hold where she'd only have to hold onto his shoulders whilst he supported her. "Do I need to worry about you being so close to my neck?" She tried to squeeze his shoulders in irritation, but with their current strength difference he barely noticed it. "Just asking, Bunny Leech."

"I thought we were past that unsufferable nickname by now," she scolded.

"Call me crazy, but something tells me that won't ever be the case," he answered back with a smirk as he carried her to the dining hall once more. "How long are your butler and toys going to be on vacation?"

"They'll return tomorrow," she informed. "And by the end of today most of my strength will have returned."

"Good, means that you'll be able to kick me out before they return," Ragna realized.

"Now why would I do something like that?" she asked honestly.

"Uh, because if I'm here when they get back, they'll know for certain something went wrong?"

"Valkenhayn will know either way; he's far too perceptive to think otherwise." Ragna had to give the old man that much. "As for Nago and Gii, they'll know better than to voice any opinion. Lest I give them a taste of my lightning."

"Uh, you sure about that? I feel like those two have a habit of getting on your bad side more than I can. Last time you came to talk to me you just said that you'd put them out of commission from a comment that they'd made."

"That… was an outlier," she insisted. "They won't imply that sort of thing a second time."

"What the hell did they even say to get you that worked up?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Pretty defensive there, but I guess not," Ragna shrugged. "Alright, I can stick around another night if you really need me to. Not like I have anything better to do."

"Good, and I'll ensure that you're able to make a cup of tea up to my standards."

"…In one night?"

"I'm a very strict teacher."

'So this is how she's going to get her kicks.'

Meanwhile -First Hierarchical City of Ookoto-

"Sloopy reports as always," Jin Kisaragi complained in silence as he looked over the most recent series of paper reports. "And I thought the Intelligence Department barely did their work back when Hazama was left in charge. Just about anything getting done around here with even a moderate sense of quality now seems impossible."

The recently promoted Commander was hardly ever in a good mood, but lately a personal matter had made his attitude even worse. So bad to the point that he even contemplated calling his own brother about it.

"Maybe once I'm done with his damned…" A sharp knock at the door. "WHAT?"

"Wow, you sure sound testy." Kagura's voice on the other side. He was one of the last people Jin wanted to see now. "How about letting me inside? I am still your superior after all."

Hating that Kagura still held that power over him, Jin opened the door and allowed entry to General Mutsuki. He smelled like booze, sex, and that he hadn't showered after either. The dark circles under his eyes hinted that he hadn't slept since either for that matter. Jin had to hope Hibiki would be back from his assignment soon.

"You haven't been answering my calls," Kagura noted as Jin closed the door behind him. He eyed the unopened bottle of brandy on Jin's desk, but the Kisaragi heir wasn't about to let him get within three feet of it.

"You've been calling my personal phone, meaning I'm not obligated respond or even answer," he brushed aside cooly before taking a seat at his desk as if Kagura wasn't even there.

"What's got you running around so dogged?" the Black Gale asked as he tried to grab a few of the papers, only to get his hand slapped away. "Hey."

"These are already disorganized enough without you messing them further… and weren't you in charge of finding a replacement records keeper? How could you ever hire someone that did this sloppy of a job?"

"…"

"…You slept with them."

"No, come on, I'm better than that," Kagura defended. Jin knew he wasn't and paused in his work long enough to give a harsh glare. "…I slept with their cousin and afterward they said they needed a job."

"Well it's clear that they weren't getting hired for their organization skills," Jin harshly reprimanded. "Get them in line or I'll have them gone."

"Aren't I supposed to be the one giving orders?"

"That would require you to acting like a General. And unless you're in front of Lord Homura, I have my doubts that you'll ever start."

"Eh, guilty as charged."

'How is it that he still somehow makes for an effective leader?' Jin thought with a sense of growing despair as he tried to refocus his work efforts.

"So… what are you working on? I know for a fact that you haven't sent any of this to my office," Kagura noted, slowly easing into a more professional persona.

"This is a request that came from outside our organization."

"You mean from your brother," Kagura clarified with a sigh. "What kind of shit is he stirring up now? You know I actually have the press asking for assurance that I can take him down if he steps out of line again? And him taking out Blood Hawk and collecting their bounty did NOT help ease public perception. Even everyone's undying faith in me can only be stretched so far."

"It's nothing that he's involved with, he's assured me of that much," Jin clarified. "This is just something that he noticed from Kagutsuchi. An underground fighting arena that seems to have spread throughout much of the city."

"All of this for a fighting club? I'm all in favor of helping the little guys, but doesn't it seem a little small picture for our organization and rank? I feel like we could do better work on some bigger problems."

"Such as?" Jin's question had been rhetorical, but Kagura had an answer in mind.

"Keep this to yourself for now, but I hear things have been getting sketchy with Sector Seven. Kokonoe thinks that there's going to be a splinter cell involved and it sounds like they might try going after your brother."

"He can handle himself," Jin insisted. "More to the point though, this fighting arena isn't as small as it appears to be. There are so many vigilantes getting involved, they're getting close to forming a small army."

"We still have rules against vigilante groups forming, but I take it they're not doing this in any official measure."

"Not yet, but whoever's there is clearly gearing up for something. I'd have Hibiki infiltrate, but we'll need another approach. Perhaps I could go undercover and finally get to the bottom of this mess. I need an escape from the office anyways."

"You mean you need an escape from me." Even in his current state, Kagura was managing to pull of a rare serious look. Apparently, he'd come in to discuss the exact matter Jin had been looking to avoid. "I heard about what happened with Tsubaki."

"If you heard it in proper context, then you'll know that I did the right thing. She'd already suspected what I was about to tell her and I wasn't about to play with her feelings," Jin insisted. "She's too important to me for that."

