BlazBlue 1. Ragna's Dismay

Ragna could not stand it anymore. The suspense, the tension, the silence, the boredom, the stillness, the anticipation, the wait, the depression, the suspense, everything! Why did he had to feel this unnecessary emotion, of all times, in this peaceful week?! It was something unexplainable, and no matter how much he ignored the annoyance of this feeling, it just kept getting stronger and stronger each day. Frustrating enough, Christmas Day was coming soon. The sudden thought of him greeting strangers he didn't give a shit about, giving gifts that cost a fortune for his standards, and worst of all, the ear-piercing carols people had to sing every single time!

Ragna roughly scratched his hair from extreme frustration. He couldn't care less at his dismay about Christmas. What he need to stop bothering was this foreign feelings that kept bursting inside his chest. Why? Why did he fell for her? Why did it had to be her? He shook his head as an answer. The man seriously had no clue why. She was the bitch of the bitch, very tough as a book, and she had the cunning to outwit the weak. He may not admit it out loud, but he did look up to her as some kind of a booster to push forward. When he was on the losing edge, he sometimes think of their frustrating banter toward each other, and thought, why would he give up when he does not when confronting her?

Yeah, that might be it. The reason why. Calming his nerves, taking several deep breaths to ease his mind, he just... think.

…

…

…

"This is dumb as shit." He muttered to nobody. Why would he even bother to think of a reason why? It was useless and would not give him anything at all. He would just be wasting time over nothing... or not. Gah, he didn't know anymore!

Tsk. Another shook of a head, another routine of taking deep breaths, and concentration. Observation. He need to make his brain works if he wanted to beat her on the battle of wits one day! Get back to concentration, self! Observation... and analysis. That woman could analyze even the smallest of things. He had to exercise that part. Now, as a practice. What should he analyze... Ah, why the bugging annoying crap of a feeling! Perfect.

"I should probably think on a quiet place where I can fully focus on what I'm trying to think." Resting his chin on his fist, he idly stare at the ground. The library was the best choice.

Ragna's brows furrowed as he deeply scowled. "And definitely not THAT library. I rather stay at the sewers than breathe the air inside of that place!"

The man let out a grim chuckle. Talk about being too rough for a rather normal day. Mindless dallying aside, he manage to move his lazy ass off the grassy field and took off to the library.

* * *

Ragna was busy scanning the title of the books that were arranged neatly on the bookshelf. Most of them were creeping the man out for how creepy the title of the books were. Gah, he really need to hurry this crappy search up. What he needed was to get some help on how to deal with these shitty softy feelings for the woman, and he rather NOT talk to people he knows about it. More searching, more frustration. Come on, Ragna, practically every book will say the same corny-ass advice, just pick a random one. Grumbling gibberish under his breath, he picked out a red-leather book that was only labeled as "Signs of...". Pretty cryptic title, just like the advises that bunny leech give to him.

Heading back to his seat, which was far away from the people, he laid the book down on the table and sat down on the chair. Okay, it was just a simple book, with a basic advice so he could somehow make a move or pretend it did not exist. Calm down, Ragna. It did not belong to that bastard Terumi. It was just a plain, old book that will help you grasp the situation. There was no need to worry.

Ragna flipped the first few pages until he saw the table of contents inside. Weird thing was that every title of the topic starts with the actual title of the book. Redundant much? Shaking off his head, he flipped the pages until he got to the part he so desperate to read. Signs of having a soul mate.

A... soul mate? What? Ragna flipped the pages back on the table of contents and read the brief summary on the topic.

_Signs of... Romance._

_Love varies. Love is indeed blind. Love accepts. Love understands. The end. _

The man repeatedly banged his face on the table. He was starting to regret picking up this book and just get another one, even if it had a shitty title on it, just to get over it. He recovered from his breakdown and straightened himself as he fixed his hair and calmed his nerves. He just need to stick with this now. Ragna did not want to dive into that bookshelf again just to read those haunting words again. Okay, a book was better than talking with a human being. The book was quiet and straight to the point, no more idle bullshit to waste his time. He just had to move along and read.

