From the Ashes

by Manoftyr

Following the Anime cannon. It's been six years since Maka Albarn first defeated the Kishin and the world now lays in waste. Some great disaster has left the planet in ruin. What happened to the world? Can our heroes who have survived the calamity continue to survive, let alone face this new challenge? Who's alive and who's dead? What caused this? Read on to find out.

2. Chapter 2

I finished my cigarette and, sure enough, I was closing in. It was the dead of night, starless. That grinning moon still gazing down on the earth with its snickering psychotic stare. I truly, truly, detest that thing. My reminiscing had stirred my heart with the memories of her. The only period of my life when I was happy, but I needed to kill those feelings dead right now. I needed to harden my heart, needed to focus on the grim task at hand.

"I think you're about to get us killed, Crona." Ragnarok whined from within my mind.

"Quit complaining!" I scolded. "I've fought worse than these chumps."

"Never twenty at once!" Ragnarok retorted. "And Raiders always send their youngest and weakest out first! The ones in the camp are going to be a lot stronger!" Ragnarok continued.

"Maybe you're right. Oh well," I spoke dismissively.

Ragnarok groaned. "You know damned well that this is all stupid!" my sword shouted. "You've been doing this shit for the past two years and you haven't made any difference!"Ragnarok gave an exacerbated sigh. "Another camp will just move in and terrorize those people all over again after you move on. There's no point to any of this!"

I couldn't help but admit to myself that Ragnarok, yet again, had a point, but, deep down this wasn't really about making a difference. This was about something else; a promise I had sworn to keep.

"Maka, I'll never let you down again." I said to myself, ignoring Ragnarok.

"YOU'RE STILL ON ABOUT THAT DUMB COW?!" Ragnarok exclaimed. "Face facts Crona! It's been two years and you're found nothing; she's dead! They're all dead! And the only reason you're alive is because we were smart enough to get out of dodge before Death City, and evidently the world shortly thereafter, went Helter Skelter."

I continued to ignore Ragnarok and focused on what was ahead of me. I didn't want to hear it. Didn't want to face what was probably the truth.

"Just gonna ignore me now, huh? Real mature of you Crona. But you know I'm right." Ragnarok grumbled.

We rode on in silence until I was just beyond a stone's throw from the camp. Alright, that's close enough I thought to myself and dismounted the bike. I wanted to maintain an element of surprise when I attacked. Depending on how strong this particular Raider tribe of Dark Weapons were it could make the difference between victory or death. Slowly, stealthily I approached until I was in range.

"Ragnarok," I extended my hand and, with a reluctant sigh, he materialized into it. I planted the tip of his blade into the ground "Screech Resonance!" Ragnarok emitted a piercing howl that echoed across the barren Wastelands. The camp quickly sprung to life with activity as Dark Weapons mobilized in my direction. I lifted Ragnarok above my head and waited.

"What are you waiting for?!" Ragnarok demanded.

"Wait for it," I answered. More and more were mobilizing in my direction.

"They're gonna spot us!" Ragnarok was freaking.

"Wait for it," I repeated. They inched their way in the direction of the scream hesitantly, they scanned the blackness for any sight of what it might be. Fortunately I was well camouflaged for what I had planned.

"We're gonna get ki-"

"NOW!" I cried as just enough of them crossed the threshold of being in range. "SCREECH ALPHA!" I let forth the black mouth of the attack with a mighty slash and before they had spotted it or knew what hit them it had exploded in the dead center of the approaching group of eight. The three at the core of the blast were killed outright; blown into chunks of gore. But the rest, though scattered by the force of the explosion, only sported minor wounds. Sensing my moment I charged.

"Wait! WAIT! What are you doing?!" Ragnarok pleaded in confusion.

"Too scattered for another Alpha!" I shouted to Ragnarok as I neared the downed Dark Weapons. "Gotta finish em off at close range!" I continued, kicking one of my downed adversaries into the air then beheading him in a fell swoop. Another to my flank was beginning to rise to his feet but I quickly spun and slashed his throat open before he could gather his bearings.

"We can just retreat back to the shadows and keep blasting away though!" Ragnarok continued pleading as a third rose from the ground and, stunned by the blast as he was, took a clumsy swing at me with a scythe arm. I knocked the blade away with a swipe of my forearm, lunged, and got him square in the face skewering his skull.

