Slight limes ahead, no lemons just yet though.

Chapter II: Homecoming

"You're wrong. It's not my power, or the power of the Azure… it's everyone's possibilities."

Ragna finished the last thing he'd ever say with a content smile, enjoying his last moments of existence. The Black Beast's influence was even now threatening to overcome him as evident by his flesh slowly becoming consumed by its dark energy, but he wasn't worried. He'd held true to his promise; fighting as a human to the bitter end… and as a bonus, now he wasn't all that bitter over it.

Standing across from him, the dancing Observer Amane Nishiki shared in his smile as the doors slowly began to open. Though the dancer wouldn't remember Ragna or his effects on this reality, he knew he'd be there to witness the new world on all its chaotic splendor. Next to them the doors to the True Azure slowly opened, allowing the blinding light of countless possibilities to leak out. Ragna closed his eyes as he let it cover him. It felt… soothing. Something to send him on his way as he faded from existence.

And then… nothing.

But not nothing in the sense that Ragna was gone, more in the sense that nothing was happening. Slowly cracking his eye open, Ragna was looking at a very surprised Amane. Looking over himself further from there, now he saw that he was free of the Black Beast's influence that was threatening to consume him, though it wasn't gone completely. He could feel himself still carrying the True Azure, so that was something.

"What happened? Did it not work?" Ragna asked as he stared at his right hand.

"I… I don't know. It feels like the world's returned, but it's changed. To what I can't say without seeing it for myself, but you haven't been forgotten about, that I can promise you," the dancer explained once they'd gotten over their own shock. He gave the Reaper a small smile. "I think you're in for some awkward conversations now."

"…No kidding."

Present Day

It had certainly been a long night, much like Ragna had anticipated. Pack of Seither Beasts nothing, that had practically been an army he'd had to fight through. And maybe he'd had more than enough experience crushing armies, but he still had to endure a long trek following all that fighting. Wasn't even a good place to stop for cover and get a few precious hours of sleep, so now he was pissed and sleep deprived, never that great of a combination.

"Far from the first time I've had to go through with this shit; I'm just too damn used to peace time," Ragna had to remind himself. It wasn't a bad thing though, in spite of his earlier complaints to Rachel it was nice that things had finally calmed down in the world. Not to mention, now he had a new plan to move forward and live in it… He owed her that much.

It was a little out of his way, but well worth the trek for sentimental reasons. Walking to the top of a tall hair covered by a single tree, Ragna spotted the small grave before him. There was no buried body to accompany said grave, not in this one. This one was symbolic, something wholly dedicated to their memories of the individual. Letting out a deep breath, Ragna tried to put his best smile on for his non-existing audience.

"Hey Celica," he greeted. "Sorry I haven't stopped by in a bit." He struggled to find something to talk about, like he always did. In the end he just went for it.

"Ended up publishing that book I told ya about. Guess it's doing alright, but it's not going to ever erase this whole Grim Reaper stigma. Eh, what do I care? We both know I'm not the type to let public opinion bother me. Saw your niece a bit ago too… still feels weird to call Kokonoe that after everything that happened between all of us. She hasn't changed at all, like any of us were ever going to expect anything different. Bullet was there too; you remember her at all? You ended up helping me save her back when I had to fight off Azrael. Seems like she's doing alright, more than alright honestly."

This wasn't easy for him, especially with the chance he'd been given; the True Azure, the power of countless possibilities at his fingertips… and yet he couldn't fix this. He'd wanted to, he'd even considered trying for the damn longest time, but there was no telling what sort of butterfly effect that could have caused if he forced the Azure. It hurt him like nothing else and yet he knew that had to leave it be, that in the end this is what Celica would've wanted. He'd remember her, honor her as best he could, but he hadn't been able to truly save her, and he'd have to live with that.

"I really wish you could've seen this world; the same one that you fought and sacrificed yourself for, but I guess that's one of those things I just can't fix." He fought to get his smile back. "Eh, look at me being all mopey. You deserve better than to see me like this. Let's see… well I saw Jin a bit ago by pure chance. Thought he was gonna try and start shit again, but he actually wanted my help. Moving furniture around in his Librarium living quarters if you'd believe it. I think he's just trying to acclimate to the new world so he needs my help, but he's too damn stubborn to ask outright. Job seemed too easy at first, but it's those kinds of jobs that end up being a real pain in the ass. As soon as-"

Ragna would be recounting that insignificant story for a full five minutes. Did it help either of them, even a little?

He liked to think so.

