Disclaimer: I own nothing

XxX

"Mother fuc- gah!" He didn't finish his sentence as he felt the trunk of the tree hit him square on the chest, knocking all the wind out of him, before sending him careening through the air on the path to another tree.

Had it been a month before, he would have no doubt gone through the tree he was soaring towards, but he had learned that if he allowed that to happen, he'd be immobile for the rest of the day, with splinters in places there shouldn't be splinters in.

So he had learned. He learned to right himself in the air, turning his legs towards the tree he was to land in, before he let his legs absorb the momentum, crushing the trunk of the tree he would land on, and then he learned to spring forward, destroying the tree in question.

"Get some new tricks old man!" He shouted as he repeated the process for the umpteenth time, springing forward with his right hand cocked backwards, rapidly approaching the old cat with a tree held over his shoulder like a baseball bat.

Jubei for his part, wasn't impressed.

"Come on kid, ya gotta learn that those words apply to yerself as well." Jubei scolded as he held the tree at the ready, knees apart and a smirk on his face.

He had also learned that Jubei was a sadistic bastard, and wasn't above hitting him like a baseball and sending him flying through the air towards the opposite side of the forest.

So he had learned to counter that as well.

Jubei swung his tree/baseball bat, intending to send him flying again. He managed to duck the tree slightly, feeling the leaves still left on it bristle on top of his head, before he grabbed the trunk and swung himself on the opposite end, right on top of it.

"Got you now you old cat!" He shouted as he stood up and immediately ran towards Jubei, as he reached the old cat's head, he reared his leg in for a kick, ready to get revenge for all the damn things the cat subjected him to for the past month.

Too bad he still wasn't fast enough.

Jubei disappeared in a blur, leaving nothing but an image of his smirking cat-face as his leg went through the it. He cursed, before he felt himself stumble as the tree had nothing to support it in the air and fell down on the ground.

He cursed as he felt a weight appear on his shoulders, and outright swore as he felt claws against his face.

"FUCK!" He shouted in pain as he felt claws embed into his skin and pulled.

Over the pain, over the curses he shouted in the air, he heard his teacher's laughter. But not only his, he also heard another set of laughter, this time from a voice he had grown accustomed to for the past month.

"Fuck you old man! And you too you tomboy!" He shouted towards the laughing pair as he sat up, hand still on his face as he rubbed it to try and ease some of the stinging pain for having his face clawed.

He heard a snort from the tomboy. "Yeah, you wish." Was her retort to him. He grumbled under his breath as he felt blood rush to his face at the image… before he cursed again as the blood exacerbated the pain even more.

"Get yer mind outta the gutter kid," Jubei scolded, though from the tone he used, he was more amused than exasperated. He cursed the cat again, before he sat down and started breathing exercises.

"Stupid son of a bitch cat clawing my face like that." He muttered to himself, not at all caring that he was heard. Sure swearing and cursing under his breath was counter-productive to him actually getting breathing exercises done, but it made him feel better. And besides…

"Not that ain't nice," Jubei retorted, the old cat's voice was next to him. He heard the ruffling of leaves, and knew that Jubei had sat down next to him. "My mother wasn't a bitch, she was a cat." He smirked, that insult never failed to get a rise out of Jubei.

"You do know he's just humoring you right?" He put his hand down from his face and looked up, only to see Bullet standing over him with crossed arms and a frowning face. He watched as she sat down, pounding the ground with her gauntlet covered fists for a second to tenderize it. "There's no way someone so carefree like Master Jubei would let insults get to him."

He scowled, before he took a deep breath. ""Doesn't matter if he's humoring me or not." He let out a deep exhale, feeling the wound across his face already closing up thanks to his enhanced rate of healing. It was going to be a bitch to make sure he was well fed later, but hey, at least the stinging was gone. "I'm still gonna scream curses at him and his family. Especially his weird ass bitch of a daughter."

"Don't call her that!" He smirked as he managed to trigger Bullet's anger. He then laughed a little at his own little pun.

"What?" He asked petulantly, crossing his own arms over his chest. "That Koko-puff is a control freak bitch that wants everything on a leash so she can put bombs in them?" He should stop, but watching Bull-head's face contort so much just fanned the flames for more insults. "Not gonna happen. I don't lie, and for the most part, Koko-puff likes to have things under her thumb."

"That's not-" Bullet was about to retort, but he interrupted her before she could.

"And another thing, that bitch just doesn't see so much as a human person. She probably just sees us as lab rats she can experiment on if she decides to just go ape-shit. A woman like that with those kinds of morals? Makes me wonder what made you so loyal to her." A smirk appeared on his face. Not vindictive, but a knowing one. He wasn't purposely trying to hurt Bullet… well, probably. He was just trying to show her that loyalty to someone like Kokonoe probably wasn't the best thing to have.

He had to duck out of the way as a fist came close to beheading him.

"Whoa!" He rolled backwards before he sprung to his feet, taking up a defensive stance. "What's the fucking idea!" He shouted as he readied himself to react to anything Bullet might throw at him.

"Shut up!" Bullet shouted as she charged, fist reared and ready to punch. He clucked his tongue as he backed-up, there was no way in hell he was going to take Bullet head on. She's probably as strong as Jubei.

"Will you chill out!" He shouted as he dove behind a tree, only to cringe as he felt the tree explode into splinters right on top of his head. He looked up and saw Bullet's other fist reared and ready to pound him into the ground.

"Damn!" He reacted about as well as he could. He kicked the ground underneath him, managing to jump back in time before Bullet punched the ground and caused a miniature quake that managed to shake loose leaves and acorns in the forest they were in.

Taking advantage of the decreased visibility, he landed before he sprinted up a tree. "I was just telling the truth! It's not my fault your stupid ass can't accept that!"

Again, that was probably the wrong thing to say, as he found Bullet already level with him and her fist reared back. Damn it, he probably shouldn't have spoken.

Before the fist could collide with his face and no doubt cave it in, Jubei appeared in between them. He saw Jubei grab Bullet's fist, before he spun in the air and threw her straight back to the ground back first.

He watched as Bullet collided with the ground, but he wasn't smiling or smirking. Jubei had never got in between their spats before.

True, for the past month he had been training with Jubei near the mercenary band, he and Bullet weren't the best of friends. And they even came to blows one time or another, but their fights had never really been too serious, at least, too serious as to have Jubei jump in.

He knew he could have dodged that fist to his face, he had been upping his agility and speed ever since he found Jubei could run circles around him all day. Jubei probably did as well. So why did he interrupt? He wasn't in danger… right?

"Kid," He was taken out of thoughts as he felt Jubei land on the branch next to him. He looked towards his master, and flinched as he saw the disappointed look he was giving him. "Ya gone an' took it too far this time." Jubei pointed to the ground where Bullet was still lying down on.

"Huh?" Was his reply. The heck was Jubei talking about? There was no way he would have gone too far, he'd been saying those kinds of things to Bullet the past month. And so far, she hadn't been affected… So why the heck was she still down there with a miserable look on her face?