I withdrew Ragnarok with a sharp schlunk "no good. That attack definitely gave away my position, they'll flank me if I try it. Gotta stay mobile if we're gonna survive this." I explained as the last two of the advance group of eight charged me together from the rear. As I whirled 'round to intercept they formed their arms into weapons, a hook and a sword weapon respectively, and swung at once. Grins of evil formed on their faces as their blades cut into me but that quickly changed into looks of confusion and astonishment as they saw what little damage their blows seemed to have done. "Bloody Slicer!" I called out and the streams of black blood they freed from me transformed into blades. The blades, carried both by mine and Ragnarok's wills and the momentum generated by their own strikes, arced beautifully and curved right into their necks slicing through.

As the last two fell I observed the camp to see that they were filing out from the east and west ends and circling around to my position. Left with nowhere else to go I charged straight into the heart of the camp. Conspicuously, there seemed to be no one within to stop me from-

"DEVIL'S SWIPE!" A deep and powerful voice cried as an enormous sword slashed into the ground before me creating a strong wind gust knocking me back. A low and rumbling chuckle echoed from just beyond the blade as its wielder stepped out from behind the cover of an adjacent tent to stand before me. He was a huge man, red skinned, covered in rippling muscle with long fiery-orange hair. Tall too, much taller than my not inconsiderable height, and at least four or five times again as broad. His face was covered in all manner of pointed black markings and his eyes were like smoldering craters; smokey and completely black; no iris or white of the eye. His jaw was broad, his chin sharp and pointed; dotted with a small devilish beard and aside from a pair of white tartan trousers secured by a red belt he wore no garment nor adornment.

As soon as this man appeared the sounds of chaos and panic suddenly stopped. The camp was now eerily quiet. Knowing that if I was to be held here I'd be surrounded I attempted to charge past. Quickly intercepting me, the huge red man gave me a stiff shove, knocking me onto my ass. He wasn't just strong, but fast as well. The giant gave a wide grin revealing his pointed teeth. "I am called Yuura," he spoke in a voice so deep it sounded as though he spoke with the rumblings of the earth itself. "Who, may I ask, dares to bring war upon the Freemen?"

As the large man began his speech I sensed a multitude of presences gather around me, I glanced around to see that the entire camp had us circled but were giving up a healthy berth. I counted far more than twenty. Fucker lied to me, stupid on my part trusting him. "Freemen?" I inquired as I rose to my feet. I was in a tight spot, no question about that.

Yuura gave a low bassy chuckle. "We observe no laws and hold no right sacred beside that of might." The huge red man lifted his arms and projected his voice, "we are free from the restraints of feeble order; we take and do as we please by virtue of strength alone! We are what those with the blood of Weapons were always intended to be without the meddling restraints of Death and his wretched Academy!" Yuura spat, "WE ARE FREE! FREEMEN!"

"FREEMEN!" Came a chorus of cries from all around as Dark Weapons raised their fists and shouted in unison.

Yuura beat his chest proudly. "This new world was delivered unto us to be as a paradise! Where we; the hunters, are free to prey on the feeble souls of a failing humanity!" he roared prompting a second chorus of cheers. Yuura Planted his sword vertically in the ground with hands rested upon its pommel and gave me a sneer, I took the opportunity to get a better look at it. I could see it was curved like a scimitar only far greater in size and, save for its decorative gold pommel, blood red in color. "I ask again; who are you that so clearly welcomes their own death to challenge us?" Yuura's voice was saturated with contempt.

I felt fear rising within me but I stifled it, shoved it back down. Maka defeated the Kishin, she wouldn't be afraid here. Summoning all the bluster and bravado I could I stared Yuura straight in the eye. "I am the last bastion of justice in the Wastelands! I am what now exists in place of Lord Death, DWMA, Death City or its Meisters! I bring destruction upon any who would dare harm the weak and innocent of this world." I drew Ragnarok and held him threateningly at Yuura "they call me The Man in Black! You may have heard of me!" I shouted.

There was a pronounced silence from the gathered as Yuura scratched at his chin idly with his left hand. "The Man in Black, eh? Is this what Crona; Demon Swordsman, son of the witch Medusa has taken to calling himself?"

A pang of terror ripped through my heart. My eyes went wide. "H-h-how do you know all that?!" I demanded, gesturing again with Ragnarok in Yuura's direction. I heard murmured chuckling come from the Dark Weapons surrounding us.

