Note: Stop! Before you read any further, I must stress the fact that this is a prequel to a separate story I'm working on. Crocodile Tears is part of the same family of stories taking place in the same world and at around the same time. The other two are Xibalba and Jade. They both follow their own plots, but Crocodile Tears acts as a side story to Jade with only a couple brief tie-ins with Xibalba.

This story is still a stand alone plot in of itself but revolves mostly around a handful of the characters seen in Jade. The primary reason I decided to turn what was a simple joke reference into its own story revolves mainly around the fact that Jade has a lot of unused content and locations. Crocodile Tears will act as a narrative tour for the numerous ideas that never made it to the story its based on.

For those of you who are not as familiar with the 'parent story' then this first chapter might leave you a bit lost. I'll go into more about why I chose to begin the story in such a weird and abrupt way in a future update. Until then, I do hope you all enjoy Crocodile Tears and I look forward to any feedback you may have.


Confusion

Trees towered over 2B as she ran frantically across the forest floor. Above those citadels of bark was an endless canopy that completely blocked out the sky. In a normal environment, everything would be pitch black without the Sun's rays but the forest had a unique method for providing its own light.

Half of the plants she ran past were glowing. They radiated with neon light and washed everything around her in a bright, turquoise tint. Humidity was at an insane level which did not help make the tropical temperatures any more bearable. The only aspect of the weather showing any mercy at all was that cool mist showering down on her from far beyond the canopy.

Nothing about this forest was familiar. Even the air felt differently as she breathed it in and out. She could hear nothing but the sound of her feet pounding against the ground. Neither animal or insect made a peep out here and aside from the white-haired boy currently running away from her, she had not seen a single living organism roaming this seemingly endless ecosystem.

"9S," she called out. "Stop! You're just confused!"

"Stop following me," the boy shouted back as he bolted through the vegetation in a desperate attempt to conceal himself from her.

2B was constantly losing track of him in this maze of a forest. She was most certainly faster than him, but he seemed to have been planning out his routes. It was obvious to her that he was heading somewhere.

She was unable to convince him to stop fleeing from her. No matter what she said, it always seemed that it would make this situation worse. 2B could not remember a time when she saw him running away from her or anything else for that matter.

He took a sharp turn to the left and headed south. 2B immediately turned in that direction and tried to cut him off but he ended up heading east after a few seconds and the chase as it has been for awhile now resumed.

The boy kept running from her and never looked back. No matter what nonsense this crazy lady spewed, he knew he would not slow down for even a second.

"Try to remember," her voice echoed throughout the area. She sounded as if she were getting closer so the boy picked up his pace.

"It's me, 2B! Don't you remember?"

The boy ignored her pleas. She sounded as if she were finally beginning to fall behind. While a hasty decision, he decided to change directions one more time and run straight for his initial destination before this chase began.


The kid ran into an open field. Despite the lack of trees in the general vicinity, the canopy still managed to encroach upon the area and hide the forest floor from the skies above.

He felt a bit of security after entered this admittedly exposed area. As soon as he laid his eyes on the large manor perched on top of a hill up ahead, he let out a sigh of relief.

That little sigh was released a bit too early. The kid did not have time to celebrate his 'escape'. The sound of leaves rustling from behind caused him to turn around. His pursuer lunged from the brush and tackled him to the ground.

The two rolled across the grasp. The kid tried his best to fight her off, but in the end, she managed to pin him down after quite a struggle. The kid employed just about every strategy he could think of. This young woman calling herself '2B' was forced to use extreme caution when dealing with him. Anytime she got a bit too close, he attempted to headbutt her. He tried to kick her off and even bite her hands while they held his wrists down.

2B wondered if his next move would be to gnaw off his arms like a trapped coyote. Given the erratic and somewhat disturbing behavior he had displayed thus far, she did not put it past him. She kept a close eye on his every movement. She wanted to order him to calm down, but she had no desire to waste the energy when he could make another attempt to throw her off at any moment and bolt for that eerie mansion on the hill.

"That's enough! Just be still already and listen to me," she demanded after his violent struggles were reduced to merely squirming around on the ground while he contemplated another means of escape.

"What do you want," asked the kid.

"You've obviously lost your memory," 2B informed. "I'm trying to figure out how much you've forgotten. So, tell me. What's your name?"

"My name? It's Arnold."

She leaned away and looked down at him in astonishment. She wondered if he had just pulled a random name out of the ether or if he genuinely believed it. None the less, she was at least getting somewhere.

"You're serious? You think your name is Arnold? You'd better not be messing around, 9S."

"My name is Arnold! And who the hell are you, anyway!?"

