*******************Chapter Two*****************************
Crona was lying on his bed in his shorts, almost asleep when someone banged on his door. "Hey, kid! Coming in!"
The door slammed open, Crona jumping in shock to pull a blanket over himself as the huge zombie Sid clomped in. "Ah. Sorry about that, but Lord Death wanted to see you. Apparently there's another emergency that needs to get taken care of." Sid turned around to give Crona some privacy as he hurriedly put on his white uniform, muttering darkly, "I never used to barge into people's rooms without permission, you know. That was just the kind of man that I was."
As they trotted down the halls and passages, Crona wondered what was going on. Was he in trouble? Ragnaroc slid out of his back, yawning loudly and stretching.
"What the hell are you still doing up, Crona? You're so pathetic that you never stay up past nine." Crona's Weapon's eyes fell on Sid. "Oh, crap! Is this about stealing that bag of candy from those twerps in class? If it is, then I just want you to know that it was Crona's idea."
"What?" Crona was immediately whacked, Ragnaroc hissing at him to shut up. "But I didn't-"
"Actually, I never heard about that." Sid turned his head towards the duo, Ragnaroc audibly gulping as he ducked behind Crona's head. "And just this once, I'm going to pretend I still haven't."
"Sweet!" Ragnaroc roared, inasmuch as the tiny version of him could, voice exultant. "You are definitely my favorite teacher!"
Sid grinned as they walked under the guillotine blades and into the head master's office. "Oh, hello Crona!" Tsubaki greeted him softly, waving a hand at him. Crona waved back at her, a small smile on his lips.
"What the hell am I? Chopped liver?" Ragnaroc fumed, arms crossed as he glared at the girl.
"Hello Ragnaroc."
"Whatever."
"What's up, little people? Fall to your knees in awe at the amazingness that is the one and only Black Star!" Black Star jumped off the top of the mirror on the center of the room, flipping in the air before hitting the ground and striking a pose. Tsubaki began to clap, a tolerant smile tugging at her lips, Crona joining in. Black Star simultaneously impressed and intimidated Crona to no end, his fearless bluster something that Crona envied even as it unsettled him. "Thank you, thank you. I know that your applause is well deserved, but it never hurts to hear."
"'Sup, everybody?" Soul smirked as he and Maka entered the room, Maka waving cheerfully at Crona and Tsubaki.
"Sid, do you know what's going on?" Maka asked, green eyes studying the blue man curiously. "Why did we get summoned here at-" she checked her watch, "Eleven twenty at night?"
The giant zombie shook his head, a frustrated frown on his face. "Sorry, and we can't go on without Kid, Liz, Patty and Stein."
It took another five minutes for the other four to arrive, but Crona could hear them from the other end of the hall. "Seriously Kid? You had to make sure that all of the rugs were exactly horizontal to the doors after the Professor told you that there was an emergency? You need to work on your priorities." Liz sounded peeved, her tone shrill.
"I understand, but-"
"No! No buts, Kid! You really need to get over your obsession!"
"That's a task easier said than done, Liz;I've had this compulsion ever since I was a very young child. Besides, I must admit that I rather enjoy the satisfaction that accompanies perfect symmetry, even if it is a difficult path to walk at times."
Liz shook her head as they entered the room, expression exasperated. "Kid, you have a problem."
Stein grinned, twisting the giant screw in his head a few clicks tighter. "I could always tinker inside that fascinating mind of yours, see if I could get rid of your obsessive-compulsive disorder…"
Kid paled and took a step away from him, cheering up when he caught sight of the group. "Good evening."
"Howdy howdy!" Lord Death's voice surprised everyone, the headmaster popping out of the mirror behind them. "What's up, everyone? Having a good evening?"
"What's this crisis that you called us down here about, Father?" Kid asked after everyone politely greeted their slightly spastic headmaster.
"Oh." Death straightened, his manner suddenly serious. Everyone unconsciously leaned forward, the tension in the air so thick you probably could have cut it. "Do you think that I should repaint the Death Room? The Keishen did a number on it, so now would be the time to do any changes! What do you think?"
"Wh-what?" Kid's voice was weak as he stared at his father, expression stunned.
"I was having a hard time choosing between a view of woods, a winter scene or maybe even a stormy day. So… opinions, anyone?"
Sid and Kid's eyes twitched, Kid making an odd sound as Lord Death watched them inquisitively. "A winter scene might be nice…" Soul said finally, Maka shooting him a disbelieving stare. Death bounced, large hands clapping together.