Yuura gave a confidant "hrrmph" and leaned forward a bit on his sword. "I make it my business to know what's going on in my lands and I claim all the Wastelands for my own. You've made quite a name for yourself among us over the years; but it ends tonight Crona. You're going to die. Just bad luck on your part showing up while I was here." Yuura glared down at me.

I couldn't hide it; I was petrified. Who was this guy? How did he know who I was?! My arms were shaking; I could barely hold Ragnarok straight.

Yuura laughed, obviously sensing my fear. "Who'd have thought the spawn of Medusa would grow up to be a goody two shoes LITTLE VIGILANTE!" Yuura screamed and without warning let forth with a mighty horizontal slash of his blade at astonishing speed slashing me deep across the chest. I tumbled backwards from the force of the blow as Yuura leisurely made his way towards me. I tried to rise to my feet but I felt weaker than usual and that's when I noticed it; I was still bleeding. I lowered my hand to the area of the wound and sure enough it was wet. My hand was covered in freely running black blood. Cries, laughter and words of encouragement all directed at Yuura rang through the surrounding throng.

"...it won't harden...IT WON'T HARDEN!" Ragnarok screamed in terror. "I CAN'T STOP OUR BLEEDING! WHAT IS THIS?!"

Yuura chuckled once more as he strode over to stand above me. "Allow me to introduce my Demonsword: Apocalypse," Yuura spoke as he pointed it down at me.

My fear grew a thousand fold at his words. "No," my voice was choked with terror. "That's impossible!"

Yuura smirked down at me with arrogance,"oh it is very possible. Ragnarok isn't the only Demon Sword around anymore and you're not the only Demon Swordsman; Crona," Yuura stated plainly. "I understand how your black blood works and Apocalypse's own Demon Sword wavelength is similar enough to Ragnarok's where negating his, and your, ability to manipulate the black blood was just a matter of contact. This battle was decided with that first attack I'm afraid," the giant red man was exhuming confidence. Terror gripped my every bone, every muscle of my body, every fiber of my mind. This was it. I was going to die here.

"We're fucked Crona." Ragnarok whined in a trembling voice. "And it's all your fault!" He cried.

Yuura raised his sword overhead, "yes indeed, you are both quite 'fucked' as your sword put it. Farewell Crona; Witchspawn of Medusa. Your journey ends here...die." Yuura brought Apocalypse down in a two-handed overhead hew aimed directly for my head.

I was done. There was no way I was surviving this. Another Demon Swordsman? I don't know how to deal with that! I can't beat someone like that! I can't-

"NO!" I shouted aloud to stop my own train of thought. I raised Ragnarok to stop the killing blow and held Yuura at bay. "I'M NOT DYING HERE!" I screamed into Yuura's face as our swords locked.

"RAWWWRGHHHHHH!" Yuura roared and forced down with all his might. He was so much stronger than me, I couldn't hold him back for long, I needed to get out from under him somehow. Thinking quickly I shot my leg out and kicked his knee, "augh!" Yuura groaned and stumbled off balance. That brief moment was all it took, I broke off contact, rolled out and hopped up to my feet. I whirled round to lash out with a slash at Yuura but he was right there to intercept me with Apocalypse.

" "Screech Resonance!" " We cried at once as our Demon Swords locked again. Ragnarok and Apocalypse let out piercing wails as both souls attempted to overpower the other with their own vibrating resonance.

"I'll never give up," I hissed as I locked eyes with Yuura. The piercing wails of our blades echoing in the background.

"It's futile!" Yuura roared, "you're hopelessly outclassed without the black blood."

"Maybe. Maybe not," I retorted. "I'm stronger than you think!" Feinting, I pulled Yuura back and rolled to his flank. Gripping Ragnarok in two hands I shouted,"Ragnarok! Dual Wield Mode!"

"I hope this works!" Ragnarok cried as he split into two broadswords.

"DIE!" Yuura growled as he spun to his flank with a diagonal slash. This time I parried with my left and lunged towards his face with my right. Yuura's eyes went alarmed as he saw the blade moving towards him and narrowly swiveled his face out of the way; caught his cheek though.

Yuura lifted his hand to the slash on his cheek and inspected the blood. His face contorted into a snarl as his eyes narrowed upon me. "You're being very annoying," he growled.

I assumed a defensive stance and lowered my center of gravity. "I'm not losing to you," I said gravely.