2B felt as though she was having a conversation with a man from another planet. Her memory had been rearranged and partially forgotten for a long time now. However, his appeared to be completely gone. A realization that was utterly heartbreaking.

She suddenly released him. This time, 'Arnold' did not immediately bolt upon being free to do so.

"Is there anything you remember," asked 2B. "Anything at all?"

The kid's expression softened ever so slightly. He glared at her while he carefully rubbed his wrist.

"Nothing concerning you, stranger," he retorted.

It was rather jarring to hear his unusual hostility. Nothing about the way he acted even came close to the person she once knew. The only similarities she could find were all in regards to his appearance. 2B even wondered if she had somehow gotten him confused with a different scanner. It was undeniable that this 'Arnold' looked identical to 9S, but their personalities were completely different.

She quickly dismissed the idea. He simply had to be 9S. Who else could it possibly be?

"Your memory must be corrupted," 2B argued. "We need to find some way of restoring it. I have no idea where are Pods are, but I know there has to be a way to fix you even without them."

"Lady, you've got problems," Arnold proclaimed as he stood up and began dusting himself off. "I don't know who you are, and quite frankly, I don't want to know. By the way, this is private property in case you haven't noticed so I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Arnold then turned away and headed for the manor looming in the background. Nothing prevented 2B from following him to that creepy house. She wondered if he was the only one who lived on this property but when she tried to ask, the only response she got was a reminder that she was still on private property and was not at all welcome here.

He quickly started running again when he realized that she was still following him. 2B tried to prevent him from escaping again, but she failed this time around. As soon as he set foot inside, he threw the door shut in her face.

Despite initially being relieved when she finally found him, 'Arnold' was definitely beginning to wear down her patience. None the less, 2B knew he could not hide in this mansion forever. He would have to come out at some point and she would be waiting.


Arnold was immediately greeted by the emptiness of the entrance hall. In front of him was a decrepit staircase that led to the upper levels of this once great and luxurious house. He did his best to clean up some of these more elaborate areas. It was obvious to him that there was a hidden beauty in this place hidden under the layers of dust that had accumulated after years of neglect.

None of his attempts were ever successful but he tried none the less.

The kid quickly bolted for the nearest window. It was hard to see out of the filthy glass in front of him, but he did not need to strain himself to see that odd woman was still standing outside.

"Creep," he accused with a fearful shutter.

A familiar voice interrupted his aloud thoughts. It came from the living room which was situated to the left of the entrance hall. To the left was the dining room. Aside from his bedroom on the third floor, these were the only rooms Arnold had set foot in during the couple months he had spent living in this mansion.

"Arnold," the voice shouted. "Is that you!? Come in here, man!"

He was genuinely amazed that his friend could hear him mumbling to himself from such a great distance, but he did not hesitate in following the request given to him.


Arnold bolted into the living room as if his life depended on it. Every room in the manor was always so poorly lit. There was never enough light to properly illuminate his path and as a result, he managed to trip over meaningless junk more times than he cared to count.

Were it not for the small candle shining a bit of light on a young man sitting in an old recliner across the room, Arnold would have probably missed him altogether.

He had white hair that was slightly longer than Arnold's. He wore an elaborate cloak that concealed a good portion of the rest of his archaic outfit.

The most bizarre aspect of the young man's appearance was the rattlesnake that was often coiled around his neck. Its scales were a vivid shade of cobalt. Along its back was a pattern that resembled black diamonds. This snake looked upon his environment with a pair of deep blue eyes. He also had those classic elliptical pupils that one would expect to see on either a snake or a cat.

"Robin! Ghiaccio," Arnold greeted. "Some crazy woman chased me all the way back home! She's still outside right now! I have no idea who she is but she's acting like she knows me! Who is this person!?"

Robin looked up from his book and glared at Arnold. While he looked as if he wanted to say something, the next words to be spoken did not be his.

The serpent tilted its head curiously as if it understood what he was saying. Then, it addressed his insane ramblings. Then, it parted its scaly lips and responded not in a mere his but in words that were as clear as day. The reptile spoke with well-articulated words. It communicated just as the average person would and had no trouble doing so.

"Whoa, slow down for a minute," the snake interjected. "Explain what happened because you're not making any sense."

"Sorry, Ghiaccio," Arnold apologized, not at all bothered by the fact that a snake had just spoken to him.

Arnold took a deep breath and did as told. "I went out about an hour ago just to pass the time. I was really bored and I thought getting out of the house would help. Then, this maniac in a blindfold comes out of nowhere and starts chasing me around with a couple huge swords. I've never met her before but she kept talking about all this crazy stuff like I knew what she was talking about. I tried running from her but she followed me all the way here and now she's waiting outside."