"Oi!" He shouted as he jumped down from the branch. He landed next to Bullet, before he peered down onto her. "Ya got a stick lodged up your ass when you fell down or something?" He asked, confused and probably a little concerned that Bullet wasn't moving.

He watched as Bullet only blinked, before she rolled over facing away from him.

He blinked, before he heard himself growl. "Hey! Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to do that!" He chided Bullet, who still wasn't giving him the time of day.

He was about to say something biting, probably focused on her green behind as grass was stuck to it, but was stopped as Jubei landed on his shoulder. The sudden weight made him look towards the cat, only to see his master shaking his head.

"Kid, why don't ya head back into camp. I'll take care'a Bullet for now." Jubei said, though from the tone he used, it came out sounding more like a command than anything else.

He crossed his arms, before he shook his head. "Hell no, I want to find out what made Bullet here cry like a-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as he felt a sharp pain erupt from his shin.

"Gah!" He hopped on one foot as he held the hurt shin, through the pain, he managed to see Bullet's backhanded-fist where his leg had been.

"What the hell-" Again, before he could shout curses, he was interrupted, not by Jubei, but by Bullet herself.

"Just leave me alone." Her voice was cold, and lacked the previous hotness and liveliness she usually had when they fought. In fact, her voice just sounded… detached.

He managed to quell his hurting shin, before he looked down at Bullet with a frown.

"Are you ok-" He was about to ask, but stopped himself as Bullet leveled him with the coldest glare she had ever given him. He scratched the back of his head, before he felt Jubei jump from his shoulder and back onto the ground.

"Come on kid, get back ta camp. I'll take care'a Bullet. Reckon she doesn't wanna see you for now anyway."

Frowning, he looked at Jubei, before his gaze turned back towards Bullet, who had rolled over again and faced away from him and his master. Deciding that Jubei was probably right, he sighed before he turned around and began to walk towards camp.

Just what the hell did he do and why the hell was he so guilty about it?

Azure Blade Works

XxX

He arrived to camp, and immediately found himself being pulled into D's tent by the man himself.

"Whoa, hey!" He tried to squirm away from the man's grip, but found himself unable to as D had a solid grip on his shoulders. "I can walk just fine! Just tell me where! You don't have to take my shoulders off!"

He heard D let out a hearty laugh. "Is fine is fine!" D began, his tone mirthful and excited. "D can take you to tent just fine! D excited to show you work."

He had to sigh at the man's accent and tone. "Alright already! Just let me go, I can walk fine." D immediately let go of his shoulder, and he had to roll it to remove the creak that came with D releasing it. Damn was the man's grip tight. Still, D was excitable by nature. He had found that out for the past month he and Jubei stayed within walking distance of the trading camp D lead. He also knew that D's accent, though fake, was almost second nature to the man. Allowing him to switch between regular speech, to bastardized English. It was disconcerting at first, but the past month made him used to it… He didn't know if that was a good thing.

He quietly followed the man to his tent, quietly walking past other mercenaries and traders that lived in D's camp. He didn't know most of them, but his relationship with D and Bullet was known to almost everyone there, so they didn't mess with him, but they also didn't go out of their way to talk to him.

The same couldn't be said about Jubei however, the cat seemed to just draw people to him, what with his personality of being helpful/cryptic/approachable. The cat was someone you found yourself relaxing next to… And that was saying a lot since well, he wasn't the most sociable person out there.

Soon enough, he arrived at D's tent, he quietly gave it a once over, and quietly commended whoever did the patch work for it. The holes were completely sealed, and it didn't look like they had been there in the first place. He may only see D as an acquaintance, but D seemed like a really nice guy and he didn't think he deserved the treatment he got from Koko-puff.

Then again, he just didn't like Koko-puff period. So maybe he just liked whoever the hell she didn't that annoyed her.

Entering the tent, he was immediately greeted with the sight of… A scythe.

"Well?" He heard D's voice, but he couldn't get his eyes off the weapon that was leaning against the center table. "What kid think?"

He mentally answered D's question. The scythe's blade was made out of a titanium-steel alloy, with the blade being sharp enough to even cleave boulders and trees in two. The base that connected the blade to the handle had elastic joints made out of hardened plastic. At first glance, it would look like the scythe had a wrist of some sort, which might prevent it from doing damage as the joint would move and lighten the load a slice would do to a person, but the more his eyes looked at it, the more he realized it was designed that way.

The joints could harden or loosen depending on the way it was used, a hidden compartment in the scythe's base allowed the joint to move depending on the blade's position. If the blade was embedded into something or someone, and the wielder pulled, the joint would move to the hidden compartment, locking it in place, allowing for the damage to maximize.

The base of the scythe was made of carbon-polyester. Making it both flexible and hard.

All in all, the scythe looked like a regular scythe until it was wielded. When it was swung, it would look like jelly, what with the soft joints and flexible base.

But underestimate it, and you were sure to have not only your head cut-off, but also your innards ripped from place. It was amazing how the scythe could look so inconspicuous, but also be extremely potent in its design.

But for all it's extremely well made parts, he couldn't help but see the small, almost invisible parts that just didn't look good.

The tempering of the blade told him that if it wasn't constantly put to a whetstone, it would dull beyond belief, turning it into nothing more than a bendy club. The compartments weren't well oiled, and he would need to constantly take the thing apart and oil it in order to make sure the mechanism inside didn't lock itself into place. The main base of the scythe was the weakest point though, it may look strong and felt strong. But a particularly hard blow, either from him trying to block something or if he just swung that hard told him that it would break in two.

All in all, for all the scythe's good parts, it was counterbalanced by the bad parts that came from the same items that composed the scythe.

And then he realized… Jubei had asked for it to be made for him.

He had a… something in the back of his mind telling him that the weapon was made specifically for him. But he also realized that it wasn't supposed to last… That Jubei may have had a hand in making it, but no intention of making him keep it. An… Image of Jubei overseeing the creation of the weapon told him so, and he had learned long ago to just trust the images that came to him, at least, when it was related to weapons.

Still, though the weapon was made for him, he also knew it wasn't supposed to last. The weapon… was blank. It had no previous wielders, and only the images of how it was forged was in his head. He had next to nothing to go to about how to wield this thi-

A ringing in his head, and suddenly a new image popped up. An image of another scythe, pale blue and giving off a chilling death-like knell whenever he gazed upon it. Another image, of it being wielded in battle, of how the enemies that cast their eyes upon it were chilled to the bone, before they fell at the blade, their blood freezing.

He shook his head, stupid images made no damn sense, and yet he trusted them. The heck was wrong with him?

"So?" He looked up, towards D, and saw the man's smiling face. "What you think? Is good yes?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah, it's good." His words were true. Even though the scythe wasn't supposed to last, it was still well made. Yet… "But is that it?" He found it extremely lacking for some reason.