Yuura's eyes narrowed upon me. Lifting Apocalypse over his head he came down with a second overhead hew. This time however I deflected the blade off to the side just enough to spin out of its way. He came at me again, this time with a horizontal slash, but again I parried it; blocking it with my main blade then spinning and knocking it away with the other. Yuura was getting visibly agitated. Maybe if I could just keep my defense up like this I could frustrate him, get him to make a mistake. It was worth a shot.

"Having some trouble hitting me?" I chided.

Yuura returned my taunt with a stern glare. "Men, I'm about to get serious so you may all want to clear out." At Yuura's words the Dark Weapons watching us hurriedly gave us an even healthier berth, some even taking cover. "Apocalypse; Screech Resonance," Yuura spoke as Apocalypse let out another blood shattering screech. I braced myself for some kind of impact as Yuura swung Apocalypse at me in a horizontal arc, "Devil's Cleave!" He bellowed as a large mouthed red wave, similar to Ragnarok's Screech Alpha, careened towards me. The attack was so fast, no way I could get out of the way in time. Doing the only thing I could think of I raised both swords in an X before me to block the impact.

It didn't work.

The force of the Devil's Cleave knocked my arms aside and cut into my chest with another deep wound. I felt my arms go limp at my sides but somehow,somehow, I managed to keep my grips on Ragnarok. I went lightheaded and, try as I might, I just couldn't stay vertical; with a sudden stagger backwards I thudded to the ground on my back. I coughed, the black blood poured up through my mouth and covered my jaw. I heard the low rumble of Yuura's laughter growing nearer and soon he appeared in my field of vision, looking down from above me, grinning like a madman. "Foolish boy," Yuura taunted, "you put up a good effort but in the end, like all who have refused their inner beast you are nothing compared to me!" Yuura roared and delivered a powerful kick to my ribs sending me tumbling through the camp, back towards its southern edge.

I struggled to move but I just couldn't; every fiber of my body was spent. Laughing wildly, the red giant came stomping after me and unleashed another kick launching me out of the camp and back into the barren night bathed Wasteland. I barely managed to lift my head to see him following at a leisurely stroll. Yuura lifted me by the front of my coat and, with one arm, hoisted me into the air; his other reeled back to strike. "I'm going to take my time with you," he gave a sadistic grin as his fist approached me with blinding speed.

In that instant I saw it all flash before my eyes, my training, how much I improved, how hard I tried and how I almost gave up...

* * * Roughly six years ago * * *

"M-m-m-Mr. Mifune?" I cautiously entered the DWMA Dojo and addressed the new instructor.

"Hrmn?" Mifune vocalized. He was sitting in the middle of the Dojo floor idly chewing on a piece of reed. He looked me up and down; seizing me up.

I gulped. "P-professor Spirit told me to report to you today for private lessons," I said softly.

Mifune gave a light head bob. "Oh right," slowly, almost lazily, he rose. "Okay then. Show me your stance." I looked back at Mifune confused. "How you hold and stand with your sword," he clarified.

"Oh...okay," I brought Ragnarok out and held him in front of me in my usual manner.

Mifune looked me up and down. "You're using a European style; German school if I'm not mistaken?"

I looked at Mifune blankly as I had no idea what he was talking about. "I don't know about any of that. I just know this is how Medusa taught me to hold a sword," I spoke meekly and quietly.

"Ah, right, you're the witch's kid. Makes sense, most witches trace their origins back to that part of the world so she was probably just teaching from what she knew." Mifune theorized out loud. "Well, in any event, you can put your Demon Sword away. You're going to be using a regular one when you train."

I panicked. A regular sword? But I'd only ever used Ragnarok before. I didn't know how to deal with using a regular sword.

"Suits me fine!" Ragnarok exclaimed at Mifune's words as he morphed from his sword into his soul form. Ragnarok let out an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion, "I'm tired of doing all the work." Ragnarok gripped his chin in contemplation, "besides, maybe if you get better at swinging me around I won't have to be saving your skinny butt all the time, huh?" he playfully pulled at my cheek.

"Owwwwe, cut it out," I whined as Ragnarok disappeared back into me with a cackle. Mifune watched all of this quietly. He seemed interested in how I was going to react. With hunched shoulders and my eyes averted to the ground I slowly approached him. "I'll try," I said meekly.

