Azure Glass

Chapter One: Fear

Platinum the Trinity. A jumble of souls in a single form. A brash girl called Luna, a calm, kind boy called Sena, and Trinity Glassfield, one of the six heroes. Trinity's soul slept deep within the Nox Nyctores she had used during the Dark War. However, there was a deep worry in her soul. After some time, a time that was fast approaching, Trinity's soul would return to her true form. However, if it is allowed to run its course, Luna and Sena will be utterly destroyed. Trinity, being the kind soul she was, wanted to avoid this. However, there was only one possible way. Currently, Luna was with Jubei, who was instructing them to learn to use their power. Luna had a great attachment to Jubei, almost too much. Trinity was attempting to take control of the body to discuss this with Jubei, and she was close to succeeding.

"Ugh, man I feel awful." Luna groaned, holding her head.

"My head feels like it's clouding over. So...tired..." Sena yawned, then Platinum collapsed, Jubei swiftly catching her.

"Platinum, you alright?!" Jubei shook her gently, concerned he was working her to hard. Platinum placed a hand on Jubei's chest.

"It's alright Jubei, it's me." Trinity replied, standing up.

"Trinity? Don't see you very often, you have something to say?"

"The time is soon to dawn, and I must tell you something." Jubei sat down on a large log, listening, "I do not wish to see these children destroyed, and I know of a way for them to be put to rest, and I to return to my normal form. However, I need you to point them in the right direction."

"Sure thing Trinity, I don't want to see these two die anymore than you do. What do I gotta tell em?"

"I must find Ragna. Only his Grimoire can save these two." Jubei nodded, although he had no clue what Trinity was planning, "Thank you Jubei, my time is up now, farewell." Trinity laid down on the floor, and returned deep inside the Nox. Luna groaned, and jolted upright.

"Crap! Did Luna pass out or something?!" She shook her head rapidly, then glanced at Jubei, "Mister Jubei? Are you sleeping?"

"Nope, thinking." Jubei stood up, and Platinum did as well, "Look you two, I got something for you to do."

"Not find that moron Bang again is it? Luna could hardly stand that guy." Luna complained, jumping to conclusions.

"Let's hear Mister Jubei out before we start assuming Luna." Sena said.

"I need you to go find Ragna."

"Why?!" Luna did not like Ragna at all, although Jubei wasn't sure why.

"Consider it a favor for me. I want you to find out how the kid is doing. Just talk to him, tell him I said hi and all that." Jubei felt bad for tricking them, but it had to be done. For the sake of their souls.

"Okay then fine. We'll find that blockhead for you." Luna groaned.

"Well, you better get a move on, no time to waste."

"Why do we have to hurry?" Luna didn't want to find him anytime soon. Jubei thought about this, and made a deal with them.

"Tell you what. You find Ragna fast enough, and I'll make that steak you two love so much." His lie stabbed at his heart, knowing he would never see them again.

"Alright let's go!" Luna started to run off, but Jubei stopped her.

"Hang on a second kid. How about giving an old man a hug before you run off." Almost instantly, as if it was something she always wanted, Luna leapt at Jubei, hugging him tightly. Jubei hugged them, a single tear running down his face, "Alright, get a move on you two. You know where to find me." Platinum ran off, heading towards Kagutsuchi, which was the last place she had recently seen Ragna. She waved as she ran, as did Jubei.

"Goodbye Luna. Goodbye Sena. You're both such great kids. I hope you return to this world soon." Jubei let loose a few more tears, greatly saddened by the coming loss. He turned, and disappeared into the thick woods.

Within a few hours, the sun was setting, and Platinum had finally reached the city. She wandered the streets of Orient Town, looking for Ragna, or anyone who knew him. Their search was interrupted by a tremendous growl.

"Ugh, Luna is so hungry." She whined.

"Me to, but we don't have any money." Sena looked around, trying to find anyone who might take pity on them. He then saw a familiar face amongst the crowd, "Hey, isn't that?"

"Hey! It's Boobzilla! I mean Litchi!" Luna started to run towards her. She had originally gotten into a fight with Litchi, misinterpreting the situation when she was having a private conversation with Jubei. Soon after, Luna was bawling, as she thought she made Jubei angry. Litchi then comforted her, and explained the situation. Luna then realized how much of a nice person she was, and respected her.