D's face scrunched up in confusion. "Is something being wrong with weapon?" D's voice told him he was confused, but more than that, D's voice sounded… Hurt? Disappointed? He didn't know.

He shook his head. "It's well-made, but it's… just lackluster." He didn't know why he was criticizing it, it was made for him. The Sister always told him to take everything given to him with a smile, no matter how badly it looked.

Still, the weapon… Why did he feel the need to criticize it? It was made for him, and he should just take it… But compared to other weapons, it was just… lackluster. There was just no better word to describe it.

Wait, compared to other weapons? What the hell was that thought about? What other weapons? He only knew about Jubei's… and Terumi's… and Jin's… okay, maybe it was a little bit more lackluster. But damn it, comparing it just didn't seem fair.

"If you no liking, D can take back. Would sell for good price." He looked up at D, and saw the man staring at the weapon with a frown.

"Nah," He said as he approached the scythe, he took it in his right hand, before he held it up. Seven-feet and one inch. Taller than him by by a sizable lot, but it wasn't unwieldy. In fact, it was light, not surprising as he knew the exact weight of it.

Taking an experimental swing, he tested the swinging angle and speed it could get to. He saw D take a step back in precaution, but ignored it. He steadied the scythe by his side, before he nodded his head. "It's wieldy. Good enough for a fight, a little tall though."

D nodded his head. "Bigger swing, allows you to be keeping distance. Light and long, makes good hit and running yes?"

Again, an image of a blue scythe that froze things came into his head, but he ignored the thought. "I suppose so," He agreed, but frowned as he voiced a problem that could arise. "Doesn't seem all that durable though. Good enough for the Seithr infused animals out there, but against anyone else holding a weapon, if they managed to block this with a blade, they can slice right through." He had no idea where he was getting all this technical know-how of what would happen in combat, but he wasn't complaining. It was true after all, even if he couldn't make sense of what he said, common sense dictates that a blade could very well slice through the base of the scythe.

D nodded his head. "Was never meant for people." D's voice was admonishing, and he realized just what he was thinking. Damn, was he that bloodthirsty that he would immediately target people first? "Was only meant for defense, and also for teaching. Jubei not want kid to kill people unless needed."

Unless needed… he wondered if that included Terumi… or maybe even Jin.

He shook his head to clear the though. "So," He began, raising the scythe before he flicked his head towards the exit. "Mind if I take it for a spin?" He asked, wanting to at least try it out before he did anything else. Not like he had anything else to do that is.

D just shrugged his shoulder. "Is yours, D has no say on where you take it or what you do with it." D then gave him a glare. "But be making sure you not destroy merchandise, if you practice, practice away from camp."

He rolled his eyes. Did he think he was a kid – err – irresponsible kid? "Yeah, yeah. I got it. No more fights with Bullet in camp. Not like she wants to see me anymore anyway." For some reason, the last part bothered him, but he ignored it and stepped out of the tent.

XxX

Stepping through the tent flaps, he spotted the mercenary/trader that owned the camp. "Hey D." He called out, making the gruff man turn to him with a bright smile on his face.

"Jubei, a pleasure to have you here." No accent this time. He shook his head at the man's incessant changing of speaking tones, before he took a seat on a chair next to the central table. There was a plate filled with food opposite him, and from the hot steam coming out of it, he reckoned that it was freshly made.

"Yer just eatin'?" He asked, an eyebrow raising as he watched D take a seat in front of the food before picking up the fork and knife next to it. "Isn't it a bit late ta have lunch?"

D just shrugged his shoulders, before he cut a piece of… meat from his food and placed it in his mouth. "Not lunch, just a snack."

He stared incredulously at the large piece of meat. Before he sighed. "Shouldn't ya be selling that instead of eating it? Not everyday ya can get meat fer food."

D just gave a laugh. "It would do well for one to indulge himself every now and again." D said with a smirk. "I would offer you some, but I doubt you would be willing to spend the coin for it."

D wasn't exactly wrong, but that wasn't why he was here. "Did ya see the kid?" He asked, changing the subject to why he came to the tent in the first place.

D nodded his head. "I gave him the weapon you requested. He should be out practicing with it." D explained, eating another piece of cut meat.

He sighed. "Didn't I tell ya ta give it ta me? I wanted ta make sure the kid doesn't cut off his own head when practin' with it." Of course he was exaggerating, the kid just seemed to have an aptitude with just about any weapon he got his hands on. Swords, spears, staves, heck, even bows seemed to come natural to the kid. The past month he had been hard-pressed to look for something to teach the kid aside from training his body to be faster and stronger.

"I would think that wasn't a problem. And that wasn't why you wanted to make sure you yourself gave it to him." D spoke plainly, eating another piece of meat before pointing the fork he had in his hands at him. "Be serious, do you honestly think he had any chance to hurt himself with that thing?"

"'Course not." He admitted immediately. "The only reason I wanted ta give it to the kid in the first place is cause I wanted ta make sure he made his own style."

D's mouth twisted into a frown. "What the kid does, it's not natural." He sighed, this wasn't the subject he wanted to approach at all. "All the weapons he was given, all the moves that he demonstrated when holding them, they shouldn't be possible."

"I know." He said truthfully. It wasn't every day you saw a kid demonstrate a technique that was meant for a person twice his size with a sword that was just as large. In fact, it wasn't everyday you saw a kid wield a sword that big without falling over. "That's why I wanted ta make sure that my hypothesis is correct."

At his words, D's frown turned into a smile. "Your wife has influenced you." The mercenary said matter-of-factly.

He shook his head at the man's tone. "What can I do? The woman can be damn persuasive when she wanted to be, especially to anything related ta somethin' scholarly." He then sighed. "Okay, all that aside though, I gotta talk to the kid. He gon' and pissed Bullet off somethin' fierce, gotta make sure the kid sees and understands that."

At his words, D stopped cutting his food to look at him with an incredulous look. "Ragna actually managed to say something to upset Bullet?" D asked, surprise evident in his voice.

He nodded his head. "Said something about Kokonoe that shot too close ta home I reckon, made lil' Bullet think about her relationship with Kokonoe and why she was so loyal."

D put down the utensils in his hands, before he massaged the bridge of his nose. "I shouldn't have even asked help from that woman. No matter how abrasive and conniving she is, she has this weird charisma that draws in people to her."

He smiled at his friend's words. "Careful now, Kokonoe and me ain't got that good a relationship, but she's still my daughter. What ya said coulda been taken as an insult." He watched as D dropped his hands from his forehead, before leveling him with a flat look.

"Take it as both a compliment and an insult. Honestly, I'd think she'd like it either way." D said flatly. He shrugged his shoulders in reply. He knew Kokonoe would like it, but that didn't mean she wouldn't do anything about it.

