Here's an update for all those who are still interested in this story. Thanks for your faith and support, and I am genuinely remorseful about making you wait this long. Think of this chapter as a reward. Enjoy.


Early the next morning, Maka found herself waking with a groan, having camped out in the city park with Soul and Tsubaki who acted as guards with rotating shifts so they could all get some sleep. Once everyone was up they were on the move with Tsubaki searching for Black*Star. Maka and Soul began their search for Ragnarok since they were fairly sure he would lead them to Crona–if they ever found him, that is.

"If I were them," Maka mumbled to herself, "where would I go? Let's see...I'm impulsive, hotheaded, repulsive, probably worried, stubborn, overly confidant–"

What're you doing? Soul inquired with a sigh and a slightly confused tilt of his head.

"I'm trying to get in Ragnarok's head."

Ew.

"Tell me about it, but if this works then maybe I'll have an idea where to look for him. The only problem is I highly doubt he's actually planning anything so he could be anywhere by now."

Maybe you should try imagining yourself as Crona? I mean, how hard can being a depressed doormat be?

"Shut up, Soul." she grumbled, attempting to try his idea out. She pretended that she was lost, confused, and scared in a crowd of people. Naturally, Crona would have tried getting away from all the people before they could trample her. But that means she'd have had to gone through a clear path, Maka knew, recalling how the rain had sent all the people running for cover. That means...

In her mind's eye, Maka envisioned a closed off section of the market and she saw where a street sign stood on the sidewalk beyond. It shown three different directions one could take. Specter Road, Grimm Street, or Charlotte Avenue all shown on the sign in stunning white gothic letters.

However, Maka also recalled seeing cars going up and down Specter Road. She supposed Crona wouldn't take that path unless she wanted to risk getting ran down. Even if she were running blind, without a destination in mind, Maka knew Crona most likely wouldn't have risked it. That left her two options. The nearest was Charlotte and if Crona were in a panic then Maka severely doubted she'd bother going a distance when an alternative escape route was so close at hand.

And if she went that way then Maka had a feeling she'd have ended up on a different street and surely someone, be they human or not, would have seen her. "I know where we need to go!" she exclaimed in triumph, turning to lead Soul back to the market and off Charlotte Street.

Once there, they were met with a mostly deserted street though a trio of scruffy looking pokemon were spotted rummaging through a trash can. The strays paused in their foraging upon noticing the human girl and her furfrou, which had stopped walking to face them. The bravest of the small group, a granbull, stepped forwards with a growl that was meant to be intimidating but did little to daunt either. A timid mienfoo peeked out at them from within the trashcan seeming awfully concerned by their presence and a bristling glameow stood next to the same can, glowering at them whilst her leader faced them.

You lookin' for a fight? Granbull snarled, puffing his chest out in a bold display.

Relax, dumbass, Soul growled, knowing without a doubt that he could win if they were to battle. Granbull gave a menacing snarl at the insult, whilst Mienfoo whimpered and Glameow hissed bringing out her claws.

Look, Soul said with obvious frustration, we're just looking for a friend.

A friend? Granbull echoed skeptically.

Yeah. A sylveon. She might've looked scared or been talking to herself, probably looked scared, wore a black collar...I'm sure she would've been hard to miss.

Sylveon? Mienfoo squeaked only to be silenced by a sharp look from Glameow. S-sorry!

The purple dog pokemon scoffed, resting his paws on his hips and gave Soul a mock sneer. If I'd seen any sylveon then I'd have put her in her place. Soul was about to snap at the granbull for his crude comment but from the corner of his eye he noticed Maka's gloved hands clench into fists. Her bangs shadowed her eyes and she looked to be forcing her lips together so as to not speak. That gave Soul an idea.

Why do this interrogation stuff himself when Maka would be so much better at it? It'd be a real bonus if she were pissed enough to send the other canine through a brick wall.

Granbull talked some more trash that was similar to his original material but his aim at getting under Soul's skin seemed to fail, as the furfrou stood glowering at him momentarily; however, after that moment passed the glower vanished and a smile that shown off his sharp canine fangs spread over his lips.

Wanna elaborate on that? He challenged with a sheepish grin. Sorry, but I think I'm a little slow today.

I think you know what he means, Glameow hissed. So why don't ya beat it?

Nah, let me break it down for him, Granbull said with a smirk as he took a step forwards to try and get up in the seemingly passive furfrou's face. I mean, I'd have took your mate and wre– He never got a chance to finish what he was saying, for he soon found the white gloved hands of the human at his throat, lifting him off the ground and pinning him to the nearby gritty wall of an old building.