"But not important enough to…" Kagura stopped himself; that much wasn't Jin's fault. His follow-through on the other hand was. "You know that she's been a complete wreck these past few days."

"She's strong enough to handle it in her own way, and she has other friends that she can turn to for support," Jin reminded. "Of course, if you ever try to offer her more than support, you'll answer to my blade."

'Even if they're not together like that, he'll still watch out for her. I guess that's the best I can get out of him here.' "Let me know what you find about that fighting ring from here. If it really looks like it's going to cause us issues, I'll authorize an active leave so you can stamp it out on site."

'My first active assignment in months… I shouldn't be this excited for it.'

The Next Morning

"Whoa… guess you can tan," Ragna taunted as soon as Valkenhayn realized he was there. "Color me surprised."

"I'm sure I could handle the sunlight far better than you ever could," the butler immediately shot back. "In fact, I'm sure that the softest of rays would get all of your skill peeling off."

"Must you both be at each other's throats the instant you both see one another?" Rachel chided, back to her old self now that she'd regained all of her strength.

They were all in the manor's courtyards and while these three were focused on their little scuffle of a debate, Nago and Gii were more awestruck seeing Ragna. The implication that he'd been left alone with Rachel was too much for their minds to handle, only partly overridden by the fact that Valkenhayn wasn't addressing this just yet.

"I take you three enjoyed your vacations," Rachel assumed.

"…Indeed, my lady," Valkenhayn answered with a formal bow as he resumed his butlery persona. "It was ever so refreshing to take that extended leave that you so graciously awarded me, but I'd be lying it I didn't say I was more than happy to be back at your side once more."

"Of course, you were more than deserving of this time off after serving me so faithfully all these eons," Rachel kindly answered before shifting her gaze to Nago and Gii. "And both of you?"

"O-Oh! We had an amazing time on vacation, Princess!" Nago insisted.

"Y-Yeah! A lot of fun! And some real delicious food as well!" Gii answered in kind.

"I'm glad to learn everyone's satisfied with my decision, not there would be any doubt," the vampiress self-praised. In the next instant, Nago was in her hand as an umbrella and Gii was right by her side. "Now I'll have some errands to see to in the other world. Valkenhayn. Kindly see our guest off."

"With pleasure." He wasn't hiding his snarl at the Reaper.

'Great. This is the thanks I get?' Ragna thought with some annoyance, but remained silent. 'Some-'

"And Ragna?" Rachel began, stopping his thoughts. "…To my surprise, you performed admirably in your duties, especially for a first time. It wouldn't be fair to compare your services to Valkenhayn's… but it is rare for me to ever be this impressed. Thank you."

"…Heh, you're welcome," Ragna answered. As she vanished though, he couldn't tell whether her comment had her butler more or less irate. "Don't look at me; she needed help and insisted we didn't go to you. Wanted to make sure you had your vacation."

"Was that before or after the mansion was destroyed?" the ever-protective servant demanded.

"…Technically during; it was still on fire when she brought me here," Ragna answered truthfully.

"On fire!? How!?"

"The damn microwave. And I saw your instructions, I don't get it either." He shook his head. Valkenhayn's bewilderment only shone through for a mere moment before he'd recollected himself.

"…And the state she was left in after repairing her mansion?" he accused.

"Again, I suggested we got you, but Rachel's prideful and she can be just as worried about you at times," he answered. "She trusted me to look after her as she recovered and I was going to do every damn thing I could to live up to that trust." His words had been stern enough for Valkenhayn to believe him, but then he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Even if my tea's drain water compared to yours… her words, not mind."

"She still drank it?"

"Yeah, but not until I'd gone through an hour's worth of different attempts." He shrugged. "But you heard her, I stepped up to the plate when she needed me and even passed in her eyes. Not bad for a temporary substitute, right?"

"…I am loath to give you any credit."

"Tch, you think that hasn't become painfully clear by now, old man?" Ragna allowed himself as a small taunt. "Look, I ain't here for your job. Let's just call this pissing match here and we can get on with our lives. Sooner we do that, sooner I'm out of your hair."

"…Sound logic," Valkenhayn surrendered. "Now, where would you like me to bring you?"

Ragna didn't answer right away. He either thought that Rachel would send him back to Kagutsuchi or, barring that, she'd spitefully send him to some random corner of the world and let him figure things out from there.

"Can't say I got a place in mind," he admitted.

"…In that case, I might have a suggestion for you. An event of sorts that might even aid with writing your next book."

"You think so? And you're willing to help me out with that? Heh, guess you can be nice to me."

"Hardly. I'm doing this so Madame Rachel will receive your next book sooner. She does seem to enjoy reading them, but I have to wonder what scathing review she'll give next."

'Scathing review? She didn't say anything like that to me. …Is she bad-mouthing my books with her butler to save face? Come on Rachel.'

"Also, once you have the materials to start writing there will be even less of a need for the two of us to cross paths." Ragna had to admit that plan sounded pretty good. Even now with their exchange of verbal jabs, this was by far the calmest interaction he'd ever had with Valkenhayn. "Shall we then?"

"Lead on," Ragna accepted. A moment later he and Valkenhayn were teleported from the gardens… one of very few times he'd taken such a trip willingly.

Author's Note

Here's hoping that this chapter goes through properly. Have a Happy Friday everyone and I'll see you next time! Ciao!

Vanitas50: Thanks for reading.

Garyt237: Hoping it lived up to expectation.

Guardian of Azure: And it's already April, where does the time go.

Pillager of Twilight: No damn way.

Xaxiel1572: Here's your treat! Enjoy!