_A soul mate does not have to be your mirrored self. A soul mate may be your future acquaintance, your best friend or someone who you hang out the most. It's that one person who knows you a lot, and accepts you for who you are. That person may be also the one who pushed you to become who you are now, if it's for a good cause. Also, no matter what happened to you, your soul mate will stay by your side. That person will never leave you alone to rot alone. And maybe... just maybe... you'll cherish that person's company. _

_If I happen to struck you all with that paragraph, then that means case closed. Go get a move on, tiger. The actual decision lies to you. You, the reader, are different. I cannot give you one advice and stick with it. I know most of you will disagree. So I rather leave you with two choices. The first one is pretending these feelings do not exists at all just to keep your relationship stable and possibly destroy it if you, indeed, made a move to prove that you feel something more. For the other option, act natural! No more cliché shit in here! Do what you have to do. Act as yourself, do not pretend to be someone else just to get that person's attention. You two are indeed a soul mate. And as I have stated earlier, a soul mate accepts who you truly are, so... go! _

Ragna was amazed at how this book was not into bullshit quotes about love and actually gives a proper solution. Take a risk, or never get to that zone? He wondered, what would he chose? He doubt the rabbit even see him as someone worthy to date, or even marry. He was rude, stubborn, and was not into formalities. But what had the author's opinion, as he thought, about soul mate made him realize something. Why did Rachel kept staying by his side, despite being the most frustrating guy to be with? The man firmly believed that she hated his guts, with their constant arguments and smack-talks, but why did she kept staying? Why did that rabbit kept helping him, despite the cryptic tips she shared to him? Were they, somehow... soul mates all along?

Bullshit. Or not. Gah! He was losing his mind! Was this the one of the things you had to endure when you're in love?!

* * *

**A/N: **Back to this pairing again. Unlike my major works, this will be a short chapter series. Updates will vary since of so many things to do on my end.


	2. The Confused Heart's Stroll

This was the fifth time she consumed a slice of triple chocolate flavored cake. She was fully aware that it was out of her usual routine to eat more than a slice of cake, no matter the flavor, but her body kept consuming it. What made her become a filthy beast over cake was out of her idea. All she could do was keep consuming the cake and request another one. This was getting repetitive and was getting on her nerves, but there was something that made her continue the undesirable act, no matter how much her own conscious protests.

The woman should stop this act right now. Finishing her desserts, she took a sip on the teacup filled with lemon tea, which was not her usual drink, and placed it back on the saucer. She felt... intense longing. For something she cannot even fathom could made her feel frustrated. Why did she kept dreaming about seeing that foul creature? Why did her heart ache whenever she was awoken by her slumber? And why was she kept having fantasies in a rather normal circumstances of the world, where there was no war and conflicts? As much as she hated to admit, she had to find some lead on the root of this... strange feeling. Was it love? Was it the term the kids use whenever they look up to someone? Crush? Admiration? Inspiration?

Her head was starting to ache as she kept thinking deeper on the thought. This was futile, and only a waste of precious minutes. She need to take a stroll on Kagutsuchi and find an answer. Hopefully, this would be answered.

"Nago! Gii!"

In an instant, two familiar figures emerged on her view. "Yes, Princess?"

"I am extremely bored of eating the same flavor of this cake. I wish to spend some time Kagutsuchi to make my brain active again due to the lack of entertainment of this place. I shall be back soon."

Before her servants could even open their mouths to speak, the mistress was already gone from their sights.

* * *

"Hmph."

Rachel was in front of an old-looking library building. This was a good place to search for answers. Reading a book would definitely enhance her knowledge about other things. And to prevent herself from being the sight to behold, she was dressed in a comfortable plain white cotton tee shirt that was fitted enough to show off her curves, a smooth long black skirt that reached below her knees, on-the-knee white socks to match her outfit, and her black leather boots. Her hair was down to avoid being mistaken as a child.

Rachel entered the library and went to the area where people read the book from the library. As she was about to search for something to read, she spotted Ragna reading a red book. Hold on a minute, Ragna The Bloodedge, the most feared human being on this area, was sitting on a library, too absorbed on reading a red book. She could not help but stifle a giggle at the rare sight. This was a decent start at her stay.