"I know, but that seems like it would make you feel cold all of the time."
Soul shrugged, and that was when Black Star joined in. "You should make a huge painting of me in there! That would be perfect, after all, I'm the one who surpassed god!"
"DEATH CHOP!" Black Star lay on the ground bleeding, an indent of Lord Death's hand in the back of his head.
"So was that a no?" he asked weakly before passing out.
"In any case, the more important reason I called you all down here is because that there have been attacks on agents of ours all around the world."
"If they've been all over the world, then how can you tell that they're related incidents?" Tsubaki asked as she hurried over to Black Star's side.
"That's a good question! All of the attacked agents had a symbol, a skull in front of crossed scythes, carved into the palm of their right hand. There haven't been any survivors, all twenty eight of them being killed in horrible ways that I won't go into right now. Well, there haven't been any survivors until tonight, one right here in Death City."
"Who was attacked?" Maka asked. Death glanced her way, an almost apologetic look on his face.
"Your father, Spirit."
Maka paled, Soul putting a comforting hand around her shoulders. "Is he okay?"
Death hesitated, then waved a hand at his mirror, the glass rippling momentarily. When it settled, it showed Spirit on a hospital bed, bandages almost completely engulfing the man. He appeared to be unconscious; something that Crona could tell was a good thing. Having had enough various injuries in his fifteen years he had gotten an elementary sense of how bad wounds were, and Spirit's were very, very bad.
"He's alive and in stable condition, but your father is going to be out of commission for a few days, at the very least." Stein's words were slightly muffled by the cigarette that he had just stuck in his mouth. "Spirit was found about an hour ago beaten to a pulp in a back alley. He never gained consciousness to tell us who attacked him." He held a match to the tip of his cigarette, the end glowing as it caught. "Whoever it was didn't want Spirit dead, which makes me wonder what was different about him than the others."
"What does that mean?" Tsubaki asked him, her expression horrified. Crona flinched, knowing exactly what it meant, having been given wounds that looked somewhat similar to this before. "Crona…" Ragnaroc's voice was singsong, heavy footsteps clomping down the hall. "Come out, come out wherever you are…" Lady Medusa's cold voice was directed at Ragnaroc. "Remember, you can have as much… fun, with him as you want, but don't kill or break him. You two should make a very interesting experiment, and I don't want it ruined by your idiocy. Understood?" "Sure." Lady Medusa always went barefoot, so Crona was never able to tell where she was, her footsteps silent against the hard floors. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm, yanking him out from under the table. Lady Medusa's gold slit eyes studied him for a moment before shoving him into Ragnaroc's waiting grasp. "Hey, little buddy! I've been looking everywhere for you." Ragnaroc's words were innocent, but Crona could hear an undertone of malice. Fear began to wiggle in Crona's stomach. "Ragnaroc, let me go please?" Ragnaroc scowled, his grip tightening. "Shut up." He glanced around the room, eyes lighting up at something on the table. Ragnaroc dragged Crona back to the table, easily holding the younger boy with one arm while the other grabbed the coil of rope. "Hey, Lady M. You mind getting this up there?" Medusa, who had just sat down in a chair on the other side of the room, sent Ragnaroc an icy glare. "Fine, fine. Just asking." Crona watched as he threw half of the rope up, Ragnaroc's brute strength sending the cord flying over one of the room's rafters. Stepping on one end, Ragnaroc used the other half to tie Crona's hands together tightly. Pulling the other end, he forced Crona's hands over his head, the small boy soon having to stand on tip toe to keep his weight off of his arms. Ragnaroc tied the loose section to a firmly fastened metal decoration on the opposite wall, walking back towards Crona with a happy grin. "It's been a while, huh? Let's see, the last time I saw you, you gave me this." He fingered the huge thick white scar that crisscrossed over his nose. "I never got to say how much I appreciated that. So here… let me show you." Ragnaroc slammed a fist into Crona's stomach, the five-year-old trying to double over but only managing to bruise his wrists. "Ragnaro-" "Shut up, you little twerp!" CRACK! Crona's head snapped back, Ragnaroc's kick catching him under the chin. Crona's chin was throbbing from the blow, but that was nothing compared to his mental anguish. Where was his kind protector who had been teaching him to use a sword? Ragnaroc's eyes flashed with anger. THWACK! A fist to his side… SMACK! An elbow to his face… Thud thud thud