"You're bleeding... you're bleeding bad..", the Psyker said and looked at the Bloodedge. He raised his voice. "What the hell happened to you?!"
“Wow...” Ragna chuckled at the side that he rarely saw from Add. “You’re that worried about me?” he asked and held his left arm that bleeds like waterfalls. A frown replaced the curvy smile that he wears. “Did you eat something or what?” A joke in the midst of a bad injury.
Apparently, it’s been a question on how Ragna will spend Valentines with Add. So here’s the thing.
Ragna will probably be the one making the chocolates instead of Add making for him too. Apparently, Add is bad at the kitchen and asking him to go there is like asking to burn the whole house. Even so, Ragna makes the chocolate. However, Add will have this as a surprise.
So... Ragna wakes up early while Add is deadbeat. Ragna made sure that he won’t wake up Add while making noises in the kitchen. We all know Ragna is good at the kitchen, so he’ll probably be successful enough to make the chocolates for him and put it in a well-wrapped box.
Later on, Add wakes up with the chocolates next to him with a note for Valentines day. Feeling guilty that he had nothing to give back to Ragna, aside from being an asshole, Add decided to look wherever Ragna is now. Whose probably at the town buying some foods and stuffs.
Add finds Ragna in the middle of the crowd, seeing him buy meat buns. His favorite snack. Perhaps the buns at the town is great. Who doesn’t love meat buns while it’s hot? He has a plan of asking him for a date, which is almost impossible. But hey, Add swallowed his pride and asked Ragna for that.
He was surprised of course. One Add does not simply ask his lover for a goddamn date, when Ragna should be the one doing it, but he doesn’t fancy it either as he prefer making stuffs at home than paying for a dinner that is going to make a hole out of his wallet.
TLDR; stop being a dense motherfucking tsundere Add. Get your shit together. Dating Ragna is a good shit.
“Ragna...” a familiar voice called the silver haired man in the dark.
The place was filled with nothing but darkness. There, a man stood in the middle of the void as if he was idle. Perhaps, WAITING for something? Or… LOST in his own darkness? Ragna balled his hands into a fist. Gritting his teeth hard as he was angered and mad to even let himself be CONSUMED once more by the power of Grimoire. It was the SAME darkness as it was before he learned how to control his destructive power. Naming: Azure Grimoire.
Looking around, Ragna felt that was not CAPABLE of handling his own darkness. Especially, now that he grew with something to protect, but failing AGAIN. Closing his eyes, he tried to find where the voice once called his name. It sounded so faint that the man was unable to hear it. It sounded as if the voice was asking for HELP. However, he was not ascertained whether it is just to trick him or if someone was really CALLING him for help. Dubious, Ragna opened his eyes in a tentative slit.
“Ragna…”
The male fully opened his eyes as he heard his name the second time. Turning around, he faces the ENDLESS darkness surrounding him. No ESCAPE. He took a step ahead and walked. He was not sure of what he can find by just walking, however, Ragna thought otherwise. As he advances, he felt a tenacious pressure. He was compelled as it was a familiar power. Yet, he felt as if the owner was afraid of his own power. Ragna heard sobbing noises at a distance. He was half glad and half vigilant. Even he could not trust the darkness of the Azure Grimoire as it can consume anyone who has no guidance to use it.
Ragna stopped as he saw a figure despite the darkness.
“Add…?”
A silver haired boy, curled up to his stomach was in front of him. Perhaps, he was the one calling him. He stood there, watching the boy cry his heart out, FEARING that the darkness will soon consume him; that there is no one to HELP him get out of the darkness. However, Ragna was still in doubt. How can someone like him be able to enter the Boundary? Did Add do something stupid again that he ended up being trapped in the Boundary? Or the Boundary was creating Add’s shadow to TELL something to him? Ragna was completely confused as to why Add appeared in such place. If it is really Add, then he would need to get him out of the place or he will slowly be consumed by the Boundary.
Taking another step, the younger male flinched, showing that he was scared, even to Ragna despite not looking to know if it was him. “Add… why are you—” Ragna paused.
Add tilted his head and then cooed at Ragna. Black and purple met green and red. Bloody tears were trickling down on Add’s face. The male was in disgust and horror at the same time. He could not decide whether he should touch Add or leave him like that.
“Ragna… help… me…” Add stammered out of fear. He was down on his knees. The younger male slowly reached for Ragna, but immediately pulled back as he grasped his chest tightly. Add was heavily gasping for air as if he was running out of breath. Bloody tears fell down on the voided ground.
“Add!” Ragna called. He was still hesitant to reach out for the boy. It could mean him life or death. Same goes to Add if he was real, which he was unsure of.
“I… don’t—agh!” the younger male yelled in pain.