"Miss Litchi! Miss Litchi!" Luna shouted, then jumped at the elegant woman, tightly embracing her.

"Oh my!" Litchi had thought it was Taokaka, given how direct the approach was. However the mysterious attacker was clutching her waist, instead of her bosom. She looked down, and recognized the clinging figure, "Ah! If it isn't Luna and Sena, how nice to see you." Litchi pulled them off her, setting them on the floor.

"Hi Litchi! Mister Jubei sent us back on an errand!" Luna smiled.

"Oh, and what is it? Do you need help?"

"Well, we're looking for-" Sena was cut off but another loud grumble, and held their stomach, "Well, right now we're trying to find some food." Sena laughed softly.

"Could you buy us something to eat?" Luna asked.

"Of course I can. In fact, I was just on my way to eat something myself. Come, it's not far from here." Litchi pointed at a small building not too far away.

"Yay!" Luna jumped up and down.

They quickly found a table, and ordered some food. Litchi was amazed at how hungry Platinum was, as she swiftly devoured her meal. Litchi smiled, The fire of youth burns bright as they say, she thought. Once they were finished eating, Litchi again asked them what their errand was.

"Well, Mister Jubei asked us to find that blockhead Ragna." Luna said, her distaste for his obvious in her voice.

"Have you seen him recently Miss Litchi?" Sena asked, significantly calmer than his 'roommate'.

"Well, I myself have not seem him. However, I do believe Tao might have quite recently. She was talking about how she ran into 'Good Guy' a short while ago, and was going to follow him around for some odd reason. I think she's at the Kaka village right now, do you need any help finding it?"

"No thanks, Luna knows where it is!" Luna said confidently, and stood up, "Thanks for the food!"

"No problem Luna, you hurry up and finish your errand. I hope you find him quickly." Luna ran out the store, and began to retrace her steps to the Kaka village, as they had stumbled upon there before.

"Sena, do you remember where to go?" Luna asked, making it seem more like a test question than an inquiry.

"Umm, I think it was through that large sewer pipe over there." Sena pointed towards a large open pipe, which jutted out of the floor in a nearby back alley.

"I think so to, let's go!"

Hours passed, the dark sewer rancid and slimy. Platinum trudged on, Luna being determined to finish Jubei's request with speed.

"Ragna's so stupid, Luna can't believe Mister Jubei is interested in him." Luna then morphed the Nox Nyctores into a large plushy Jubei, and hugged it tightly as she skipped along, "Mister Jubei is mine and that blockhead better know it!" Sena was constantly creeped out by Luna's strange affection to Mister Jubei. Suddenly, he heard something.

"Luna, did you hear that?" Sena morphed the Nyctores back to its normal form.

"Yeah, do you think it's?"

"Probably. Let's get goin-Ah!"

A large pile of crap in front of them suddenly sprung to life. A pulsating mass of sticky, black and red goo hobbled towards them. A white mask was it's only other feature, with only three simple circular holes to make a face which gave off a sense of unease. This monster was once a man. A brilliant scientist who fell prey to the mystery of the boundary, and lost his body and mind. Arakune.

" u! Yo re ha irl! ny co rs, Nox Ny re . W o re? W t s pose? o, t ar . Hu gr , ry, f ed, d vo , ust fe . De ur! Devour! Kyihihihihi!" Arakune began to laugh maniacally, convulsing and shaking rapidly. Insects began to emerge from inside his slimy form, buzzing around. A long arm of bone came out of him.

"Luna! We have to run! He's way more aggressive than last time!" Sena yelled.

"You're right! Run away!" Luna turned and ran as fast as she could, turning through the maze like sewer. Arakune gave chase, still continuing to laugh insanely.

" vour! Co s me! F ed! Kyihihihihihi! I l our u w le! Le r w y! So any lors! Why?! st earn! st! Con u e ,con me! A sorb! Kyihihihihihih!" Arakune was picking up speed, and closing in on Luna and Sena. No signs of light came from any direction, they had no clue where they were. For the first time, Luna was scared.

"Nooooo! Luna doesn't want to die! Don't eat us!" Luna screamed, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, someone grabbed her. She screamed, certain Arakune had her, then realized that the arm holding her was obscured by a large strange jacket sleeve. They almost flew through the air, and they had discovered they ran straight out of the sewer and onto a strange grassy hill. Their savior set them down, and they looked by to see Taokaka standing between Arakune and them.