"Fantastic," Robin said with a long sigh. There was not a hint of emotion or enthusiasm in his voice, only sheer annoyance gave his words any weight. "You brought an armed stranger right to our doorstep. You're such a big help."

"I didn't mean to," Arnold argued.

"You didn't mean to," Ghiaccio replied in a mocking tone. "Just go upstairs for now. Robin and I will take care of it."

Robin closed his book and left it on his seat. He silently headed out of the room and towards the front door, ignoring Arnold's protests as he went.

"What? I can help! If we need to fight her off then I'll just go get my sword."

"Just go upstairs and stay there," Ghiaccio demanded. "When we're done, we'll call you down to bury the corpse."

Arnold did not bother arguing any further. With a loud sigh, he started off for the stairs, leaving Ghiaccio and Robin to deal with this newcomer.

Robin leaned against a nearby window where he quickly spotted the woman in question. She looked an awful lot like Arnold. They both had the same hair color, skin tone, and a very similar fashion sense.

This detail left Ghiaccio somewhat puzzled, but Robin thought nothing of it. He pointed at her with his dominant hand. Suddenly, small neon sigils began materializing out of thin air and surrounded his arm. The only thing to stop this process was Ghiaccio. The serpent called out to him, causing Robin to lower his arm for just a moment.

"Wait a minute! Let's not be so hasty, Robin. There are some questions that need answering."

"What do you want to know?"

Ghiaccio lifted his head high above Robin and stared out the window with boundless curiosity. He swiftly glanced towards the stairs to ensure that Arnold was nowhere to be seen.

"Do you think it would be wise to hear her out," he spoke softly.

Robin slowly shook his head. "I cannot think of a reason why we should let this woman anywhere near Arnold. I warned you when we first found him lying on the ground near the cenote. We could tell him all the lies we want, but that doesn't change the fact that someone would probably come looking for him."

"Okay, you were right, I get it! No need to rub it in! I was just suggesting an idea I had. We could learn some interesting things from her. Then again, that's just my curiosity talking. Maybe it would be better just to kill her and bury her body in the backyard."

It was then when Ghiaccio reached his conclusion. An idea came to him. He twisted his lips into a devilish smile and his reptilian eyes went wide with intrigue.

"That's it!"

"What's it," asked Robin.

Ghiaccio let out an impish laugh after, once again, realizing his own apparent brilliance. "Okay, check this out. You want her dead and I want to find out what she knows, right?"

Robin nodded his head in anticipation for hearing Ghiaccio's idea.

"So why can't we do both?"

While confusing, Robin was at least interested in hearing Ghiaccio's actual proposal.

"Elaborate," the tactician ordered.

"Just follow my lead. By the end of the day, we'll both be happy."


2B tried knocking on the door, but no one came to answer her and she was unable to force her way inside without first destroying the door. She was on the verge of considering a more subtle means of gaining entry, but her plotting was interrupted by the abrupt sound of the front door creaking open.

She turned around to see a figure emerging from the mansion's dark interior. When the individual stepped into the light, she let out a relieved sigh.

"There you are, 9S. Are you going to listen to me now?"

Arnold closed the front door after exiting the manor. It was only after he had stepped into the light when 2B noticed the sword he was carrying. She took a few steps back and took up a defensive stance in response.

"Why," asked Arnold. "So you can fill my head with lies?"

"Put it down," 2B ordered in a stern tone. "There's no reason to fight. Just remain calm and think about what you're doing."

The response she received was less than ideal. 2B was forced to defend herself after he lunged at her. She drew one of the swords floating near her back. She narrowly avoided being beheaded in the process.

"Are your delusions worth dying for," asked Arnold. He kept his sword locked with hers. As much as she tried to find a safe means of backing off, he kept advancing on her, refusing to let her retreat.

Eventually, 2B mustered a bit of extra strength and forced him off of her. To her surprise, he did not immediately lunge at her. Instead, he put himself on the defensive, expecting her to make the next move.

She lowered her sword ever so slightly. She still anticipated him to attack her again. Judging by the look in his eyes, it was only a matter of time.

"9S," she demanded in somewhat frantic tone. "Pull yourself together! I'm trying to help you. My memories are hazy too. Something happened to use in between the time we were last conscious and when we arrived in this strange forest. I woke up on the ground in the middle of nowhere without my pod and with no idea about how I got here. The same probably happened to you too. Relax and explain all of this to me. Who told you that your name was Arnold? Who took advantage of your amnesia? What did they make you believe?"

Right on queue, a faint rattling sound entered her ears. She scanned her surroundings for its source. The sound eventually called her attention to the balcony above the mansion's entrance far behind Arnold.