Curiosity invaded her mind as she slowly approach the man, who did not even moved an inch. The woman wondered what was he was reading, since it was unlike him to read books in the beginning. She could not even imagine such rude person as him would actually be focused on reading a book. Her thoughts were disrupted when a sudden slam was heard nearby. She witness Ragna pointing a finger toward her, with a baffled expression.

"Y-you! What the hell are you doing here, rabbit?!"

Rachel let out a brief yawn as she stare at Ragna with a small smirk on her lips. "Isn't it improper to greet someone you know on that manner?"

The man could only leer as a retaliation. Of all times, she had to appear like a ghost. And then ruin what you were planning to do. And then mock you because of how stupid you were. This was their usual greeting to each other. Much to his dismay, he actually didn't mind this kind of interaction with Rachel. And what he had read earlier definitely solidified his assumptions. But, should he tell her? Was it the right time now?

The blond woman tilted her head to the right, amused at the expressions the man was showing as he was deep in thought. She cleared her throat to get his attention. "I see that you are rather absorbed about what you had read on that red book of yours. Would you be willing to share your feedback about it?"

Crap. She noticed. Was he was that obvious? "Er, um, it's just a stupid book! It's not like reading's a way to entertain yourself!" He was bluffing at this point, a nervous grin was shown on his face and he could feel his sweat rolling down on his face. "And, uh, yeah! You should just go somewhere and stare at your garden or something!"

Rachel took the book from the table, making a mark on the page it was on by folding the corner of the right page. All Ragna could do was gaze in horror as his stupidity dug his grave too early than he could thought. The woman sweetly smiled to mock the horrified man. "I suggest that we should continue our chat on a place where we are permitted to talk as loud as we wish."

As much as he wanted to complain, she was right. He realized that if he refused, he would be louder than before, thus drawing attention to themselves, which would cause serious trouble for him. He sighed in defeat, raising his hands as a sign that he was surrendering to her offer. "Fine, you win, rabbit. You decide where, okay?"

She crossed her arms and gave him a satisfied smirk. "Well then, we shall discuss this topic at my room."

Ragna's cheeks heated up. Her room? Of all locations, why it had to be her room?! What would that old man think of him when he's talking to her inside her room?! What if he was having sick thoughts that he was sexually assaulting her?! He shuddered in disgust, but he could not complain. He had to suck it up. The man gave her a small nod.

Rachel noticed the guy's reddened cheeks as she was about to raise her right hand. "Is your tiny brain finally processing how alluring I look from the outfit I'm currently wearing right now?"

Flabbergasted, all Ragna could do was blush deeper and stutter non-stop. How could this bunny-leech made him feel worse than he was feeling now?!

* * *

**A/N: **Here's hoping it doesn't get bad. Wrote this one late at night. Hope you all enjoy.


	3. Not-so Dramatic Event

Ragna couldn't even believe that this was not a sick nightmare he was having. He was inside Rachel's bedroom, a private room that no one should enter unless you were some kind of a formal person who had earned Rachel's trust, or so he thought. But here he was, sitting on the edge of her own queen-sized bed, right beside her. Recalling the events that had transpired before he was here, Rachel forced him to get up as he was still stuttering like a busted person who was caught for being a liar. People turned their heads to their direction while the girl went on, bringing the enigmatic red book along without booking it on the librarian. As they were outside, Rachel teleported them back to her castle's balcony. They were greeted by Nago, Gii and Valkenhayn, much to Ragna's dismay. Now the old man's going to assume bullshit about them.

And sure enough, he was right. The butler was insulting him in consecutive manner, which almost break his cool, but thankfully, Rachel hushed him up. Ragna couldn't help but let out a satisfied smirk as the girl lectured Valkenhayn for being a whiny asshole who couldn't even try to think of why. He was aware that he would get him one day, but no way in hell would he leave Rachel's side now. Not only for a Valkenhayn Free Zone he would get from her, he had to let her know somehow one day, and sticking with her side would be the first step.

After the ordeal with Valkenhayn, the two proceeded to go to her room, and here they are, in an awkward silence. The red book was neatly placed on the table lamp beside the bed. Ragna was growing worried at the silent treatment he was receiving from her. Her eyes were closed, as she kept an unreadable expression on her face with arms crossed. He was not liking this one bit, and he better do something fast. Or else he would lose it.