thud thud! A barrage of blows, one after another… Crona coughed, tasting blood in his mouth. "Ragnaroc…" his voice was weak and full of pain, but he still managed to catch the older boy's attention. "What happened to you?" Ragnaroc's expression darkened. "You happened to me, you damn shit! Don't you remember?" Crona's eyes widened at Ragnaroc's foul language. "What, you don't like cursing? Well too fucking bad for you!" Ragnaroc paused suddenly, an evil smile growing on his face. "You know what? Instead of showing you how little I liked getting this," gesturing sharply at his face, "maybe I should just let you find out for yourself, huh?" He held out his right fist, and it abruptly began to flatten and sharpen, turning into a black and silver blade. Ragnaroc gently ran the razor edge along Crona's cheek, his smile only growing as Crona whimpered. Fear was now pulsing through every vein of his body, terror of the boy in front of him making him shake harder than a tree in a hard wind. The pain in his aching body from his beating wasn't helping either, not to mention his feet were starting to cramp from standing on his toes for so long, and his wrists were rubbed raw from the tough rope encircling them. "D-don't, please…" Ragnaroc's smile was pure malevolence as the blade slashed Crona's face, crimson trickling into his left eye from the cut that ran from over his eyebrow to the bottom of the opposite cheek. Crona yelped loudly, the first sound of pain that he had made so far. "Hurts, doesn't it? And that wasn't even close to the size of blade that I got hit with. Come to think of it, that isn't near as deep either, but I'll make up for quality with quantity." The blade flashed again, and pain seared across the other side of his face, Crona now having to keep both eyes shut to keep blood from seeping in. He heard Ragnaroc's deep chuckle, the other boy apparently having a great time, then he howled as the biting knife sank into his side deeply, going all the way up to Ragnaroc's wrist. "Idiot! I told you not to give him any mortal wounds!" Crona had forgotten about Lady Medusa, but she sounded furious. "Sorry," Ragnaroc muttered, brutally ripping the blade back out. Crona's tortured cry was cut off as a fist cracked into his stomach, sending daggers of pain tearing through his entire torso. "Shut the hell up." The razor sharp edge slipped through Crona's back, sides and arms, but Ragnaroc never went deeper than an inch again. By the time that Ragnaroc had finished dicing him up, Crona had given up any pretense of strength; he hung limply from the rope, hot salty tears scalding the slices under his eyes. Suddenly the cord slackened, letting Crona crumple to the floor. A booted foot smashed into his slashed up chest, sending him flying briefly before slamming hard into a wall. He gagged momentarily, blood blocking his windpipe, before spitting the copper-tasting liquid out onto the floor. A strong hand grabbed his throat, sliding him up the wall. Crona feebly fought against the strong arm that held him up, but he felt Ragnaroc's grip squeeze further, and he knew that he was about to die at his best friend's hand. "That's enough." Lady Medusa's voice was uncaring but firm, Ragnaroc letting Crona fall. Ragnaroc's boot pressed against his deepest blade wound, Crona's soft moan turning into an agonized wail before the pain finally overcame him and he lost consciousness.
Five-year-old Crona ran down a hall, shaking like a leaf. That hadn't looked like the Ragnaroc that he knew! This Ragnaroc sneered evilly, his voice cruel as he taunted Crona. Crona ducked into one of the many rooms that dotted the passage, hiding under a table. What had he done? Lady Medusa had warned him not to look under the sheet, but to see Ragnaroc again… Then he had woken up, and everything was wrong about him. Crona's trembling got worse as he remembered how his beloved best friend had shoved him into the wall and pulled his hair, chuckling the entire time.
"H-he was tortured, wasn't he." Crona was as surprised as everyone else by the quiet words that fell from his lips, immediately flushing and staring at his boots.
"No, no. Of course not! Spirit was just apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all!" Lord Death's cheerful voice assured them. That doesn't seem right, Crona thought to himself, not convinced.
Maka spoke up, her voice cold and harsh, neither something that Crona had ever heard in her voice before. "Why wasn't I told about this?" Crona looked up towards her, and flinched. Her face was filled with fury, though her green eyes were teary.
Lord Death put his hands up in a why-don't-we-all-calm-down gesture. "Now now, why don't we all just calm down, we're telling you now, aren't we?"
Maka stepped towards him, hands clenching into fists. "I'm not going to calm down. I'm his daughter whether I like it or not, and I have a right to know when my father's in the hospital!"