Later

'Looks like it'll be raining soon,' the young nun thought to herself as she stared up at the cloud covered sky through the church window. True the clouds had been blowing this direction ever since that morning, but only now that they'd connected and darkened was it made clear that there was a total downpour on the horizon. 'At least the laundry should be done by now, I hope Noel isn't planning on walking back in this.'

Her plan set, Lambda headed outside and had to brace herself as the harsh winds took her by surprise and nearly blew her back inside. Preparing herself this time, she headed to the clothesline and began quickly began removing the cloth as quickly as she could, knowing she'd have to save folding the laundry for once she was inside. She'd just about finished when she got to the last item, the bed sheets which she always had so much trouble with. Getting on her tips toes she tried to get them down quickly, but a harsh gust of wind did succeed on blowing her back as she undid the last pin. Falling back with the loose sheet, she didn't make it far back before landing against something.

"Easy there, storm's picking up," Ragna said as he held Lambda so she wouldn't fall over. "Hey Lambda, you doing-?" He wasn't able to finish as the blonde turned and clung tightly to him. Smiling, he returned the embrace. "Heh, nice to see you too. Come on, let's get this inside before the weather ruins it."

"Of course," she answered, not dropping her smile as Ragna went about grabbing the sheets while she carried the rest of the laundry baskets inside before they blew away in the wind. It took Lambda more force than she'd been expecting to shut the church's front door as the wind continued to rage outside. "Thank you, Ragna."

"It's nothing, really. Sorry for dropping by unannounced."

"No need to apologize; we're always happy to see you come visit," she insisted as she began folding the clothes. "Was there any particular reason for coming this far?"

"Eh, missed you three, no other reason needed," he told her truthfully, only to feel a trickle raindrops on his head. Glancing up at the ceiling, he realized that wasn't the only leak as the storm had now truly begun. "Of course… you got any buckets?"

"There's a couple for cleaning in the closet; also we still have some old dishes we can use in the far right cupboard." Considering their options, it only made too much sense that Lambda was given the cooking duties of the three (Ragna dreaded the idea of her falling ill and leaving the others to cook in her place) so of course she knew where the dishes were. "I've got these rooms; can you check in our bedrooms for leaks?"

"On it," Ragna called as he quickly got to work. The were more leaks than he'd thought and he needed to make a mental not for where to repairs. He'd finished all of his assigned rooms save for one. "Nu? You in here?"

"Rag… na…?" came a weak voice from inside. The Grim Reaper finished opening the door and after identifying the emerging leaks, he gave a smile to the girl laying bed. "You… came to… visit… Nu?"

"In the flesh, and you're already saying a lot more than you were last time. Glad to see you're recovering so well."

Funny. Nu had been the literal death of him more than anyone else sans Terumi, but after saying that he wanted to save her and seeing her like this… he couldn't help but feel a little sad for the poor girl. There was no telling what had really happened with her mind when the world had been reset, he could mystery stand though as long as there was proof that she was still healing. There were only a few small leaks in the ceiling above, so he wouldn't have to head back in her after getting more holders.

"Are… you… staying?" Nu asked from the bed.

"For the night at least, I've been traveling for quite a while and I need to get some rest before moving on." Placing a bucket under the last leak left him close to Nu's bedside. "There we go, that should-" He paused as Nu gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hmm?"

"Stay here… for a while." There were now tears in her good eye. "…Please."

"…Alright." He turned his head to the hallway. "Lambda. You mind finishing up?"

"Not at all. Please, take all of the time you need."

Chances were good that she knew why he was staying in their bedroom. Wiping the tears out of Nu's eye, he pulled up a chair from the far corner and took his seat.

"Now… how 'bout a story?"

One story ended up being three, but he was fine with that. Still, he'd have to find a few more short story books to tell the fallen Murakumo unit in the future. Promising that he'd be back and that he wasn't leaving just yet, Ragna headed into the kitchen to check in with Lambda. She'd already gotten to catching all of the remaining leaks and had even prepared a steaming mug of tea for him while she slowly worked on her own cup.

"Thanks," he said with appreciation before taking a sip. "Damn, that's… that's really good."

"It was a housewarming gift from Rachel Alucard," Lambda explained.

"Huh… in that case I'm probably not supposed have this." He shrugged. "Eh, I'll just let her know she's got good taste in teas if she finds out; that'll be enough ego feeding to sooth her anger."

"You'd have to say it genuinely though."

"…Shit, you're right." Lambda giggled as Ragna realized the flaw in his plan. "So where's Noel? Don't tell me she's running errands in that storm."