"Squiggly?! Not you again! What do you want neow!?" Tao hissed, already in a defensive stance, ready to protect her village. Arakune shifted strongly, his mask rotating as if he was tiling his head to one side in confusion.

"N t ou ag n! nt t eat! ive e gi l! Gir th many c ors." Arakune stopped then, and then began to giggle, "Kyihihihi! ou! Y u ell! Sme of Azure! AzureAzureAzure! ive e he zure! A re! Azure!" Arakune then hurled himself at Tao.

Tao swiftly jumped out of the way. As she landed on the floor, Arakune rushed at Platinum, who was still in a phase of defenselessness. Tao leaped at Arakune, delivering a strong blow to his mask, causing him to retreat in apparent pain. Arakune released a massive swarm of insects, and ordered them to attack. Tao had no choice but to take the blow, as she was directly in between both Arakune and Platinum. The insects dived into her clothes, stinging her everywhere. While she was nearly incapacitated, Arakune struck her with a large blow to her side, his sharp claws piercing her skin. the wound was not grave however, as Tao managed to jump out of the way slightly, her survival instincts in overdrive. It wasn't enough, as Arakune's relentless assault continued in a devastating punch to her stomach, knocking her to the floor. Tao hit the floor hard, dazed. She struggled to get up, but it seemed Arakune's insect swarm delivered some form of numbing poison, and she collapsed on the floor.

"Ugh. No, you got really strong Squiggly. I failed, meow. I'm so sorry...everyone, meow..." Tao passed out, and Arakune started to laugh.

"Kyihihihihi! ime eed! Ti e o ind Azure! ab rb mem ies! Azure! AzureAzureAzureAzure!" Arakune morphed into a massive mouth, and began to slide toward Taokaka's unconscious body.

"No! St-Stop!" Luna yelled, jumping in front of Tao's body. She wasn't going to let him eat her, not after she saved their lives. As Arakune began to laugh even louder, Luna's legs shook uncontrollably, on the verge of collapsing. If Tao couldn't beat him, with the protection of her whole village at stake, what chance did she, a child, have against him? Luna's legs finally gave out, and she fell to the floor. Arakune rushed towards them, mouth wide open, intending to devour them both in one bite. Luna and Sena tightly shut their eyes. Then, nothing happened. Luna opened one eye, and all she could see was a bright red coat.

"What the fuck are you doing idiot?! Get up!" Ragna yelled at Platinum, not turning away from Arakune. His large sword was pointed directly at his opponent, both hands tightly gripping it.

"Kyihihi! Azure! ine! Mi e! vor! De ur! Devour th Azure!"

"Fat chance slime ball!" Ragna charged forward, punching Arakune's mask as darkness covered his arm. Arakune reeled backwards, screaming in pain from the blow.

"Ragna be careful! He's super aggressive right now! Don't play it defensively like Tao did!" Sena yelled, giving Ragna more information on the current situation.

Arakune's mask cracked from the blow, and he screamed in agony. He charged at Ragna, simply intending to try and consume him. Ragna, not taking any chances, delivered a stunning blow, catching Arakune with an upward cut of his blade. Darkness seemed to form chains around Arakune, immobilizing him. The Bloodscythe unhinged, and turned into its namesake. A bright, long blade of red seithr emerged from the blade, channeled by Ragna's Azure Grimoire. Ragna relentlessly sliced, almost effortlessly, through Arakune's black gooey body. Then, his blade seemed to morph into his arm, and he was completely surrounded by darkness. His right arm turned into a large blade of shadows, sucking life force out of Arakune, boosting the power of the incoming blow. Ragna impaled Arakune, and the darkness around him exploded, knocking Arakune back into the sewer entrance, where he quickly disappeared from sight, injured but alive. Ragna sheathed his sword, and was panting heavily.

"You...two...okay there?" Ragna turned to look at Platinum and Tao, who was still out cold.

"Yes, we're fine." Luna said. She never thought Ragna, rude, disrespectful, cruel Ragna, would save someone's life. Maybe, I was wrong about him. Maybe this is why Mister Jubei likes him.