"Anyway," He began, making D look up at him. "I know ya probably don't see it, but I can tell that Bullet and Ragna have a relationship with each other. Not to say it's a good one, but I reckon they like each other enough that they're probably pseudo-friends or somethin'." He explained, before he let out a sigh. "So is it too much to ask for ya ta talk to Bullet? Tried talkin' to her, but she's still in a funk. Reckon she'd listen to ya, seeing as yer the closest thing to Tager or Kokonoe in this camp right now."

D regarded him with unblinking eyes, before he saw the man sigh and nod his head. "I'll see to it that Bullet doesn't hold a grudge." He made to thank the man ,but was stopped as D shook his head. "Honestly, I should thank Ragna. He has the courage to say things as they are and not beat around the bush. If anything, Bullet needs that much more than comfort." D then sighed. "But for you friend, I'd gladly do it. Just… make sure to help Bullet. She's… well, she's close to just going off a cliff. If you know what I mean by that."

Oh he knew. He knew exactly what D meant. And that was the reason he had asked D to talk to Bullet. "Believe me when I say I do." D had no idea just how close he got to figuring out his own problems with Ragna. "But you got an advantage." He said, which caused D to look at him in confusion.

"And what would that be friend?" D asked, eyebrows raised and face scrunched.

He laughed, before he leapt off the chair and made his way out of the tent. "Ya got Kokonoe, Tager, yourself, and the whole camp ta look after Bullet."

And all Ragna got was an old cat. Poor kid.

XxX

This thing was awesome!

Swinging it wasn't a problem, in fact, every time he did and hit a tree, it practically bisected the thing. He had felled a total of seven trees already, and he knew the blade wasn't getting dulled. At least, not yet.

Twirling the base behind his back, he took another swing at another tree, but stopped just a few inches from hitting it. And it was totally controllable too! He could stop it mid-swing!

Practically, he knew that using a scythe in battle wasn't the best thing to do, and that he shouldn't possibly have any reason being able to control the thing like an expert would, but he didn't care, the thing was awesome!

He steadied himself, before he threw the thing upwards, making it spin end over end until it cleared the tops of the trees. He smirked, before he ran up the tree in front of him, and bounded over the tops himself. He managed to meet his scythe mid-way, before he spun in the air, taking a giant swipe with his scythe as he did so.

Fucking. Awesome.

Soon enough, gravity took over, and he realized he had another opportunity. He took aim at the tree he had used to jump off of, and readied the scythe above his head. He swung down as the tree got within striking distance, and heard the satisfying sound of wood splitting. His feet landed on the grass, and he looked up at his handiwork

He whistled as he swung the scythe and hung it over his shoulder. Damn, he had split the tree in two. The cut was clean; making it look like the tree had, for all intents and purposes, divide into two.

He held the scythe in front of him, and smiled. Did he mention how awesome this was?

"Oh my," A familiar and haughty voice spoke up. His smile turned into a frown, and his good mood suddenly dissipated into the air. "You look like a child who had gotten a new toy. I would presume that was a good thing, but that is hardly a toy, and that smile hardly bodes well for innocents."

He felt his eyebrow twitch at her words. Was she really implying that? Of all the damn things she could say, she took a jab at his damn morality?

"What the hell Rabbit!" He shouted as he swung around to stare at the gothic girl that had appeared. He saw that she wasn't alone, and her plushie cat-chair and bat companion was right by her side as she sipped tea from a teacup. "I'm not some psycho mass murderer! The sister taught me better than that, and Jubei would kill me if I ever did become like that."

Rachel just raised a dainty eyebrow at him. "And I am to believe that you can be taught?" Her tone was serious, and her eyes held nothing but disbelief. "You who has so callously destroyed flora where certain fauna live their lives, you who has all the tack and empathy of a cadaver when it deals with relationships, you are naught but an animal if that were the case would it not?"

Okay, he got the first part of her rant. He hadn't exactly thought about the effects his cutting and swinging had on animals and where they lived, but the second part? What the hell?

"The heck are you talking about?" He asked, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Rachel.

Rachel raised an eyebrow at him, and that made him even more annoyed. "Oh dear, it seems that even though you have grown somewhat, you are still horribly lacking in basic human comprehension."

A giggle, and his glare turned towards the bat. "Yeah, you tell'em Princess!" The bat – Gii? – said, voice high pitched that it's laughing sounded like the squealing of a pig.

"Silence." A vindictive smile appeared on his face as Gii was flung towards a tree courtesy of Rachel's backhand. "If I had wanted your opinion on my rebuking of this sad excuse of a man I would have said so. As it stands, your contribution to this conversation isn't of any help."

For the thing's part, Gii only managed to weakly float back towards Rachel, head down and wings flapping almost morosely. "I'm sorry Princess." It said, voice low.

For a second, he didn't know what to say to the weirdness of the situation, before he shook his head. "What the hell, first you scold me and now you give me a comedy show? What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, staring at Rachel as the girl sipped her tea.

Rachel regarded him with a raised eyebrow, before she shook her head. "Do not mistake this as a show for you. I am merely disciplining a servant that spoke out of turn, not at all thinking about the situation at hand."

His eyebrow twitched. "Oh really? 'Cause from my side of things, it looks like you're trying to show me something through actions. First you tell me about my 'horrible lack of etiquette'," He pitched his voice high as he tried to sound like the Rachel. "And now you're telling me it's not about me? Make up your damn mind!" He berated, annoyed at the roundabout way Rachel was talking about things. He didn't need two cryptic bastards in his life. He already got enough of that from Jubei.

Rachel tilted her head to the side as she put down her teacup on top of the table that had appeared in front of her. Seriously? He didn't even see that appear! "It seems your feeble mind cannot comprehend what it is I am trying to say to you." Again, he felt his eyebrow twitch. Well, it wasn't like he didn't ask for this, but goddamn it couldn't she be at least nicer?

He was about to rebuke Rachel, to tell her that he didn't care, but she spoke over him. "What I am telling you, is that your innate lack of tack and manners has hurt someone." Rachel said, eyes staring pointedly at him.

He actually flinched at the accusing eyes she gave him. He managed to recover though, and shook his head. "The hell are you talking about?" He asked. "I don't think I've hurt anybody. And besides, why should I care?" He crossed his arms over his chest. Annoyed at Rachel's accusations of hurting someone.

Rachel gave him an exasperated look, before she shook her head. "Oh dear, it seems that you've grown apathetic to those around you. Has that event really affected you so much?"

He scowled, before a growl escaped his lips. "The fuck Rabbit?" He stared at Rachel accusingly. "What do you know about it? You know damn well that I talk like this to everybody and I don't give a damn about what anyone else thinks." He defended himself, annoyed and more than a little miffed at Rachel's words.

Rachel however, only shook her head. "Oh my, it seems that the event has really gilded you." Rachel said. But before the annoying rabbit could say anything else, a rustling in the leaves told them that someone else had entered the vicinity.