"No, she needed to head out and see her friend Tsubaki. I don't know the details, but I don't think this was one of her regular visits." It didn't seem like she thought it was for a happy occasion either. "She left a few days ago, so I first thought she'd be making it back tonight. Hopefully she doesn't try to make the journey in this weather."

"You don't have any way to contact her?"

"She has the only phone between us; it might help if you actually got one," Lambda reminded with a pout. Ragna had been referring to something more along the lines of a Murakumo connection, but decided to leave it there. "She'll be back in a few days at most."

"So you're saying I probably missed her?"

"No you didn't; you should stay at least long enough to say hello to her," Lambda argued with him. "You're always seem to be traveling alone, so take this as a chance to relax with us. None of us mind, really."

"Alright, alright; I'm convinced. I was going to try and start setting my feet up a little more anyways," the Reaper conceded. "Still, I'm not going to let you give me room and board for the next while free of charge. Cooking, cleaning, anything that needs doing I want you to come to me. As soon as this storm's over, I'm definitely getting to work on that roof."

"Don't feel like you need to, but that would be a big help to us. This is our first big downpour since we've made this place," Lambda explained. "But if you really want to help, I think spending more time with Nu would be the most important."

"If you really think it's doing all that good. Really I don't know the first thing about her condition," he said with regret. "You and Noel are probably more cut out for this than I am with her progress; once I was done telling her stories we almost talked like we were having a regular conversation." He chuckled. "Little more of that and she'll be a regular chatterbox."

"Umm…"

"What?"

"She… she's barely talked to us since the last time you were here three months ago." Lambda looked dead honest… Ragna was half sure she couldn't lie, but her expression was especially telling now. "Like I was saying about you staying around a little longer this time?"

"Yeah, I think you made your point." Lamba smiled. "Anything else going on here?"

"Aside from a few visitors, there isn't a lot that happens here. Kokonoe visited us a few weeks ago to check Nu's condition, but I think you actually know more about it then she does." Ragna made a mental note to save those bragging rights for next time he encountered the scientist. "Aside from the Professor, we mostly get visits from Noel's friends. They all try to visit frequently enough, but I think work's been keeping everyone busy. Also, we still receive visits from… him."

"Him?" Ragna repeated. Lambda looked a little upset at just the mention, leading him to scowl. "Who's him?"

"Kagura Mutsuki." Ah. His expression didn't soften, but he knew what to expect now. "He's made a special effort to come over and visit Noel. And myself as well, but mostly Noel. She tries to be kind with him, but it's obvious she's starting to get as annoyed with his advances as I am."

"If either of you get too annoyed with him, then I'll be having a personal word with that idiot," Ragna promised darkly. "He hasn't tried to spend the night, has he?"

"No; I kick him out before he can even ask," Lambda said, now smiling proudly as the Reaper laughed in approval. "Still, he's brought us three whole wine bottles since we've moved in. Doesn't he realize none of us drink?"

"Eh, as much as good as I can (silently) say about the man, he's damn annoying with all of his vices. And when it comes to getting dates he's got his head pretty far up his own ass." …What Ragna didn't know was that at very moment, Kagura was actually succeeding in one of his dates with a fox-demi… anally. "So what ended up happening to the wine?"

"In our cupboard. I'm still trying to convince Noel to let us sell them, but she thinks it would be rude. You're welcome to a bottle if you'd like; none of us are going to drink any."

"I'm not a big drinker myself, but maybe I could use it for some of my cooking," he figured. "Speaking of that, why don't we get some dinner started?"

"Of course, but I'll cook tonight; you smell like you need a bath."

"Come on, I just bathed-" Likely over a week ago, but he couldn't be certain it was that recent. Using Ars Magus to keep himself clean was starting to take its toll. "…Never mind, kitchen's all yours."

At least he didn't have to worry about Noel trying to help her sister cook.

Much Later That Night

'I'm almost there… I just need to keep going a little longer.'

If she'd used her Murakumo form more often, Noel guessed she'd have been able to make it back to the church a full hour ago. As it was now, it was taking most of her focus just to keep a steady flight pattern. She could've simply waited until the storm had dissipated and made the journey back on foot, but she'd already told Tsubaki that she'd find somewhere to stay the night. After she then came to the realization that every hotel in the city held no vacancy, instead of going back to Tsubaki to sheepishly ask for to stay the night she instead decided to take matters into her own hands.

'At least she'll be busy with work these next couple of days. I'll have to call her pretty regularly to check in. This can't be easy for her right now.'