Mifune retrieved a broadsword from the weapons wall. "Here!" he called out and tossed it to me, or rather, tossed it to my feet. Mifune gave me a bemused expression. "You could've easily caught that," he admonished. He was right, if I wasn't so scared right now catching that out of the air right then would've been a snap.

I fidgeted and hugged my shoulder. "Sorry," I continued speaking in a meek, soft tone.

"Don't apologize. Now pick it up and let's get started," Mifune said as he approached me and assumed a fighting stance.

Without a word I bent down to pick up the sword. It was much heavier than I was used to; Ragnarok was almost weightless. I cautiously held out the sword in front of me but I was visibly shaking. It was heavy and holding it out like this was hurting my arm and I'd never used one before and it-. Before I could even finish my train of thinking Mifune had already dashed forward and knocked the sword out of my hand and onto the ground.

"You need to pay more attention. Now pick it up again," Mifune's tone remained calm yet authoritative. I hesitated to pick up the sword, I was shaking in abject terror. Mifune turned his side to me and looked me up and down a second time, he still seemed to be seizing me up. "Go on. Pick it up," he repeated. Still trembling, I bent down to pick up the sword again. Mifune stalked around to my flank and again turned to face me, "this time I want you to come at me." I gazed back in horror at Mifune's words. "Don't be scared Crona, just come at me," Mifune spoke in a relaxed tone.

Hesitantly, I raised the broadsword in front of myself and took a deep breath. Calming my fear I charged and went in with a thrust...which Mifune immediately sidestepped and brought his katana to rest on the back of my neck, "dead." He spoke.

Now I was getting a little irritated. "That wouldn't have killed me," I pointed out. "The black blood would've stopped it from severing my head, then Ragnarok would've healed me," I continued.

"So you'd rather rely entirely on Ragnarok's power than your own skill?" Mifune withdrew his katana.

I frowned and looked towards the ground, "I don't have any skill." I whined. "I'm not all that good at anything and the only reason I'm here is because Lord Death is trying to find something for me to do but it's pointless. I don't know how to deal with training. Ragnarok's power and the black blood are the only reasons I'm at DWMA," I continued.

Mifune sheathed his katana with a 'hrrmph' and turned his back to me. "Well, if that's how you feel, then this is pointless. Go."

I gazed at Mifune's back. "You heard me Crona. Go. I'm not going to waste my time trying to teach someone who's not interested in trying." Mifune spoke scornfully.

"I am trying!-"

"No you're not!" Mizune snapped and turned to face me angrily. "You're barely committing to your strikes, you were hardly paying attention before and the mere weight of the blade is proving to be too much for you. Your Demon Sword is completely right about doing all the work but you're perfectly content with that because it's easy. Just get out of here!" Mifune pointed at the exit.

I started sniffling, not because he yelled at me but because he was right. Mifune was completely right. I had intended to throw this from the beginning because I'd already decided it was going to be too hard. I'm just so goddamned weak!

Consumed with embarrassment and a healthy dose of self-loathing I ran from the Dojo. I could've sworn I heard Mifune sigh as I did, but I didn't care. I ran and ran and ran covering my tearing eyes with my arm as I darted through DWMA searching desperately for a secluded spot. People were staring at me and giving odd looks as I passed. They all thought I was weak, I knew they did; they had to because I am! Finally I found a secluded corner in one of the many hallways, good, I always liked corners. No one can surprise your from a corner; they're safe. I huddled up, placing my back to it and curled into a tight little ball. Here I could just shut everyone and everything out.

"I'm just no good," I sobbed while hugging my face as tightly as possible into my knees. "I don't know how to deal with anything. Everything's so scary. I'm just too weak." I hugged my knees tight and tucked my head, pulling myself as much into a ball as I could. "I don't wanna see anything, I just want to-"

"Crona!" Came a distant shout followed by quickly approaching footsteps. "There you are!" the voice was now directly in front of me. It sounded like Maka but I couldn't be sure, then, I felt a tender hand rest on my knee and felt more assured. "Crona. It's me; it's Maka." Slowly, I lifted my head up from my knees and through my teary eyes I espied her tender face and no longer felt so alone. Maka made a point of maintaining my eye contact, "I came looking for you as soon as I heard you were running through the halls crying."

"...h-how'd you know," I barely managed to squeak out.

Maka gave a bit of a sad smile. "Word travels fast, y'know?" She gave a little shrug. I slowly looked around and realized a crowd of about thirty people, students and instructors, were all looking at me. "You did make a bit of a scene," Maka added nervously.