"Give it up Rachel," He turned his head, and saw Jubei walk out of the bushes, eye closed and appearing as if in deep thought. "Ya can't expect Ragna ta just know about his problems and fix'em. At least, not without anyone helpin'im." Jubei explained, eye opening to stare at Rachel.

He heard a breath from Rachel, which could have been her high and mighty equivalent of a snort, before she spoke up again. "I was merely trying to elicit his innate personality." Rachel explained. "If he continues down the path his thoughts take him too, I fear that even your teaching may not be enough."

The hell? They were talking about him like he wasn't even there again! Goddamn it was getting annoying.

Before he could say anything, to rebuke Rachel and Jubei, Jubei spoke up. "Ya can't force it out of 'em. He's gotta take it in his own pace. If ya try and accelerate the process, ya may end up with somethin' else than what ya wanted." Jubei sighed before the cat shook his head. "Trust me on this Rachel. Or at least, trust me more."

His eyes turned towards Rachel, and for a second, he thought he saw doubt in her eyes, but the second passed and soon, she was back to her haughty self. "Very well." Rachel nodded her head. "Forgive me Jubei. It seems I have done you a disservice in my actions. I hadn't meant to imply I didn't trust you."

Why the hell was she so respectful to Jubei and then treated him like shit?

He heard Jubei chuckle, before he saw the cat shake his head. "No worries Rachel," Jubei reassured. He then saw Jubei turn back to him, with a indiscernible look on his face. "Now, I gotta take care of a certain lousy student ah mine that can't ever seem ta shut 'is trap."

Despite the words and the undertone of warning in Jubei's voice, he still found himself retorting. "Hey! I ain't got time to-"

He stopped talking as he felt cold steel pressed against his throat. He looked down, and saw Jubei looking at him with narrowed eye and sword drawn. He hadn't… He hadn't even seen him move. Was he that damn slow compared to Jubei? Even with all his training to get faster? He ignored the images that popped into his head when he saw Jubei's sword, and quickly focused on the situation at hand.

"The fuck-" He tried to speak, but the sword digging into his skin and drawing blood told him to keep his mouth shut.

"Keep yer trap shut." Jubei ordered, voice devoid of emotion as the cat stared at him. Despite the height difference between them, it still felt like Jubei was the one that was looking down at him. "Unless ya got somethin' ta say other than curses and insults that is."

Despite himself, he felt himself growl. "The hell old man?" He began, reading his body. "You expect me to put a filter on? I ain't got time for shit like that!" And with that said, he leaned backwards before swinging the scythe he still had in his hands towards Jubei.

Expectedly, he saw Jubei retract the sword to block his scythe. But despite that, he felt another sword appear at his throat. Again he looked down, and saw Jubei not only blocking the scythe with a sword with one hand, but saw Jubei holding an exact replica of the same sword in his other hand and pointed at his throat.

No… It wasn't an exact replica… it was the same damn sword. Images of the sword flashed in his mind, and he recognized that despite it being split into two, they both held the same exact memories of each other.

"Kid," Jubei's cold voice sounded, and he was forced to acknowledge his master. The look in Jubei's eyes told him to not do anything stupid anymore. "You try anything like that again, and I guarantee yer gonna lose more than an arm."

Wisely, he kept his mouth shut despite his instincts to curse.

"Now, I'm gonna give ya a lesson." Jubei began, lowering both swords in his hand. This allowed him to lower his own weapon, but he didn't dare relax, not when Jubei was like this. He watched as Jubei sheathed the sword in his right hand, before pointing the left one at his chest in a challenge. "Make sure ya listen and listen well, 'cause this lesson ain't gonna finish until it gets through yer thick skull."

He swallowed a lump in his throat. Not because of the unspoken anger Jubei had in his words, not because of Jubei's narrowed eye at him, but because of the aura Jubei was giving off.

He felt small compared to it, and the longer he stared at Jubei, the more his face morphed into a dark, almost unrecognizable shadow. The sheer pressure Jubei was giving off told him that if he made a misstep, he would die.

Was this what it felt like fighting one of the six heroes?

And just like that, Jubei disappeared from his sight again. And only a second later did he figure out he was flying, his feet had left the ground and that his stomach felt like it was hit by a tree trunk flying at obscene speeds.

"Guhk-!" Was all he managed to gurgle before he felt his back collide with a tree… and then go through it and continue flying. But even then, it didn't stop, no, he went through three more trees, before he finally stopped on the fifth one, leaving a sizable dent on the trunk.

He slid down, and only when he landed on the ground on his head did he realized that his back, chest, and head hurt. It didn't take a doctor to figure out that most of his ribs were broken, his spine was probably mangled, and he probably had a concussion, judging from the number of bipedal cats he was seeing.

Dropping to the ground, he pushed against it, trying to stand. He managed if only barely, before he used the tree he stopped on as a crutch to help him remain standing. Damn, Jubei wasn't fucking around. It'd take weeks for him to properly heal, even with his more than abnormal healing factor thanks to the Azure Grimoire.

"If yer thinkin' I'm letting ya catch yer breath," Jubei's voice was next to his ear, and he barely had enough time to register that Jubei wasn't in front of him anymore before he felt cold steel press against the side of his neck. "Ya got another thing comin'."

He didn't dare move his head, lest the blade of Musashi bite into his skin, but he still grit his teeth. More out of confusion than anger. "The fuck do you want from me? Why'd you turn all psycho-asshat all of a sudden?"

"'What do I want from ya' ya say?" Jubei repeated the question, shrugging his shoulders which in turn, caused the blade of Musashi to dig deeper into his skin. "Nothin' really, just wanna clear out trash."

That did it.

Clicking his teeth, he leaned backwards, before pushing his right foot forward to kick the abnormal cat from the ground. The action hurt his body like hell, but at least he mana-

"Don't drop yer foot," The words were a warning, and he found himself listening to them. He kept his right foot in the air, despite the fact that Jubei was on top of it with Musashi never having left the spot on his neck. Nervously, he swallowed, and kept his eyes on Jubei as he watched the cat sigh.

"Good, at least ya still listen well." Jubei then shook his head. "Was afraid ya were turning like him."

He raised an eyebrow. "The hell are you talking about old man? Turn out like who?"

Jubei gave him a look that asked him if he was stupid, before he saw the old cat shake his head. "Was talkin' about Terumi kid."

He had to blink before he realized what exactly Jubei meant by that. When it did register, he felt his face go red and his anger boil over. "The hell!" He shouted, wanting so much to strangle Jubei. "Why the fuck would you think that bastard and me are the same!"

Jubei however, was unfazed by his outburst. Instead, the old cat merely took out his other paw, before digging into ear as if there was something stuck in it. "Well gee, can ya blame me? Ya go and say heartless stuff one after another, ya got a bad temper and ya swear a lot. If ya had green hair and used knives, well, I'd be too stupid not to take yer head."