Knowing that she'd done all she could have for her friend at the moment just by being there for her, Noel took in the thunderstorm beneath her as she flew through the skies. The occasional glow of the lightning followed shortly afterwards by the booming thunder would've normally caused her to stiffen in fear, but now that she was above any danger it was almost comforting. The wind blowing through her long blond hair felt nice as well, but her skimpier outfit wasn't exactly the warmest thing to be wearing. If she wasn't able to regulate her own body temperature she might've frozen at this altitude. She had to wonder if she could get a skin suit like either of her sisters… and maybe someday all three of them would be able to experience this together.

'It'd be nice,' she thought with a small smile, sadly knowing that Nu was going to need a lot more healing before she got to that point. 'I'm starting to sense Lambda and Nu close by so I should start my descent, but what's this other feeling down below? Is someone else there?'

Hoping nothing was wrong, she made her descent below the clouds far quicker than she'd first intended to. She had enough control that landing wasn't a problem, but touching the ground led her to nearly slip on the front step before she grabbed the front door to regain her balance. Stepping inside before she could get soaked by the rain (thankfully already starting to lighten), she shifted back to her more human form which consisted of her usual white top and blue skirt. Stepping into her sister's rooms, she found Nu and Lambda fast asleep without any worry… but that odd presence was still here.

'Maybe it's just my imagination,' she thought to herself as she opened to door to her own room… where she found the answer to her mystery. 'W-What!?'

While Ragna had wanted to fall asleep in the guest quarters, that was where most of the leaks had converged and a few of them were right about the bed frame. After saving the mattress, Lambda had insisted that it was fine if he took Noel's bed for the night since she wouldn't be back until that morning at least. Now there was an even further lack of vacancy for Noel.

'I…' She couldn't even form a full sentence in her head as her blush only continued to grow before turning as crimson as Ragna's coat at her next idea. 'I'm… I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm just doing this because I need somewhere to sleep! I'll stick to my own side and be up before anyone else in the morning! That's right!'

Going into her closet, Noel quickly undressed (while checking back a few times to make sure Ragna was actually asleep). As far as nightwear went, she had the option of her usual pajamas with panda bears on it… but she also had that sexy nighty Makoto had given her with clear instruction to live a little. While the panda pajamas seemed a little childish for the situation she was about to find herself in, she knew that the other option was far too risqué. Throwing her pajamas on, she approached the bed and tried to decide how to truly commit to her sleeping arrangements.

While Ragna wasn't on the edge of the bed, he certainly wasn't centered either as he lay on his side. The problem was he wasn't looking out towards the side, instead looking inwards towards the middle and Noel's potential sleeping spot. Getting into bed with Ragna facing away would have been embarrassing enough, but now that she knew he was looking at her (through closed eyes, but still) it was… well she nearly thought about getting into the guest room or just piling all of her clothes on the floor and sleeping there for one night.

'No, it's my bed! I need to do this and take control! Ragna's always say to be more assertive! So I'm going to take back my place in bed!'

…Really the more assertive thing would be to wake the Reaper and get her bed back, but she wasn't exactly thinking logically at the moment. Her surge of confidence barely lasted as she slowly slinked forward to her bed, like Ragna was about to awaken any second like a ravenous bear. It took her a full minute to both get to the bedside proper and work up the nerve to bring up the blanket so she could slip under the covers, and when she finally managed, she nearly ruined it by almost shrieking. Part of it was due to Ragna's movement as he felt the cold air in his sleep, the other part was due to his lack of a shirt. He had more comfortable sleeping pants on, but his upper body was completely uncovered revealing both his BlazBlue and his six pack.

Noel was more taken with the latter.

'D-Don't worry, just get in there quickly Noel. The more you stall, the more likely he is to get cold and wake up.' At her own urging, Noel all but threw herself onto her side of the bed before forcing the blanket down. Ragna slept through all of it without much reaction; when the Reaper actually got a chance to get some proper sleep, he slept HARD. Staying as a still as possible, Noel stared directly at Ragna's sleeping face in the darkness as she saw one of the few times he was truly at peace. 'I-I shouldn't be staring at him like this. I should-' "Eep!"

She couldn't contain a high-pitched squeak as she was suddenly grabbed by Ragna's arms and immediately pulled in. Her heart pounding into her ears, she glanced up… and saw that he was still asleep. He shallow breathing, his still peaceful expression as a slept; he clearly hadn't been faking it, but maybe he'd only reached forward in subconsciousness to grab the warmest thing nearby.

'What am I going to do!?' Noel thought to herself as she risked going unconscious with all of the blood rushing to her cheeks. The Reaper's hold on her was absolute, she wouldn't be able to break free without some major force… which would likely wake him up anyways. 'I… I'll just have to wait until he lets me go. Then I'll just make some distance.' She shifted her body carefully in his arms, trying to at least get comfortable while she was trapped in his arms. She ended up with an ear against his chest. 'I can hear… his heartbeat. It sounds so…'

She didn't stand any chance of staying awake after that.