Rachel let out a soft sigh, which startled the man beside her. About time she would move on her place, but that made him grew even more nervous. This woman was extremely hard to read by just expressions!

She opened her eyes and gazed at Ragna. "Tell me, Ragna. What made you decide to visit a library and read a book?"

The man's heart skipped at her question. He almost forgot about the part where Rachel read the page he had read earlier. Her face was still unreadable, and he could feel his blood in his veins lose its warmth by the scary result. Knowing the kind of woman Rachel was, he was left with no choice but to admit the whole truth. "Tch. Guess I can't get out of this one... Look." He was quivering from intense nervousness. Goddammit, self! Calm down!

Ragna heaved out a heavy sigh. His face softened up, loosing his gruff expression. "I don't know how the hell did you even made me become like this. You're getting on my nerves whenever you do your cryptic talking and giving me silent treatments. Hell, your way of talking to me is the most annoying thing in my whole life."

Rachel only smiled softly at him. She was liking the flow of this answer he was saying.

"Despite all of that, I could tell it's just who you are." He lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. He could feel his cheeks heating up. Dammit, Ragna. You just have to admit it as you, not like those guys in their stinky bullshit proposal about their feelings. Breathe in, breathe out. "It's weird, you know? You're a bitch, and you manage to make me become a softie for love?" He shook his head in slight disbelief. Strangely, he grew on with his feelings and didn't pushed them away. "I can't help it. You're that... important. Without you, I'll be nothing. I'll be dead. But you're here, repeatedly helping me to go on the right track, even though I'm being an uncaring asshole."

Now that could be some sort of miracle to hear it from Ragna's mouth. If he had forgotten, it was few hours before Christmas Day hits, although the woman couldn't even care less about that holiday. Somehow, it fitted on what he was doing right now: His gift was his confession. Her smile wider, happy to know that it was not a selfish dream, but rather, a selfish reality.

Ragna looked back at Rachel to see her smiling. Wait, what?! Rachel was smiling?! It wasn't like the typical smile she wore whenever she's amused! He could feel his heart race every second from staring at her. His mouth opened slightly in awe. Her natural beauty had captivated not only his heart but his mind as well. That sweet smile... it could bring him to tears right now. The man went closer to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her body, softly holding her close.

She didn't mind the sudden invasion of personal space, as she welcomed it by snuggling closer against his body. "You are a fool for even daring to do something affectionate toward me."

He mischievously smirked as he squeezed his hold around her. "Then why are you not fighting back? Am I too powerful for you now?"

Rachel let out a soft giggle. "My, aren't you getting too confident tonight? Was that little book of yours helpful to boost your ego?"

The man pulled back to gaze directly at her. He leered at her in annoyance. "Shut up, rabbit. You know you liked it."

Smirking in a playful manner, she placed both of her hands on his cheeks and squeezed it softly. Ragna could only grunt as he let the girl do as he please, in return, hearing her genuine and rare to hear laughs of being happy. The moment ended after Rachel ceased her fits of laughter.

The girl pulled away and stood up from her seat. "I suggest we visit Valkenhayn and others so that no one will think of you as a lowly pervert." With that, another amused smirk surfaced on her lips.

Ragna buried his face on the pillow, muffling his own screams of agony. How could she always made him lose his self and still find a way to make his life miserable?!

* * *

**A/N: **The three-chapter run I planned on this story went to the garbage thanks to extremely busy things to do in my personal life, and how it tends to shift routes as I progress on the story. The last chapter will be hopefully posted tomorrow.


	4. Still The Same

The ordeal with Valkenhayn was in a rather positive note for Ragna. Rachel opened the door to see Valkenhayn, Nago and Gii eavesdropping to their conversation, and the baffled expressions were exposed on their faces. It turned into a soured scared expression as Rachel shook her head and gave them a scowl. He couldn't even believe that he witnessed Valkenhayn looking so scared and sweating rapidly while both of her stuff toys cower behind the old man's back. Rachel severely lectured the three of them, her eyes filled with deadly venom as her tone was cold and harsh. Honestly, if Rachel was doing that to him instead, he would literally kneel before her and beg for her mercy. The way she scolded them sent shivers down on his spine. He never imagined the girl in this situation, and seeing it live made him thankful that she was never like this when placing him back on the right track.