For a moment there I thought I was about to die from sheer embarrassment when a single voice cut through the tension. "Alright, there's nothing left to see here." I heard the distinct squeaking of wheels as Professor Stein rolled through on his office chair. "Everyone, back to your classrooms now." Professor Stein spoke and, with that, the crowd began dispersing."Everything okay over here?" He asked as he wheeled around to Maka.

"It's fine, I'll make sure he gets on back," Maka answered confidently.

"Good, I'll leave it in your hands then. As for you," Stein rolled around to get a better look at me, "I expect to see tremendous improvements in your swordsmanship. All the instructors and Lord Death agree; you're far too intelligent and talented to be swinging Ragnarok around like a brute the way you do. Mifune will be a perfect teacher." I shied away from Stein as he spoke to me, attempting to avert eye contact. He seemed to notice my hesitation but it didn't change his manner of speaking, "worried I hold a grudge?" he asked outright. I didn't answer but, fearfully, I couldn't help but allow my eyes to drift in Stein's direction. "Well, if that's your concern then it's ill founded. I don't hold what you did against you Crona; I did much worse things than that when I was your age and without having to be manipulated to do them." Stein adjusted his glasses. "Still," he gave a small grin, "I would love to dissect you!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeee!" I recoiled in terror.

"P-professor Stein!" Maka exclaimed while turning to him in shock.

Stein kicked his legs up and took a laughing spin on his office chair. "Just kidding, just kidding," he assured us. "I'll be going now. I do have a class to teach," and with a mighty shove of his legs Stein was speeding away backwards on his chair down the hallway and around the bend of the edge.

Maka gave an exacerbated sigh then beamed at smile at me. "Come on Crona, let's go," she extended her hand to me.

She had to be kidding. I folded my arms in defiance and looked away from her. "No."

Maka's smile turned from a look of surprise then slowly into a frown. "Seriously?," she asked annoyed.

"I'm not going," I said. I'd made up my mind; a weakling like me didn't belong there.

"Really Crona? You're going to be a baby about this?" Maka's tone was even more annoyed. I said nothing but hugged myself back tighter into a ball. Maka gave an irritated grunt and rose to her feet. "Crona, this is stupid. Now come on!"

I glared back up at her defiantly. "No!" I repeated. What the fuck did Maka know about what I was going through right now? She's always been strong, she doesn't know what it's like to be weak.

Maka glared down at me in silence for a few moments. Then, suddenly lunged, grabbing me by the arm and pulling furiously. "You heard professor Stein," Maka argued as she groaned in exertion with her attempt to budge me. Try as she might, however, I had hunkered down into my corner and moving me from it wasn't going to be easy. "Cronaaaaaaa," Maka whined at me as she continued struggling in vain to move me by force.

"I said I'm not going!" I shouted angrily and yanked my arm back away from her. Maka looked at me in shock, it was extraordinarily rare of me to raise my voice and I had never done so before to her. "I don't care what Professor Stein says; what's the worst they can do? Expel me?! Imprison me?!" I lowered my head back down to its earlier position against my knees and gave a quiet laugh, "they already did that once before anyway."

I heard Maka fall back to the ground with a slump and a heavy sigh. "Crona, what the heck is this about?" she asked.

"Do you think I'm weak?" I asked Maka. It was a pointless question, I already knew the truth but I wanted to hear it from her mouth.

Maka's face lit up in shock,"what?! Crona! Of course you're not weak!" The blonde Meister affirmed.

At Maka's words I turned my face back up sharply towards her with an angry scowl, "you liar!" I snapped at her. "You absolutely think I'm weak! You'd have to be an idiot to not think I'm weak!"

Maka looked dumbfounded. "Crona...it's the truth! I'm not lying."

"YES YOU ARE!" I shouted, I could feel myself getting angrier. Who did she think she was trying to fool? Did she think I was an idiot? "No one as smart as you could possibly think that I'm not weak!"