His leg was numbing staying in the air for so long, but he didn't care. No, the only thing on his mind was Jubei's words. "What the he-"

"Think kid," Jubei spoke over him, taking the claw he had used to dig into his ear to tap on the side of his head. "What makes ya different from Terumi? Seriously different, because as it stands now, the parallels are there, and they're scary strong."

"The hell-" Again he attempted to speak, but Jubei cut him off by shaking his head.

"I know ya ain't this dense kid, prove me right." The words were phrased like a sermon, but there was an order in them.

He felt his jaw clench, before he closed his eyes and focused. Alright, what the fuck did he do to piss off Jubei? The only thing he could think of was when he was talking to Bullet after this morning's training session.

"Did it have anything to do with what I said to Bullet?" He probed as he opened one eye. He saw Jubei nod his head in confirmation. He let out an annoyed sigh.

"Seriously?" He was unable to mask his incredulity. "That's what's got you out for my head? I say one stupid thing that's true, and you go and hit me and break my fucking bones!?" His voice was rising, but he didn't care. What the hell was wrong with Jubei? Did he expect him to lie?

"Kid, think long and hard." Jubei once again warned him, and he was forced to close his mouth as Jubei tapped the side of his leg with Musashi. "Ya got a good head on yer shoulders. All ya gotta figure out is what ya did wrong."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" He countered. "You can't expect me to just lie about shit like that! If I did I'd be no better than Terumi!"

"That's where yer wrong kid," Jubei's immediate rebuttal made him flinch. "Terumi's a lot of things, but a liar? Now that just ain't his way." Now he was confused, Terumi wasn't a liar?

"Now that's to say he ain't a rat bastard," Jubei continued, finally dropping down from his leg and onto the grass, allowing him to finally put some weight on his throbbing leg. "But ya gotta realize where I'm going with this." Jubei turned around and stared at him, raising Musashi so that it pointed straight at his face. "What ya did, that's somethin' Terumi woulda done."

Though the blade was the immediate danger, his eyes focused onto Jubei. "What?" His voice came out quieter than he was liked it to be.

Jubei nodded his head, further sending his thought into a spiral. "Terumi is a guy that'll take everything you believe in, and show ya the harsh reality of it. He's gonna take pleasure in ya seeing the truth, and when the truth breaks ya, well, that's when he'll kill ya. When yer in despair."

He looked down, Jubei's words sinking in. "I… I'm not like that." He said softly, unsure if his words were to reassure Jubei or him.

"Which is why yer better than Terumi." He looked up, and saw Jubei sheathing Musashi behind his back. "At least, now that I managed ta beat it into yer head." Despite the solemn mood, Jubei didn't seem affected as the old cat grinned at him. "Yer better than Terumi, because ya allow yerself to feel regret. That's somethin' that Terumi'll never have. The humanity of empathy."

"Ragna, what ya said to Bullet today, it may have all been true. Heck, even if Kokonoe's my daughter, I know for a fact that she's not the best person there is." Jubei stared up at him. He looked away as Jubei's lone eye locked with his own pair. "But that don't mean that it was the best thing ta say. Ya don't exactly know her do ya?"

He didn't answer, instead, he continued to look anywhere but his master.

He heard Jubei sigh, and this finally made him turn towards the old cat. "We've been here a month Ragna. Tell me, aside from D and Bullet, who do you know in the camp?"

He was about to answer, but Jubei shook his head. "Names kid. I want names, stories, what they did to get to this camp, what happened to 'em. Don't just tell me stuff like 'that one woman who always cooks.'. That don't count."

He opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again when he realized that nothing was coming to mind. Was he really that out of touch with these people? He didn't know a damn thing about them. Heck, even Bullet wasn't someone he interacted with except on times when both of them were being taught by Jubei.

"…I feel like an ass." He broke the silence, eliciting a chuckle from Jubei. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from the cat, this time, in embarrassment.

"That's because ya are." Jubei stated. He stared at the cat with a raised eyebrow, but before he could retort, Jubei continued. "But that don't mean yer heart ain't in the right place. That sister that raised ya, she raised ya well. She'd be damn proud ta see you now. I know I am."

He felt heat rise to his face, and his embarrassment doubled. He felt his mouth hang open, before he finally managed one word despite himself. "…Thanks."

Jubei grinned at him, before nodding. "Now, lessons over. Go and take a break." Jubei turned around and waved one arm as he began walking away from him. "And put that thing somewhere where ya won't poke yer eyes out."

He realized he was still holding the scythe given to him, before he shook his head and let out a small chuckle.

"Oh my, am I perhaps seeing you maturing?" He was broken out of his thoughts as he was suddenly reminded that it wasn't just him and Jubei there.

"What the fuck!" He shouted, slightly startled at seeing Rachel still there, sipping tea while sitting on her fat stuffed cat. "I thought you left already!" He accused.

Rachel merely raised one eyebrow, looking prim and proper despite the fact that her eyes held contempt in them. "And what made you think that? I had come over merely to observe you. And had you gone over the path ordained, then I would have simply eliminated you right here and now. Heaven knows what kind of thoughts goes through your head."

He felt like growling at her, felt like saying biting words. But he stopped himself at the last second.

He thought hard on what Rachel said, and realized that despite her words, she was still looking out for him. Heck, if Jubei hadn't knocked some sense into him, then Rachel probably would have.

At least, that was why he thought Rachel was here in the first place.

"Hey Rachel." He called, scratching the back of his head as he did so. He looked towards Rachel, and saw her giving him a raised eyebrow in question. "….Thanks." He said as he looked away from the blonde.

He couldn't tell, but he might have heard Rachel take a breath. And for a second, he thought she was flattered, or at least, something close to flustered.

That thought flew out the window the moment she opened her mouth again.

"It seems that Jubei has indeed 'beat some sense into you.'" Rachel began, causing him to turn towards him. "I've no idea whether to thank him for that, or be scared of my own chastity. I perhaps may have liked you more the way you were previous, that way, you need not look at me with such mature, and perverted eyes."

He took a breath to calm himself, and when that didn't work, he took another. Still it didn't work, and despite the talk he had with Jubei, he couldn't stop himself. "Hell no! Who would want someone like a decrepit old snarky bitch like you? You may look like a little girl, but god damn is your mouth as foul as a thousand year old mummy's!" He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Rachel. The fuck was she on? He thanks her, and she verbally abuses him?

"Watch it what you say to the princess you stup-" Gii began flying towards him again, but was caught by the wings by Rachel. Who immediately threw it over her shoulders causing it to hit a tree.

"Gii, what have I said about my thoughts on you defending me?" Rachel asked, not at all caring that she threw her familiar at such force that it dented the tree it landed on.

"Ow…" Gii said from its position, before it floated up and towards Rachel. "That you can defend yourself." The amount of guilt that came from Gii's voice was surprising, even for him.

Damn had Rachel whipped her servants that hard?

He looked back towards Rachel, and saw her sipping her tea quietly. She finally put down the tea, before she stared at him. "I had not meant to insult you. Merely stating facts like I see it."