"Oh! Tao!" Sena turned and shook Tao, who still did not wake up. Ragna walked over and picked her up.

"Come on! We gotta get Litchi to take a look at her!" Ragna started to run towards the Village, and Luna ran after him. Ragna ran to the Elder's home, and kicked the door in. The Elder jumped in surprise.

"Oh my! Taokaka! What happened to her?!" The Elder watched as Ragna set Tao down on the couch.

"Luna, tell the elder what happened. I'll get Litchi." Ragna said, then ran out the door.

"Oh my. Are you alright child? What happened? Come, sit down." The Elder sat down on the chair next to Tao, and Luna walked over.

"I... I was trying to get to the village because I needed to see Tao. But I got lost in the sewers. Arakune showed up and started to chase me, wanting to eat me. I was so scared, and was running around in the dark. Tao found me and almost died protecting me. Then Ragna showed up and beat him up!" Luna explained, still crying from her terrifying experience. The Elder wrapped an arm around her.

"Now now child, it's all over now. But might I ask why you were looking for Tao?"

"Mister Jubei asked us to find Ragna, and Litchi said Tao knew where she was." Sena said, then their hands flew to their mouth.

"Oh come now, I know the story behind you. Two spirits in one body. So, Jubei sent you did he? interesting."

Ragna and Litchi ran through the door, and Litchi immediately began to assess her wounds. Ragna stayed outside, as Litchi had to removed Tao's coat to treat her. As Litchi worked, Tao woke up.

"Meow?" Tao spoke weakly, and looked at Litchi, "Boobie Lady? Am I dead neow?" Tao groaned.

"No Tao, and don't you even think about that. Ragna managed to fend of Arakune and bring you back here. You got injected with a manner of paralyzing poison, so you couldn't move."

"Tao isn't dead? So you're the real Boobie Lady?" Tao suddenly fell back to sleep, this time snoring. Litchi sighed.

"She'll make a full recovery, but she'll need several days rest. Who will protect the village?" Everyone looked at Ragna.

"I guess I have to, Tao saved my life once, only fair i protect the village while she's getting better. Though I don't think he'll be back for a good long while after what I did to him. Broke his mask, and he seems to be really attached to that, so I think he's going to try and fix it."

"Thank you Ragna, we won't forget your kindness." The elder, happy that the village would still be safe. Ragna just walked out the door, not saying a word. Platinum ran outside after him.

"Ragna wait up!"

"What do you guys want?" Ragna was not in the mood to have to listen to Luna's insults.

"I think Luna has something she wants to say to you." Sena said, laughing.

"I'm sorry for being mean to you before Ragna. I just thought you were just flat out cruel, but I was wrong. Thank you for saving me from getting eaten." Luna looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

"Don't mention it. Besides, god knows what Jubei would do to me if he found out you got eating by a pathetic excuse of a creature." Ragna laughed.

"Ugh, the hell?" Luna groaned, holding her head.

"Hey, you alright? None of those bugs bit you did they?" Ragna kneeled down next to Platinum, who was visibly extremely uncomfortable.

"My head...ow..." Sena groaned. Then suddenly, they fell forward, landing in Ragna's arms. Ragna laid her down on her back, making sure she was still breathing normally. After a minute, Trinity awoke.

"Ragna." She spoke, her voice completely different then Sena's or Luna's. Ragna looked at her.

"So you're the third soul. What did you do to Luna and Sena?"

"Calm yourself. I am Trinity, and I have come to ask a favor of you." Trinity stood up, and stared into Ragna's eyes, "Soon, I will return to my natural form, the magic locking me inside the Nyctores finally wearing off. However, if it happens as such, Luna and Sena...will be no more. Their souls will be destroyed forever, no hope of ever being born again."

"Well what the hell can I about it?" Ragna had no clue about what Trinity was talking about, but he felt she was speaking the truth. Trinity placed her hand on his right arm, holding the Grimoire.

"The power of the Grimoire you hold can allow their souls to be released harmlessly, allowing them to be at peace and be born into this world again. I know what to do, but I require your consent. Please, for these children."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not so bad as to let innocent kids die. Let's do it. What do I do?"

Without warning, Trinity twirled her weapon in her hand, and struck the back of Ragna's neck. Ragna collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Trinity knelt down next to him.

"Thank you Ragna, I will take it from here."