Ragna was getting upset. Being unable to do anything was the most PAINFUL thing he could feel. And he was feeling this right now. Seeing Add be in pain was one thing he wanted to AVOID, but even in the Boundary, he could SEE him suffer. If this was some SILLY nightmare, he wanted to wake up right now. No matter how he tries to convince himself that this was just an ILLUSION caused by the Boundary, he could not endure seeing Add suffer. Ragna reached for him; however, the younger male grabbed his wrist. Muffled LAUGHTER was heard in the void. Ragna looked down on him and he could slightly see a grin; a grin that he had SEEN before and did not EXPECT that he would see it again. The male shoved Add’s hands away and took a step backward. However, Add’s laughter did not END there. He was, as if, going INSANE. From there, Ragna knew that this was NOT the Add that he know.
The younger male stood up, still laughing and glanced at Ragna. Ragna narrowed his eyes from the sight before him. It was disgusting and horrifying. Of course, he could stand it. But he could not stand that it was happening to Add. The male knew that he needs to escape from the Boundary or it will be him that will become the prey of the place. Add called forth his dynamos and devilishly looked at Ragna.
“Damn this place!!” Ragna drew his Blood Scythe and went into a stance. He chose that his Azure Grimoire was to save people, not to destroy. And it seems that Ragna had no choice but to use it to destroy the Add before him.
“… na…” a faint voice called once more. But he knew that it was not the Add in front of him.
“What the—?”
“Ragna!!” Add yelled as he appeared in front of him and started attacking the male, which Ragna avoided in panic.
“Damn you!” Ragna returned a straight punch which threw the younger male meters away from him.
Add slowly stood up, still with the grin on his face, as if he was enjoying being in pain and bringing pain to Ragna. The Boundary’s power is ADDICTING after all. Add was indeed frail, but his weapons have supported him for a long time. Wanting to correct his mistakes made him insane and the Boundary was completely fueling it. If Ragna cannot stop him now, this Add, whether real or illusion will disappear or worst; DIE.
“I have no choice…” Ragna clenched his fist. “Restriction 666 Release! Dimensional Interference Field deployed! Now engaging the Idea Engine! Blazblue, activate!”
“That power…” Add laughed once more. “I NEED THAT POWER! MAXIMUM STRIKE!!”
Six purple orbs surrounded Add. It looked as if it was harmless, but Ragna knew it was something he should not take lightly of. He knows Add like the back of his palm. He knows that the boy was capable of killing him. But deep down, he knows that Add will not desire the power of the Azure Grimoire or worst; the Boundary. It was neither something he was not capable of nor anyone else so easily.
Ragna had to kill himself countless times in order to know how to use the power of the Azure Grimoire. Add, with his unstable mind, will not be able to control the power even if he was able to get it from him. It would definitely kill Add and he wanted to keep it away from him.
“Dead Spike!!” Ragna swung his sword upward and summoned the part of the Black Beast.
An insane laugh echoed in the darkness as one of the purple orbs attacked Ragna in which he defended with his Blood Scythe. However, he was surprised by Add, appearing in front of him.
“Moonlight Raphsody!” the boy summoned a ring field around him that deflected Ragna away.
“Ngh…” he tried to stand. However, he was staggering. Ragna felt as if all his energy was sapped away from him. Unable to move his legs, Ragna stabbed the ground and helped himself with his sword. “Tch… you’re one hell of a stubborn kid just like the real one. If ever you are fake.” Ragna’s right arm was completely letting out a massive seithr. He could feel how heavy his arm was feeling, but he needed to do it. Ragna didn’t mean to use the Azure Grimoire against someone he loves, but he will die if he did not.
“Ragna~ let’s kill one another!!” Add rushed to Ragna and fired his remaining orbs at him.
Ragna needed time to think on how to defeat Add. But he have not fought the kid once and never expected that it would happen right now.
“You sounded like Jin!” Ragna yelled as his right arm turned into a claw of the Black Beast and grabbed Add’s neck. It was huge enough to even make it look like that Ragna’s right arm was devouring him. “Yami ni kuwarero!”
“Gaah!!!” Add yelled in pain as his life force was slowly drained away from him. “Ra… Rag… na… help…”
“Add!?” Ragna immediately let the younger male go.
Add met the ground and held his neck, heavily gasping for air. His legs were shaking from the attack that he received from Ragna. Slowly looking up, his vision was completely blurred, but he could still recognize Ragna because of the color of his jacket and his hair.
“That’s—” he moved away from Add. Ragna’s hands balled into a fist, shaking in anger. He was completely confused about Add. Thinking that this is not the real Add, had crossed his mind. Now that he felt confused, he was not sure whether to kill this him or not. If this was the real Add and he killed him, he will lose the boy. If this was just a façade that he is making to fool him, Ragna will lose his own life. And he does not want both. “Are you… the real Add?” Ragna asked.
“I’m scared…” Add curled up to himself once more. “Help me… Ragna… it’s too dark. I don’t want to be alone. I don’t want to be here. Ragna… don’t kill me…”
“I…” he averted his eyes from Add. “I won’t kill you…” he followed with a gentle smile he always wears when he is with Add.
Kneeling down, Ragna embraced the younger male. He could see that Add is about to cry and the only way to stop him is to give him an embrace. Ragna’s hand slowly brushed the other male’s hair.