The Next Morning

Of all the sights to wake up to, Lambda's scowling was fairly low on Ragna's list. Yet here they were, the Reaper looking up as Lambda gave him her best evil eyes. Who'd even taught her how to scowl? Had she ever done that before?

"Good… morning?" Ragna greeted as more of a question, the effects of sleep still dissipating.

"I see you slept well." Venomous almost. Wait, she wasn't looking directly at him. Glancing down, Ragna saw a head of long blonde hair peaking out of the blankets. And he felt the woman in his arms… and her arms around him… and her soft sleeping breath again his bare chest. For good ten seconds he was sputtering like a fish trying to make an excuse for himself, but it didn't seem Lambda was interested in any explanations. "I'll start breakfast, just come out when you both are done."

"…Okay," he sighed. With the 11th Prime Field closing the door behind her, he was left with the sleeping form of Noel and trying to make sense of how he'd gotten where he was now… not that he especially minded, minus the death glare he'd just gotten. 'Wonder if this is the after effect of the spectacles or just me… eh, somehow I know it's not those damned glasses.' Figuring it was time to finally get up, Ragna tried moving but noticed that Noel had him in quite the vice grip. Figuring he was here for a while yet, he tried to get comfortable.

Five minutes later and Noel finally started to stir. She gave a yawn as she awoken before opening her eyes, which landed squarely on Ragna's expectant expression. After the two had stared in silence for a few seconds, Noel immediately let go of him before scrambling back and nearly falling off the bed.

"So… you weren't here when I went to sleep last night," Ragna started, trying to make it clear.

"Guh… I…" she stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse. "You're cuddly when you sleep."

"Come again?"

"CLINGY! I MEAN YOU'RE CLINGY WHEN YOU SLEEP!" she screamed, trying to course correct as Ragna removed the blanket and stretched as he could finally get out of bed. "That's why I was trapped when I got up!"

"You were holding me there too; I was the one trapped in a vice grip when Lambda came in." Upon hearing that her sister was informed of her sleeping arrangements, all of the crimson drained from Noel's face as she slumped forward. "If it helps at all, I'm the one that she's upset with." He shrugged as he stood and stretched. "Let's just give ourselves both a do over for this morning, alright? It seems silly for everyone to be upset the entire time I'm here."

"That's… a lot more forgiving than you usually are for this sort of thing," Noel accused.

"Probably because the whole thing's so awkward, I somehow loop around and become numb to the whole mess." In a weird way, it actually made sense to Noel. Especially with how Ragna was. The Reaper then chuckled. "Sides, I can't be too mad anyways; really damn comfortable when I got up."

"…Jerk," Noel grumbled.

"Guilty. I'm gonna go help Lambda finish off breakfast," he said, patting Noel on the head as he passed her by. "Good to see ya again."

'At least he's not thinking that I'm his sister anymore,' Noel thought as Ragna closed the door behind him. 'If he still did I…' She shook her head. "Okay, let's get dressed."

While she was serving this church as a nun, that didn't mean that she was always wearing the outfit. Today she'd decided on her a dark blue blouse and long shirt before doing her hair into a bun and tying it off with a blue ribbon. She also had a sun hat if she desired to go outside, but while the rain had stopped it was still fairly overcast. Her attire for the day set, she headed out of her bedroom and into the dining room. Lambda had already emptied and gathered all of the rain buckets, as well as situated Nu at the table in the wheelchair Kokonoe had given them.

"Good morning, Nu," she said, putting the awkward situation of that morning behind her.

"Good… morning."

"Wow, that… that was a much quicker response than usual. Are you feeling better?" Noel asked as she seated herself.

"Nu's much better." Short, but still a sentence without pausing.

"She's been recovering much faster since Ragna arrived," Lambda informed from where she was making the final preparations for their breakfast. "It feels like every minute she spends with him is more progress than we can make in a week."

'With how obsessed she was with him before this, it almost makes sense.' "Where is Ragna now anyways?"

"Grabbing the clothes he hung up last night and getting dressed," Lambda informed. "He helped me with breakfast first, but I think it was better for modesty that he put his shirt on."

"Nu didn't mind." …Both sisters had to glance in surprise at the youngest; that was probably the sharpest response she'd had yet. Her face then seemed to light up as Ragna came back, dressed in his black and white hakama set, but lacking his iconic jacket or sword. Taking a seat next to Nu, everyone then began their breakfast.