Time sure flew fast as they were back on her room before he knew it. Rachel still retained her casual clothing, with the socks and boots removed and placed back on their respective cabinets, while his signature jacket was neatly placed on the top of another table along with her shoes. Ragna was sitting on the bed as he lazily held on Rachel's shoulder as she let the girl had the privilege to squeeze his cheeks without any consequence. She was on top of him, her legs wrapped around his waist as support. Short giggles escaped on her lips as she took advantage on his face by pinching his nose and ears, playing with his white hair, and sticking out her tongue as she does all of those.

Ragna kept leering at her whenever she giggled. "Are you done, rabbit?"

This was the sixth time he asked that. Quite repetitive for her ears. She stuck out her tongue playfully. "No."

"When will you stop?" He wanted to ask her something, and he had no courage to ask her when she was having fun like this.

Rachel ceased her work and thought for an answer. "I don't think I will stop myself. I don't even know why I cannot hold myself back anymore. It was honestly quite frightening that I'm acting out of my usual manner."

"Since you stopped now," He carefully carried Rachel off him and placed her next to him. "Are we... a thing now?"

Without hesitation, she gazed straight at his eyes. "Yes."

"Uh..." Really? All it took was just one shitty confession for her? "No things for me to do that proves that I really love you? Like, giving you flowers everyday, and, whatever you want me to do?"

His baffled expression was definitely priceless, enough to not trigger her anger from his dumb question. "Why would I even bother to ask you to be more formal, more sophisticated, have better IQ, and other things I wish you would change? Why in the world would I even need to change your unlikable attitude just to suit my taste?"

Note-to-self: Never fuel Rachel's anger. Ragna gulped in fear. Being bombarded with hard-hitting questions was out of his power to answer in one swift motion. He was sweating in buckets now. He needed to calm down. "Because... we're different, and I'm not the best person to be with, for your standard. And, I do have to make an effort, you know?"

He knew that he had to change something from himself, so their future relationship would last a lifetime, despite the incoming obstacles they would face together.

The girl shook her head in disapproval. "Ragna, that will be just forcing ourselves to be together."

"Forcing ourselves together?" This was making him dumber than ever.

Oh, how she wished he would improve his common sense. "You do not have any clue about how true love works, do you?"

Ragna fell silent and averted his gaze to the ground.

"Ragna."

No answer.

Rachel sighed in defeat and rubbed her head against his chest. The man was taken aback by her sudden act, which he never even thought of Rachel doing.

"You are really such an idiot." She cupped his cheeks to make him stare back at her. "I have fallen for you for who you are, and by acknowledging your feelings toward me, I am accepting you as a whole, no matter how many traits that I do not like on you."

He flashed a cocky grin. "So that means I can still act rude toward you?"

She pinched his cheeks harder each words she spoke. "Yes. You. Can."

"Well then," His speech were gibberish thanks to Rachel, but he would soon gain the upper hand. Grabbing hold of her wrist firmly, he planted a quick kiss on her right cheek. "Two can play this game, bunny-leech."

Rachel grinned, happy to know that their usual smack-talk had took the next step. "You still have yet to seal our love before you do anything drastic."

Ragna's lips formed into a demonic smile. "Oh, I will do the seal, alright." He clasped his hands and rubbed it together, chuckling darkly.

The girl was aware on where this will head to. "I fully suggest you use your head in your head than in your crotch."

That definitely broke Ragna's self-esteem. He roared Rachel's name in extreme humiliation as his cheeks flushed bright red. Rachel celebrated her victory by giggling non-stop as he suffer from a breakdown. In the end, Ragna let that one slide. He would get his revenge one day. And that day was when he was finally free to do what he wished to do with Rachel.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm no good at writing chapter stories, especially for a scheduled one. Sorry for the bad quality. Personal life got in the way, and my exhaustion too. Hope you reader still enjoyed it nonetheless. And Happy Holidays.


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BlazBlue, Humor, Romance