"Maka, cool down-" Soul started, only to get an angry glare.
"No! I won't!"
Crona tentatively stepped forward; hating to see his friend in such pain, but not sure if he could deal with trying to comfort her. He reached out a hand, gingerly placing it on her shoulder. She spun on him, making Crona flinch again, but he managed to hold his ground and keep eye contact long enough to stammer, "Th-the people who hurt y-your dad, they should be scared. Look a-around at all your friends who w-want to help you. Y-your dad, he might be in th-the hospital right now, but he's got Dr. Stien working to fix him."
"Yeah!" Ragnaroc joined in, making Crona's eyes widen. "Sure, he might end up with a few toes switched around, but who cares, right? Besides, when we catch up with those bastards, I'll teach them a few lessons. I'll even eat their souls for ya!"
Maka didn't smile, but her frown did lessen. Soul put an arm around her shoulders again, turning her to see the rest of the kids in the room. "Don't sweat it, Maka. We'll get those guys and make them pay for what they did to your dad. As for Sid and the others not telling you about your dad, that wasn't cool. But give them a break, they're only adults."
Death and Sid blinked, Stein only blowing a stream of smoke out his mouth and grinning.
"Yeah, we'll bust 'em up good!" Patty exclaimed, making 'pppsshow' noises as she punched the air, Liz patting her sister's shoulder while Kid raised an eyebrow.
"Anyone who messes with my friends gets the full wrath of the mighty Black Star!" Black Star had apparently regained consciousness, Tsubaki kneeling beside him.
"Do you have any ideas on where Spirit's attacker or attackers might be, father?" Kid asked, his two-tone amber eyes cold.
"No, or we would already have agents on their way there." Lord Death sounded tired, his shoulders sagging slightly. "What I wanted you kids to do was go to the scene of the crime and snoop around, since people tend to trust children more than adults, and see if you could find anything that we couldn't. But if you want to stay at the hospital with Spirit, I more than understand."
Maka scowled at the floor, then nodded. "I'll go." The other kids all agreed too, Lord Death thanking them for their understanding. They walked back under the guillotine arches, Sid and Stein having stayed behind to talk with Death a while longer.
When Crona turned to head back to his room, Ragnaroc ducking back into his blood after his unexpected comments earlier, he was surprised by Maka trotting after him and grabbing his sleeve. "Hey, can we talk a minute?"
Crona nodded, walking after her a little ways down toward his room. She turned to face him, face set with determination. "I wanted to thank you for what you said back there. I needed to hear that."
He smiled softly, rubbing his arm. "I'm glad."
Maka hesitated, then continued on, a hint of pleading in her voice. "I also wanted to ask you a favor."
Crona looked up in surprise. "I'd do anything for you." He flushed at his mindless confession, hoping that Maka wouldn't be mad. She had been his steady stone to hold onto in the harshly flowing river of confusion following the Kishin's death, when people had time to realize that he was the once feared demon swordsman. There had been many cruel taunts and jibes once they got through their initial oh-crud-is-he-going-to-kill-me phase, all of which had been deflated by his small group of friends, Maka especially. Actually, some of the hostility still remained, though it was mostly shown in empty halls and dark halls, 'when his powerful friends couldn't save him', to quote one of his bullies. In any case, he was beginning to suspect that he had a crush on the pretty scythe Maister, and was more than willing to do whatever favor she asked of him to the best of his abilities.
Maka's green eyes softened, then grew slightly nervous as she rushed through her next sentences. "Would you stay and keep an eye on my dad for me? The fact that he's the only survivor in twenty eight attacks is worrying me. I-I'm scared that whoever did this might come back to finish the job."
Crona frowned. "Of course I'll protect your dad as best I can, but shouldn't you say something to Lord Death or Dr. Stein?"
Maka's eyes sparked with anger. "I don't believe that my dad's attack was just an accident, but you heard them in there when you suggested that it might have been intentional. If they won't even tell me why my own father has been hurt, then I don't really trust them too much."
He nodded, understanding her point of view but still feeling uncomfortable about not telling the adults about their hunch. "Promise me that you'll keep my dad safe while I'm gone? You should only have to watch him for a few days; Stein works quick miracles."
"I promise." Maka gave him a tight hug, Crona stiffening momentarily in shock before returning the embrace.
"Thank you, Crona. This means a lot."