"That's the stuff," Ragna sighed after having a long sip of coffee.

"You're going to need all of that energy if you're going to repair that roof like you said," Lambda informed. "When I went to empty the buckets last night I found a few more leaks starting to crop up."

"Dang, in that case it's probably better that I just do the whole thing over," Ragna sighed. "Who set the roof in the first place?"

"Lambda and I did, and it wasn't the building that was real problem," Noel admitted with a grimace. "When I bought the tiles… I think the provider might've given me cheaper wood than what I ordered."

"That's pretty shitty," the Reaper swore. "Guess I'll have to down a couple of trees and carve 'em up for fresh materials too. Project just got a lot longer."

"If you can do that much, Noel and I can rebuild the roof with what you bring us," Lambda offered.

"Sounds good, I at least know how to process them with Ars Magus; bit of a whole thing back when I was training with Jubei," Ragna recounted. "That old cat come over to visit much?"

"Not very often, but he's paid us a visit here and there," Noel explained as she helped herself to her second scone already. Ragna had to wonder if it was Murakumo thing that they ate so much and never seemed to put on any weight, but Nu and Lambda weren't especially heavy eaters. "By the way, I finally got a copy of your book while I was out. I'm looking forward to reading it later."

"Eh, thanks for drumming up sales, but it's pretty clear I'm only selling those things through my reputation. Gonna take a lotta work before I sell the next one."

"I'm sure it's still going to be great," Noel tried to encourage him. "I'll be sure to let you know what I think once I've read it."

"Thanks; I'll take your review to heart," Ragna told her honestly.

"…Be sure you let me read it once you're done." Not bitter this time, but was an odd sort of edge to Lambda's words now.

"Nu too!" the thirteen exclaimed.

"…Nu, can you read?" Noel felt the need to ask.

"Ragna can teach Nu," she insisted. Both Noel and Lambda considered that would be unfair to their guest, but if she was going to learn properly with everyone given all the evidence so far…

"…Guess I've got my schedule booked for the next while after all."

Later -The Woods-

After the four had finished their breakfast, Noel and Lambda stayed behind to clean up while Ragna headed out to gather the materials they'd need to repair the roof. He wasn't going out alone either; he had Nu clinging onto him from behind in an attempt to get her some fresh air per Lambda's suggestion. By now the overcast was finally starting to break and the midmorning sun's rays shined through the clouds above. It was still a fairly damp walk, but Ragna didn't mind as he carried Nu and searched for a couple of trees to suit his needs.

"Ragna's nice," she said suddenly from behind him.

"Oh yeah? What about me is so nice?" he asked. This wasn't any form of putting himself down, but he couldn't help but wonder what specifically Nu saw in him after all of these years.

"Lots." It was a nice thing for Ragna to hear, but it didn't narrow anything down.

"Thanks, but anything in particular?"

"Ragna's… gentle?" she said, trying to find the right word.

"Huh, well you might be the only one to think that specifically." He decided to be honest about that much.

"Does that mean Nu's special to Ragna?"

"Yeah… you could say that," he said, a soft smile though Nu wasn't able to see it.

"Even… after everything?" That was enough to give the Reaper a heavy pause.

"When you say everything, how much do you really remember?"

"Not a lot; Nu sometimes gets dreams of… hurting Ragna," she said sadly. "And… liking it."

'She's been having nightmares?' "Have you told your sisters about this." Nu didn't say anything, but it felt like she was shaking her head no. "They already know, Nu. Well, maybe not that you're having the nightmares. Still, why didn't you tell them?"

"Nu was worried. Sisters are… protective of Ragna too. She didn't want them upset."

'Maybe that's why it was hard for her to talk to them. Might explain why she's recovering quicker now.' "But, you can talk to me about it?"

"Yes, Nu's pretty sure Ragna won't get upset." Nu started to cling to him a little tighter. "Nu had a new dream last night. Ragna was there too, lots of fighting, but… Nu lost this time. Ragna didn't destroy her though like he promised; instead he wanted to save Nu."

"Yeah, I remember promising that." Honestly, one of his better memories from all the fighting.

"Nu… wants to help Ragna save Nu," she said softly. "Nu also wants to help Ragna be happy."

"You know what? I think you having you talk to me like this is helping plenty," the Reaper answered with a smile. "Reminds me that for all of this world's faults, in the end I managed to do some good after all."

"Nu wants to see the world someday, when she's better."

"Well when you learn to read, my book might help ya out with where to start," he offered. "Seems a little weird that you don't know how. Figured that since you had all of that data, reading would come easy to you."