He narrowed his eyes, not out of anger, but from confusion. "So you're saying we're both like Terumi?" He asked, not sure why Rachel would say something like that.

Rachel however, shook her head. "What I'm saying, is that despite ourselves, we all speak the truth. No matter how harsh, and no matter how painful they may be. Despite the fact that you are a crass and barbaric individual, and that Terumi is a degenerate that seeks nothing more than chaos and destruction, and that I, someone who has lived past millennia, have all been raised properly. To always speak the truth."

Okay… where was she going with this?

Rachel sighed, probably detecting his confusion from the look on his face. "To speak plainly. Despite our upbringing, we are still individuals with differing thoughts."

"The hell?" He said, incredulous at the amount of words Rachel spewed. "Why didn't you say that in the first place? You didn't have to go on that whole spiel about how we were all raised well."

Rachel, instead of replying to him in a snarky manner as she was liable to, only gave him a small smile. "Oh? Are you perhaps admitting your mistakes? Dear me, perhaps you are growing."

Despite the insult, he smiled back at her, before shaking his head and turning around, walking away from her as he did so. Before he left the vicinity however, he turned his head slightly towards Rachel. "Hey Rachel." He spoke up, not bothering to look at the vampire.

"Hmm?" He heard her say, before he heard her taking a sip of her tea. Seriously? She still wasn't taking him seriously?

Ah whatever. "Thank you." He said sincerely, renewing his walk towards the camp, not bothering waiting a reply that would come from Rachel.

As he began walking, he wondered if he could get D to look after the scythe for awhile. At least, until he came to pick it up after he talked to Bullet again.

…On second thought, maybe he should hold onto it when he did talk to her. Just as a means to defend himself.

XxX

He had asked D if the man saw Bullet, but D had only responded with a shake of his head, before saying 'Bullet is good girl, but still only girl. Likely she is out in perimeter smashing trees.'

He had a strange feeling that something the man said was wrong, but couldn't quite place his finger on it. So he decided to ignore it instead.

So with D's words in his head, he scouted the perimeter of the camp, looking for signs of where Bullet was. Sure enough, he found trees split in two, trees uprooted, heck; he even found trees thrown into each other. And Rachel was going on about him destroying trees? She should have went to Bullet if that was the case.

Still… Maybe it was his fault. Hell, he'd been the one to put her in the 'destroy everything' kind of mood to begin with.

A loud bang sounded, and he hurried over towards the source of it. It didn't take him more than ten paces before he found who it was that caused it.

He found Bullet. On the ground face up, breathing heavily with pieces of a broken tree scattered all around her. He took a second to further analyze Bullet's surroundings, before he realized that Bullet had done a number on the place around her.

Trees were split in two around her, some were uprooted, one tree even had another one stuck into it! He realized then that Bullet had probably used one tree as a baseball bat, before she swung it at the rooted one, intertwining both in splinters and wood. Maybe that was the cause of the bang he heard?

He shook his head, now wasn't the time to be thinking of that. Cautiously, he approached the girl lying on the ground. He tried to be as stealthy as possible, but realized that doing so would be next to impossible with the number of broken trees and scattered wood all around.

Sighing to himself, he decided he should just bite the bullet and just approach her like he normally would.

"Hey." He said as he walked over towards Bullet. He didn't get a chance to take two steps towards her, before he had to duck as Bullet swiped a piece of wood from the ground and chucked it straight at his face. "Whoa!"

The wood grazed the top of his head, brushing in between his hair, before he heard it collide with another tree behind him. He looked behind, and saw a distinct mark where the piece of wood had collided with the tree, before shaking his head and looking back towards Bullet, readying himself with the scythe he still had in his hands. "The fuck was that for? Didn't take you for the kind to get surprised so easily."

Despite his beating heart, he managed to stay calm enough not to shout. He didn't need a repeat of Bullet throwing those things. He didn't want to bet on how long he could dodge Bullet chucking pieces of wood at him before he got himself impaled, nor was he convinced that he could split trunks of trees with just his scythe.

Bullet didn't say anything and instead, continued breathing heavily as she glared at him. Finally, after taking a few seconds to compose herself, she let out one last heavy breath, before she spoke up. "What do you want?" She said, her tone cross as she continued glaring at him.

He sighed before scratching the back of his head. "Look, I know I said some stuff that you don't really agree with, and I'm not taking those words back." He made it clear that he didn't regret the words he spoke, for they were at least truthful. But… "But I wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things in the first place. It's not really-"

"Save it." He blinked as Bullet interrupted him. He looked towards her, and saw her sitting with her back turned towards him. He scowled.

"The hell?" He began as he walked forward. Anger overwriting the guilt he had previously. "I was gonna apologize, and you just tell me to save it?" The hell was wrong with this girl? Was she dropped on the head one too many times?

"I don't need your pity. I don't even want it in the first place." Bullet said, her back still turned towards him. He felt himself bristle, but before he could say anything, Bullet continued. "If all you've got to say is 'sorry', then you can go put your head back in your ass."

That did it. Any semblance of regret he held for hurting her feelings went out the window. He took an angry step forward, but before he could do or say anything, a weight suddenly appeared on his shoulder.

"Now that's just plain cold Bullet." He looked towards his right shoulder, only to see Jubei standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. He could see Bullet turning towards Jubei, but before she could respond, Jubei jumped off his shoulder and landed in between them.

Jubei took a look at him, before looking towards Bullet. He relaxed a bit, before he saw Jubei shake his head. "Here we have someone willing to say they're sorry, willing to say they were in the wrong, and all ya got ta say is that? What happened to common decency?"

Bullet turned her glare over towards Jubei. "Why should I show decency when he didn't?" It was obvious the words were directed towards him, and he felt the grip on his scythe tighten. She did have a point there…

From the corner of his vision, he saw Jubei scratch the back of his head, before sighing and shaking his head. "Ahh geez." He saw Jubei turn towards him, and focused on his master. "Looks like it'll take a whole lot more than a sorry to convince her you're sincere."

He scowled. "What do you mean by that?"

Jubei shrugged his shoulders at him. "It's obvious a sorry won't cut it, at least, not fer Bullet. And the more ya apologize, the more incline ya are ta just spout that mouth of yours with every obscenity you know."

He felt his face heat up at Jubei's words. Again, what Jubei said wasn't exactly untrue… But screw that. "If she doesn't want to accept my apology, that's her problem, not mine. She doesn't want to believe I feel like shit for what I said? I don't care, I said my piece." He crossed his arms over his chest, the scythe ramrod straight by his side.

Jubei stared at him for a second, and in that second, he could see a hint of… mischief in Jubei's eye. But before he could say anything about it, he saw Jubei duck his head in a bow, a hint of a smile on his feline face as he did so. "If ya really feel that way…" Jubei trailed.

A whizzing sound, and suddenly a light stinging sensation spread from his neck.