Standing above them was a stranger wearing a cloak. A dark hood covered his head and enveloped his face in shadow. Sitting on the guardrails to his left was an oddly colored serpent. It was the first time she had ever seen a living snake. At this point in time, her memory of who she was beyond this neon lit forest is fuzzy, but she could not recall ever seeing such an animal until now.

To her horror, the reptile spoke. Despite not initially believing those strange words to have been said by the serpent, she could not deny what she was seeing. Even from this distance, she could clearly see the snake's lips moving in perfect synchronization with the words being spoken.

"Arnold! Sic 'em!"

Like an attack dog, Arnold charged on command.


From the safety of the balcony, Robin and Ghiaccio observed the fight below. The serpent smiled as he watched them.

"That's it," he murmured to himself. "Fight! Fight until you're both on the ground and dead for all I care."

Robin leaned forward and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. He observed the fight with obvious boredom. While his body moved so lethargically during such an unimpressive battle, his brain was working at high speed, taking mental notes of each and every little detail about how this '2B' person defended herself.

He almost failed to hear Ghiaccio addressing him. Robin suddenly perked up and averted his attention to the serpent next to him.

"I'm sorry? What was that?"

"Nothing," Ghiaccio groaned. "I was wondering about something, though. If it would have been less trouble to just leave the kid out there instead of telling him all that bullshit just so we could get a little slave to clean up the mansion every once and awhile. Apart from fulfilling that one niche, the kid's utterly worthless. Maybe we should kill him too."

Robin offered no response, but Ghiaccio already knew his opinion on Arnold by now.

"You're too hard on the kid," Ghiaccio insisted despite recommending to have him killed mere seconds ago. "Don't forget that you too were not born in this forest. If I recall correctly. This always happens when you people from other worlds find yourself lost in my woods. Something steals part or all of your memory. What it doesn't take, it rearranges. It's part of the reason you newcomers die so quickly. Were it not for me, you'd be dead by now and so would he."

The tactician did not even attempt to dispute the serpent's point. With no reason not to continue, Ghiaccio rambled on.

"Try to think of it this way, Robin. At least we've got someone around here to keep the mansion tidy and that raises market value! See? There's always a bright side to everything!"


The situation was growing increasingly more desperate for 2B. She was not prepared to kill Arnold today, but if she stuck around any longer, there would be no other option if she wished to preserve her own life.

Without saying another word, she broke away from the fight as soon as possible. She ran across the grassy field and headed straight for the tree line ahead. At the last minute, she slid to a stop and looked back at Arnold.

He was not chasing her yet but she had a feeling that would change fairly quickly. 2B got one final look at the snake on the balcony and the man next to him.

All around her, plants twinkled with the same shade of neon blue. Between these glowing plants and that talking reptile looming over her, 2B knew she was a long way from the places she was accustomed to. It was disorientating, but regardless, she etched this location and that serpent's voice into her faulty memory.

She got one last look at Arnold as well. The one person she had hoped would remain consistent after losing herself in this maze of foliage was now acting like a completely different individual.

2B forced herself to leave him behind. She turned back around and fled in the opposite direction. At the moment, he was not going to listen to her. She would simply have to deal with him later, preferably, when he was completely alone.

Until that time came, 2B would hide in the brush surrounding the property where she would proceed to spend her time watching and waiting.


Note: During some of the earliest outlines of Jade, I had planned for it to take place in a proper rainforest. I eventually ditched the idea to go for a more mystical and slightly domestic setting, although, some readers might have noticed over time that I had been slowly moving back to a tropical setting. One of the latest chapters featured a rainstorm and I began adding little nuances about the weather being akin to that of a jungle.

I'm not entirely sure why I cut the rainforest setting. Mostly, I wanted to stay away from tropical fauna when describing the vistas. Jade was a result of me attempting to create a setting that was both alien and domestic. Because of this, nothing could ever be too exotic. Some readers may recall a note I left in one of the earlier chapters where I mentioned that Ghiaccio was originally supposed to be a cobra. I decided instead to make him a rattlesnake. I imagine most people reading this story are going to see a rattlesnake in the wild long before they ever have the chance to see a cobra.

The forest went through the same changes. As I said previously, in earlier outlines, the forest was always supposed to feature either full on rain or a light mist. In the final release of Jade, it had only rained once and the storm was gone in the very next chapter. Here, you can expect it to be raining all the time.

Aside from the changes I made to the weather, there were several redesigns done to the characters. As I have already mentioned in one of the notes for Jade, Ghiaccio was originally meant to be more akin to that of a diamondback. I can't exactly remember why I cut the pattern on his back and made him solid blue, but it became a thing.