"Nu didn't understand data, Nu just processed it." Ah, there was the distinction. "But Nu knows Nu loves Ragna."

"Always nice to know," he said with a chuckle.

"Does… does Ragna love Nu?"

"Y-yeah," Ragna didn't pause in his walking, but it was still a little surreal be asked right out the gate like that.

"Nu wants to hear Ragna say it." She almost sounded desperate at the request, but it was better than when she'd have said it violently.

"…I love you, Nu." She was clinging to him even tighter now. "Huh, I think we can use this tree over here." Before he went to work for materials, he set the Murakumo sister up on a nearby branch. "Let's get this processed so Lambda and Noel can start working on the roof. While they're doing that, we can get started on reading together."

"Nu can't wait."

That night

'Time to hit the hay.' Ragna let out a yawn as he finally fell back into his bed, this time in the guest room where he expected to be. Not only had he needed to make several trips carrying all of the wood that they need for the roof, not only had he carried Nu the entire time as well as teach her out to read in between trips, not only had he ended up helping on the roof after all, but he'd also helped with dinner and cleaning up afterwards. His only brief respite was after that when Nu had insisted he watch how well she was starting to read now, showing off the fruits of labor after his teachings (he suspected that her Murakumo features allowed her to learn quickly)

All in all a perfect day.

'Work on the roof's done easily, Nu's looking like she's recovering like no tomorrow now, Noel's not going anywhere near the kitchen… guess all that's left is to try and fix things with Lambda. Either that or just let her stew it out, she didn't seem bothered at all once it was done.'

That's when he heard a knock at the door. "Ragna, can I come in?"

"Lambda? Uh, give me a minute; I'm in my night clothes… okay, night pants."

"That's fine; I already saw you."

"…Okay? Come on in then," he answered as he sat up. Lambda came in a clothed the door behind her, dressed in her evening wear of choice, a long black night gown. "What's up?"

"How was it getting Nu to sleep?"

"Oh, that? Really easy. Just asked that I read with her and…" He had to come clean. "We ended up… cuddling a bit."

"Cuddling?"

"E-Exactly like it sounds; I didn't do anything perverted or whatever crap you want to call it. Especially when it seems like she's still… vulnerable." He grimaced. "Sorry, I'm not trying to look like a total sleaze here."

"You're not; I trust you."

'Like you did this morning? That was one glare you had on you.' The Reaper was smart enough to keep those remarks to himself. "Well, like I said. Nu's down for the count now. I'm just about to turn in myself, so good ni-"

"You don't want to sleep with me?"

…The silence that followed could only be described as deathly.

"I… That…" Ragna breathed in deeply through his nose to center himself. "What about this morning? You were giving both Noel and I quite the death glare after we did the same thing."

"I wasn't glaring." She said it with such a straight face that Ragna guessed she actually didn't notice. "And I talked to Noel. She's fine with it."

"F-Fine with it!?"

"Yeah, tonight she's taking the chance to read the book you wrote." Not what he was getting at! "So can I stay with you?"

"Um… well…" Those damn Spectacles were bringing every damn thing into question again. Even if they weren't, could he really go through with even this much? 'Wait… back when I had them on, the girls were usually at each other's throats to get my attention. That artifact wouldn't have let them… share, right?' Maybe he was just making excuses for himself, but Lambda DID want this. "Alright, but no shoving me out of bed."

"That won't be a problem," Lambda insisted as Ragna got onto his side of the bed… and she went right up and put him into her embrace, just like how Noel had been that morning. "See?"

"…Heh, guess you got me there," he conceded as he embraced the oldest of the three sisters who rested her head on his chest as she cuddled up to him.

"Do you do this with other girls?" she asked.

'Again with the questions that could get me murdered.' "No." At least he had an answer this time.

"…Would you if you had the chance?" …Now he didn't. Ragna debated what he should say for all of the half second Lambda gave him. "Never mind, that's not a fair question. It's fine if you do that and… more." This was taking a turn. "But can you promise me something?"

"Name it." That was without hesitation.

"Just leave enough room in your heart for the three of us. Please?"

"…I promise," he answered as he held Lambda a touch tighter. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"There wasn't a… point or anything that you started to love me all of a sudden, right? Like, super recently? It's a weird question, but I want to be sure. Some things have been… really strange lately and I want to make sure I'm not taking advantage of any of you."

"…There's only one moment that comes to mind," Lambda said as she suddenly let go of Ragna and got out of bed. Heading over to the potted Aqualeaf she kept by the dresser; she plucked one of the leaves and folded the herb until she formed a whistle. Breathing gently, she played a soft song that was only too familiar to Ragna. "…That was when I started to."