He reached towards it, and felt something embedded into his neck. He pulled it out, and put it in front of his eyes. He barely had a second to recognize it before he felt himself getting whoozy. "God… fucking… damn i-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as he fell face first into the dirt and blacked out.

XxX

A hill overlooking a wasteland of swords. A bright yellow sun that scorched the skin. Uncountable number of swords surrounded the hill.

This was wrong… He felt wrong. He wasn't supposed to be here, he could feel it in his soul, could feel it permeating his entire being. He felt like a thief intruding upon a family dinner, a traitor about to kill everyone he once knew and laughed with.

A ringing in his head, and the bright yellow sun was blotched by a humongous black beast.

He stared up at it, at its eight contorted heads. He watched as it devoured the sun, and then the sky, before it began to devour the sandy wasteland and all its swords.

The black beast kept eating and eating, its eight heads swallowing vast expanses of not just the sky, but also the ground he stood upon.

But no matter how much it ate, not matter how much it devoured, it couldn't reach the hill. It couldn't reach all the swords. It couldn't reach him.

And then, as if responding to a call, all the swords began to shiver. Beginning to shake from their tombstone-like poise as if the dead were clawing their way through the ground.

As one, all the swords rose, sabers, knives, zweihanders, rapiers, cutlasses. All rose to the sky. But as he took a second look, he realized that it wasn't just limited to swords. Spears, lances, hammers even, every conceivable weapon rose from the ground and into the sky, blanketing the twilight sky by sheer number alone. The weapons… they were simply infinite.

All the weapons shuddered, eliciting a sound of metal scraping against metal, and it was only then he saw the figure.

He was clad in nothing but black armor and black slacks, his toned and tanned arms by his side, his white hair with fringes of red seemingly whipping as the winds picked up all around. He didn't know who this figure was, he didn't know why he appeared now of all times, but he knew that the moment he saw him, that this world, this Infinite Wasteland of Blades. It was his.

The man raised one arm, and all the weapons in the air stilled. It was as if the man himself commanded them.

And with swift drop of his arm, all the weapons that blanketed the sky, every single one, surged forward towards the black beast.

Suddenly, the black beast seemed so small.

XxX

He awoke with a start, sitting up as he clutched his head.

That was… that was some dream.

He had had dreams like that before. Over the past month, he had been plagued by the same setting, the same place. An infinite wasteland of swords, that was what he called that place. There wasn't really anything better to describe it with anyway.

His dreams always seemed to be in there now. And almost every dream all he did was sit on a hill, overlooking the wasteland, counting the number of swords he could see with just his eyes.

Of course it hadn't always been like that. A month ago, the wasteland barely had anything in it. Only a handful of swords that included Jin's, Jubei's, and a couple of others. Heck, even Terumi's balisong knife was there. And for awhile, that was the extent of it. With a couple of swords here and there.

But as the month went on, the wasteland… expanded. More swords, more ground he could see over the horizon, even the twilight sky itself seemed to grow.

But… today was the first time he saw a black figure over the horizon that blotched the sun. And it was also the first time he saw a figure of a man.

He shook his head, now probably wasn't the time to think about this. He had to talk with Jubei and tell him that his dream just evol- Jubei!

He looked to his left, and then to his right, but all he could see was thick vegetation, no sign of his master anywhere.

"Son of a bitch cat!" The sentence he spewed didn't make any sense, but he didn't care. That fucker will get what's coming to him for drugging him and leaving him on the groun-

It was then he noticed the figure right next to him, and he realized that he wasn't the only person that had been drugged.

Bullet was right next to him, her sleeping form looked so peaceful and serene that had he not known her, he would have mistaken her for an innocent girl.

He shook his head at the thought. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about crap like that. He had to find Jubei.

Looking around for his scythe, he quickly found it lying by Bullet's back. Carefully picking it up so that he didn't hit the woman next to it, he made to stand and walk away, intent on leaving the girl here to look for his teacher. But he couldn't even take one step as he felt a weight on his right ankle.

Closing his eyes as he breathed deep, he hoped to whatever god there was that wasn't what he thought it was.

Slowly opening his eyes and looking towards his right ankle, he realized that if there was a god, it definitely hated him. Either that, or Jubei had a fucked up sense of humor.

Sighing to himself, he sat back down, allowing the metal to jingle at his ankle again. He wouldn't be going anywhere soon, at least, not until the person he was shackled to woke up.

God damn it Jubei.

XxX

Shin. Megami. Tensei. IV.

Just… fuck. I can't put it down, and it's affecting my ability to write. Someone, take away my 2ds! Do it before I finish SMT IV and start playing FE:F. Do it! If not for me then for my rotting stories!

Joking aside, I will admit that the only reason I haven't been updating regularly is because of video games. It's summer where I am, and I'm making the most of it by sleeping, playing games, and writing. All in that order.

Also, some the readers may notice that I'm updating stories in a pattern. Namely from top to bottom. So yeah, next up the chopping block would either be Mechanized Magus and/or A Magi's Tale. The last one would be Fate: Zero/Night. I'm not going past Fate: Zero/Night, at least, not until I have all those bottom rung stories updated with my current mindset. I apologize for those readers that read every story I write, and expect updates from some stories I haven't updated for a long time. I can only ask for your patience in the matter.

All that aside, I'm writing a character study story for FMA. Which in turn, will crossover with Akame ga Kill. Now before some of my readers pick up their pitchforks and torches and start calling me a hypocritical liar, I will tell them that the hypocritical part is correct, but now the liar part.

I am not a fan of Akame ga Kill. I've made mention of that in A Gaming Magus' third chapter. But that doesn't stop me from writing a fanfiction of it. Rest assured, I'm not gonna go 'Everyone in this story is bad and therefore I must bash everyone!' spree with it. I hate bashing, so don't expect me to write stories that bash certain characters that I dislike. I will however, write a story that is as close to canon and the character's canon personalities as possible. Now that is to say I won't make mistakes or take a few liberties, but I am only human. And that means that despite everything I do, I still make mistakes. Some of them you've probably read already in this latest chapter of this story. If not from slight OOC'ness, then certainly from typos and wrong grammar.

That aside, I assure my readers, I will not desensitize their love/like of Akame ga Kill with this story. Not like it'll be too troublesome though. As this story is a three-shot focusing on characters from FMA reacting to different factions in Akame ga Kill.

So… aside from that piece of news that had no basis being in this AN, this chapter marks the start of the 'Tied Together' story arc for this story. I'm excited to write about it, and I hope my readers are as excited for the next developments that will happen. More character development, and more growth not just for Ragna, but also for Bullet. That is the focus on this arc. Why Bullet though and not just have Ragna grow by himself with Jubei? Because it fits where the story is heading. Yeah, that's the only reason… I'm kidding of course. But then again, how can you people tell?

C.O.Y.L out, peace!

Also, unedited glory! Shin Megami Tensei IV forever! Whooo!

Seriously though, will get to editing in a while. Just... Need... More demons.