"But you're not-"

"I bet that's not the only thing you're lying about either!" I interrupted her; I felt my blood freeze over at my dawning realization, I had it all figured out now, how could I have been so blind? Why else would someone as strong and purehearted as her give a shit about someone like me? It had been pity. Nothing more. "You don't actually care about me, not really! Nobody does! You just pity me! You saw me sitting here all pathetic and pitiful and so you think to yourself," I mockingly imitated Maka's voice, "awe look at poor little Crona over there, I guess helping him out would be my act of charity for the day-"

SMACK! Maka slapped me hard across the face, her expression had darkened into a scowl of intense anger. "How dare you," she hissed at me. I glared back at her in silence. "HOW DARE YOU!" Maka repeated; shrieking. "You think that's all this is? PITY!?" Maka was shaking she was so furious and she glared into my eyes with a gaze so piercing it felt as though she was looking into my soul. Come to think of it she probably was.

Maka gave her head a slow shake at me, tears now welling up under her eyes. "You think that submerging myself in the madness of the black blood; risking my life, sanity and very soul, for a chance at reaching out to you was just pity?!" Her tone was one of utter disbelief.

Shit. I had just screwed up royally. "Maka I-"

"You think!," Maka interrupted me, her tone angrier now, "that letting the black blood stab me over and over just so I could get close enough to you to hold you in my arms was an act of mere pity?!" Maka's fists clenched into balls, her eyes shut tight and she shouted at the top of her lungs. "BRINGING YOU INTO DWMA! HELPING YOU EVERY WAY I COULD THINK OF! SHARING MY LIFE WITH YOU, CHASING AFTER YOU, VOUCHING FOR YOU, SAVING YOUR LIFE! IT'S ALL JUST PITY TO YOU?!" Maka opened her eyes and her expression changed from one of rage to one of profound hurt.

"I-"

"Just shut up," Maka said softly between sobs and with a shake of her head rose to her feet. "I don't want to hear another word. Just do whatever the hell you want Crona, okay?" and with barely contained sobbing Maka turned then fled from me.

I was alone again.

"Oooooooooh, you fucked up Crona! You fucked uuuuuuup!" Ragnarok came spilling out from my back and leaned around to get close to my face. "She's probably never gonna speak to you again. Not after that!" Ragnarok continued. He gave me a playful knock on the head, "eh forget about her. I never liked that stupid cow anyway. She's no fun! Plus she hits me!"

I completely ignored Ragnarok as I sat there blank and unresponsive for a few minutes before I put together what had just happened. In a fit of a paranoia and anger I had lashed out at the one person I truly cared about, moreover, I lashed out at her because she cares about me. Because I couldn't accept that she wouldn't tell me I was weak. How fucked up is that? It's as though, when it boils down to it, all I know how to do is hurt people through my own weakness; even those who show me nothing but kindness. First Marie. Now Maka. It's like I can't help it.

As I sat in contemplation of all this something came over me. I couldn't really describe what it was then as it was the first time I'd ever really felt something like it. Reflecting on it now I think it was anger; anger at my state of inhumanity, anger at my shitty life, anger at being denied a childhood but above all else it was anger at myself. It was in that very moment that I took the first step towards what would ultimately become my transition from that craven little child into the man who would later come to call himself The Man in Black of the Wastelands.

I slowly rose to my feet. "Hey! Where ya going?" Ragnarok asked.

"Back." I answered lowly with my head lowered to gaze at the ground. Slowly I made my way back to the Dojo and luckily for me Mifune was still there, still sitting in the middle of the room, still chewing on that reed. Without even waiting for him to get up I walked over to the weapons rack, grabbed a broadsword and stood before him; my side turned and sword extended. "Draw your sword Mifune," I spoke gravely.

Mifune looked me up and down, his expression as blank and unimpressed as ever. "Gonna run away and cry again?" he inquired with the slightest tinge of sarcasm.

"Why don't you draw your sword and find out?" I growled.

Mifune spat the reed out of his mouth. "Good, that's the attitude I like to hear," the Kensai spoke as he rose to his feet. "Now come at me like you mean it this time!"

Letting forth a scream I swung in an overhead arc directed at his face.

Mifune side stepped and knocked the sword out of my hand with a well placed swipe. "Too slow, try again."

I scooped the sword up and lunged, going in for a stab but Mifune was ready and slapped the tip of my sword away from above, knocking it out of my hand once again. "If you're going to commit to a lunge either be sure it's going to hit, or be ready to withdraw just as quickly," he lectured, "now again!"

Again I grabbed the sword and this time went for a vertical slash aimed at the abdomen. Mifune deflected it with a parry but I shifted laterally to his flank and using my momentum spun into another parallel slash. Mifune parried again, shifted against me to knock me off balance and slapped the sword out of my hand with a vertical slash of his own. Without even waiting for him to say anything I grabbed the sword and came at him again, and again, and again and again and again!