"That far back? Really?" Ragna had figured it had been a lot more recent than that. Hell, at least after Lambda's… sacrifice.

"That was the start, but I've known how I've felt for a while now; you don't have to worry," she said softly as she joined him back in their bed. "Good night, Ragna."

"…Good night, Lambda…" he began softly stroking her hair. "Love you too."

The Next Morning

Ragna awoke to the sounds of chirping birds and the sun's rays broke through the window curtains. Clearly the poor weather from yesterday was behind them all and sun was here to stay… at least the next while. The light coming off of Lambda's blonde hair almost seemed to give the room a calming glow. Smirking, Ragna decided to give himself five more minutes… right until he realize the second pair of arms wrapped around him, this one coming from behind.

'…Guess Noel was done reading her book,' he thought with a smirk as he turned behind him and… noticed the silver hair coming out of the top of blankets. 'Did she dye her… idiot, you KNOW that's not what's going on.' "Umm… Nu?"

"Mmmm… ten more minutes." That was her groggy voice alright.

"I'm more curious managed to get up and walk to get in here. You haven't even stood on your own in four months. So… how are lying behind me?"

"Nu wanted to cuddle with Ragna too."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"In a way it does," Lambda tiredly responded from Ragna's front. "Can we make it twenty minutes?"

'…I'm just trapped here until they decide otherwise,' the Reaper realized.

Thirty Minutes Later (at least)

"Nu! You can walk now!" Noel exclaimed at her younger sister. "That's amazing! You just got up and started last night?"

"Yep! Nu really wanted to sleep with Ragna!"

'She had to put it like that. It was so happy while las-'

"Oh, I should've figured it was that," Noel answered, laughing happily. "Way to go as motivation, Ragna."

"…Go team?" Ragna answered back awkwardly. 'She's not upset at least.'

"I think we should celebrate since Nu's been able to recover so well ever since Ragna's come to stay here!" Noel suggested.

"I have a special recipe I've been wanting to try, but it looks really difficult," Lambda suggested as she turned to Ragna. "Can you help with making it?"

"Of course, we'll tackle it together."

"Nu wants to help too!"

"You can set the table," Lambda answered immediately.

"Aw…"

"Don't worry, Nu. Once you're done with that, we can read some of Ragna's book together," Noel promised. Lambda nodded as she and Nu headed off. Nu was still a fair bit slower and even a little wobbly as she walked, making it clear it had taken ALL of her willpower to get into bed with Ragna. Noel smiled at the Reaper as she was about to follow her sisters, but noticed his strange reaction. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing' wrong, but all of this is just kind of weird for me. How well things are going and crap like that." Ragna shrugged. "For now I should be happy I'm able to enjoy it, but I guess it still feels a little off all the same. Just don't want to take advantage of anyone or any crap like that."

It took Noel a minute to piece together what Ragna was getting at, though she couldn't exactly blame him with the conclusion he finally came to. The conversation between herself and Lambda had brought quite a bit to the sisters' forefront and how they felt about their relationship with Ragna. Blushing at her next idea, but following through to put his mind at ease, Noel stepped forward, got on her tiptoes, and delivered a direct kiss to a surprised Ragna's lips. It wasn't at all erotic or passionate, but it got the message across…

Even if she was blushing more than he was after she'd finished.

"So, um… do you still feel like you're taking advantage of us?"

"…I guess not," he finally admitted. "Come on, I better go help Lambda."

"Do you think I can help with cooking too?" Noel asked hopefully as he blush finally faded. The roll of Ragna's mismatched eyes said everything. "HEY!"

"When you can make a basic PB and J that doesn't look like it wants to kill me, then we can start talking."

"You had to bring that one up? Jerk."

"Heh, you still love me though."

"…Yeah, I guess I do."

Author's Note

Like I said, nothing's getting too spicy just yet. I'm getting this chapter out before I leave for work so that it'd be out Friday (and then editing it on break, sorry!). Anyways, I'm also hoping to get another chapter out this upcoming week so stay tuned for that.

As far as how things go before we start hitting lemons… I mean I can push it forward a little faster if you want, but I've always wanted this to be more of a slow burn story. If you want, we can at least compromise where I still have this as a story with a lot of buildup, but I put a lot more emphasis here in the updates.

Now then, let's address a few of those reviews.

Pally111: You left your first review before reading I'm guessing. The Spectacles of Eros were at least IN the first chapter, I just decided to take them of the table the first chance I got.

P3R50N4: Haven't hit the Lemon point just yet… much to the irritation of many, I'm sure.

See you all soon! Ciao!