“Ragna…” Add whispered. “I—gah!” his words were interrupted as Add felt an enormous pain behind him. Ragna secretly stabbed him the moment he was caught off guard. It was a foolish thing to even try and act as if Ragna was completely helpless when he sees him cry.
“Because if you’re the real Add…” he started. “He would not be crying in the first place. He would yell my name repeatedly while crying. And also…” Ragna pulled his sword back and shoved the fake Add away from him. “There is no way that someone else will be able to access the Boundary except Hime, Hazama and me.”
“Damn… you!” the fake Add tried to muster up the strength he had left.
“And he won’t be a stupid idiot to even try and find a way to get in this place!” Ragna added as his weapon turned into a scythe. “Black Onslaught! Black Zagam! Nightmare Rage! Destruction!” Rising his weapon, Ragna slashed Add four times before his right arm turns into the claw of a Black Beast, devouring him and ending the illusion as he stabs Add.
The void started to create a crack as if it was a mirror that has been damaged. The fractures slowly crawled everywhere, and tint of light started to illuminate the place. Ragna fell down on his knees after so much pressure that he felt from his right arm. Panting heavily, the male sat down with legs crossed and leaned a bit forward.
“Damn it… what just—” he heaved a deep sigh. “What the hell happened…?”
“Ragna…”
“Mmh?” Ragna tilted his head and saw the place become lighter. As if everything was an illusion. Ragna closed his eyes, flinching from a sudden light that hits his eyes.
The male opened his eyes in a tentative slit to get a grip of the place. It seems that everything was back to normal. There were greens and blues everywhere. Fighting someone close to him created by the Boundary was completely different from the real one. He was too exhausted to even try to stand up. Looking around, everything was nice. Being covered by a silhouette, Ragna turned around and saw a blurry figure. Perhaps, his eyes were too slow to adjust from the light.
Ragna grumbling from the lack of clear vision narrowed his eyes to distinguish the figure. Black and purple. He thought that Add maybe in his other form.
“Esper?” he asked. A name he use to distinguish between different Adds.
“Ragna…” Add called once more. His eyes started to well up and his body was shaking. Ragna was completely confused as to why Add would cry again. Add knelt down and embraced Ragna, burying his face on the male’s chest and cried harder.
“Add…” Ragna whispered, hesitating to touch his shoulders. Seconds after, Ragna placed his hands on Add’s shoulder and returned the embrace. “Stop crying, for goddamn sake.”
“But you…” Add continued sobbing. Bad enough to eat his own words and Ragna was trying to comprehend what he was saying, however. “You disappeared… and… and I lost sight of you…! And… I fought you in the darkness…”
“Sight of me? Fight?” Ragna asked. He then realized that they might be in the same place, yet different time.
Ragna thought that if Add was able to fight him, then probably both of them were consumed by the Boundary and he does not have any idea how. Ragna looked at the boy with deep concern. He knows that he was Add’s life and Add would definitely break lose if he disappear or be even killed, just like how he lost his mother.
Ragna was lost in thought as to why Add was able to see the Boundary and managed to survive. If he fought, that is. He had no memory of Add touching his right arm nor how the Azure could even pull someone else in the same place with a different timeline. Ragna shook his head and dismissed the thoughts as it was only giving him a headache. Whatever happened there, he was blaming himself for being careless and involving Add to some deep shit.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t wanna kill or hurt Ragna…!” Add’s cries became louder as he become more afraid while he recalls what happened. “I—” the younger male’s voice felt a finger on his lips.
“It’s okay now. You worry too much…” he said, followed by a short laughter.
Of course, Add was offended by it and slightly pouted, but he knew Ragna meant no harm. The boy started crying again. Ragna scratched his head and decided to brush his hair just like what he did to the Add in the Boundary. It felt nicer to touch the real Add and he knew that Add felt the same way. Ragna gently smiled as he let Add lean his head against his chest. Somehow, Add stopped crying and calmed down. It was his way of making him stop with all his crying. Ragna finds it annoying when someone cries and he was the reason why the person was crying. Add’s cheeks were painted in pink as he felt Ragna’s hands run through his hair.
Moments later, Ragna found Add quiet and realized that he fell asleep. Add was sleeping like a child. It was because he finds Ragna warm and kind that he would let himself caught off guard. The male heaved a sigh of relief and started patting Add’s head.
Halloween. A simple word looped in Ragna’s mind. Not that he hated the celebration of that event. More like he hated the theme all over. Also, the only fun part of the holiday was the candies and what’s not. Not that he have someone else to give the set he made and some were bought from the store, which he bought with sweat and blood. Encountering people wearing costume themed Halloween was not an easy feat for him to avoid.
The male shook his head repeatedly, shaking off the petty feeling of the event. Ragna decided not to go out until the holiday ends. Or perhaps the whole month of it. Taking out the chocolates he made from the fridge, he thought of letting Add do the tasting first. However, noticing that the lad was not around; perhaps Add likes to stay at the bedroom as he also didn’t like the word Halloween and the event itself.