By now I was getting used to the weight of the blade and Mifune was having to work a bit harder to dodge and parry my strikes. I kept up the aggression, swinging with an overhead hew which Mifune parried, immediately, I disengaged and attacked with a vertical slash which Mifune parried only in the nick of time. I began to shuffle my feet as though I was to withdraw and Mifune shifted against me in an anticipation to knock me on my ass; but it was a feint. Instead of withdrawing backwards I spun laterally causing Mifune to stumble forward where he was expecting to shift against me. Now facing his flank and with Mifune off balance I brought my blade down towards the back of his neck in anticipation of finally scoring a point on him. However, in a flash, Mifune ducked out of the way and whirling around to face me cut into the side of my face with a vicious swipe.

It stung a little but I'd suffered worse. Mifune's eyes piqued up a little as he observed what little damage his slash had done and how quickly the black blood healed my wound. "Good," Mifune spoke with a tinge of excitement to his voice, "I don't have to hold back whatsoever when training you; perfect," he added. "In any event, congratulations, you forced me to have to strike to avoid a blow; usually it takes a student several months or even a year of lessons before reaching that point."

"You could've warned me what I was in for," I grumbled.

Mifune cracked the tiniest of grins, "you did say the black blood would heal you regardless earlier correct? I figured this was to be assumed on your part." Mifune drew his blade away and walked back towards the weapons rack. "Also, here," Mifune grabbed a second sword and threw it to me, "I want you to try practicing with two," he said. I looked back at him confusedly. "You're not doing anything with your off hand and, well, while a parrying dagger or perhaps a buckler would be more in keeping with your style of swordsmanship it would be utterly redundant; your black blood is more than a good enough defense." I picked up the second sword as Mifune continued, "typically dual wielding is one of those things that sounds great in theory but doesn't work out too well in practice. The extra coordination and expense in energy used to swing two swords at once is hardly, if ever, worth the benefit but you possess a unique advantage that suddenly makes this all feasible."

"An advantage?" I asked curiously.

"You're not getting tired," Mifune answered plainly. "Given how aggressive you've been with your strikes you should be exhausted, yet there's hardly a bead of sweat on you, nor are you breathing especially hard. If I had to wager a guess I'd say your black blood is far superior in converting and regulating oxygen through your circulatory system, thus your levels of stamina are greatly beyond that of a normal human's."

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Ragnarok materialized to shout from behind, "still counts as me doing most of the work though!" Ragnarok gave my cheek a pinch.

"Nyahhh, I'd say it counts for half; I'm still the one doing the fighting," I retorted as Ragnarok pulled at my cheek.

"Yeah, and if I weren't here making you super strong and hardy you'd frankly suck at it," Ragnarok pointed out and let my cheek go with a snap.

"Maybe, but you're stuck with me regardless soooo, plfft!" I stuck my tongue out and blew a raspberry in his direction, well, as close as I could manage which was out the side of my mouth.

"Don't remind me!" Ragnarok whined.

"If you don't mind," Mifune began, "we were in the middle of training." Mifune eye's narrowed on Ragnarok "unless of course you're volunteering to take Crona's place here," he pointed his sword at Ragnarok.

"What me?" Ragnarok immediately turned his attention to Mifune and put his little balled hands forward. "I'm good, I'm good" he affirmed while vigorously gesturing for 'no'. "Just keep beating up on Crona here and I'll be hanging back doing the real work; byeeeeeeee!" Ragnarok disappeared back into me.

Mifune wasted no time with Ragnarok's departure. "I've never trained anyone in using two swords before, so this is going to be as new to me as it is you; and I like new challenges." He gave a clear smirk, "now come at me!"

Letting out a cry I charged and swung my swords, letting the momentum of my strikes carry me like a tornado of steel. With slashes, thrusts and parries I pressed on aggressively. I lost track of the hours as I practiced against him and as it passed into night I found I was finally exhausted and could spar no more; even with the black blood my stamina has limits. My clothes sported cuts all over from where Mifune had struck me and though I had not managed to hit Mifune even once I had kept him on his toes the whole time.

Mifune gave a tired sigh. "I think now is a good place for us to stop. Rest up and be back tomorrow; same time, same place," he instructed.

"Yes, I will" I said with a nod and a bow before depositing the swords back on the wall."