"Shut your mouth!" Maka roared at him, eyes shining with a rage so hot it made the grandbull dissolve into a puddle of fear within seconds. "I've heard enough gutter talk from you! Now listen up, you ugly purple freak, the only thing I want to hear from you is the truth, got it? Got it?!"

Granbull, Glameow, and Mienfoo's eyes all went wide as they gaped at the enraged human.

Y-you underst–

"Shut up!" Turning, she threw him into a nearby garbage can causing him to give a yelp of pain as he cowered in the trash, whimpering and whining. Glameow yowled and made a hasty retreat, leaving her two friends behind without any second thoughts. Granbull made off as soon as he pulled himself out of the garbage, running as fast as he could before the scary human girl could get her hands on him again. Mienfoo trembled with fear, stumbling and bumbling as he tried to scramble after his friends only to have his path blocked by Soul.

"You!" A gloved finger pointed to the fighting-type accusingly, making him jump and give a shriek of terror. "You saw her, didn't you?"

Yes! Mienfoo confessed, paws on his head whilst he trembled in terror. Yes, we all did! We were hiding from the rain in boxes and she passed by! Boss made a dirty comment, but he didn't do anything to her! I swear!

Where did she go? Soul barked.

I dunno!

"Did you see where she went?" Maka demanded.

Yes, but–

"Show us."

Wha...?

You heard her. Soul said. C'mon, we haven't got all day.

"That's right. So, go on. March."

Reluctant, Mienfoo started to lead the way, close to tears as he wondered just what would happen if this didn't please the furfrou and his scary trainer girl. But it wasn't like he had much of a choice so he led the way to the alley he'd seen her turn into before she had completely disappered from sight. Not many wander into here, he explained shakily, this is Ivan and Terra's place.

Who?

They're the butcher human's scary furfrou. As though to emphasize his point he pointed to the building on their right. They live there in the meat store. They're really strong and mean! Wincing, Mienfoo seemed to just then realize who he was talking to and immediately began trying to kiss up to the present furfrou. N-no offense! You're not that mean, but I mean you are scary, b-but in a noble kind of way! I–

Would you shut up? Soul grumbled, steadily growing annoyed with this pokemon's spineless demeanor. He was worse than the sylveon they were seeking out.

"Would he have hurt her?"

Huh? Wh-what do you mean?

"What do you think I mean?" Maka snapped. Her gaze must have been lethal because the little rodent appeared ready to turn belly up. "I mean would he, Ivan, have hurt her, Crona? Would he have tried to attack our friend?"

I-I d-dunno...maybe...but I'm sure he'd make an exception! Mienfoo spluttered, as though his life depended on this answer. And, as far as he knew, it did. He usually just attacks strays, b-but if your friend had a collar then m-maybe not. B-but...Terra can be...really j-jealous.

Is that so? A deep voice snarled from behind them. Mienfoo screeched in horror at the sight of two furfrou. Ivan stood glowering at them, his fur cut into an orange diamond trim whilst Terra stood looking radiant with a pink heart trim. They blocked the alley's exit and as far as they knew there was no other way to escape.

Seriously? Soul growled beneath his breath. Why do we always have to get ourselves into these situations?

"We're just that lucky," Maka sighed with a blend of irritation and impatience entering her tone. Taking a brave step forwards she demanded the furfrou get out of her way, but neither yielded. Instead, they each gave her a rather dark smile as they took a single, threatening pawstep forwards. Soul gave a growl of warning, quick to put himself between them and Maka.

If you want to leave, Ivan said, then you're going to leave the same way every intruder does. Through that back exit.

Back exit? Maka turned to see a torn chainlink fence at the end of the darkened back alley and, suddenly, an idea struck her.

She imagined it raining the night before and a sylveon, scared and lost, wandering about in search for shelter only to wander here where she was confronted by the furfrou and forced to fit herself through the hole in the fence before she was torn to pieces.

Without warning, Maka turned on heel and ran for the fence. She ignored Ivan and Terra's startled barks, Mienfoo's stunned exclamation, and Soul's startled curse that echoed behind her. She blocked it all out to approach the fence and once close enough she leapt, gripping the wire and flipping herself over like a master acrobat, landing on her feet she turned to examine the torn fence from the opposite side.

Sure enough, she noticed traces of pink and white fur clinging to the wiring near the ground along with faint, dried traces of black. She would have torn those damn mutts' heads off if not for the sight of a slightly faded, muddy pawprint trail leading down the alleyway.

Maka didn't think she was moving. Everything felt like a dream but she pushed it all away, forgetting the rest of the world, as she ran after the prints of a pokemon long gone. It ended shortly after she hit concrete, but that was okay because she propelled herself onwards, staring straight at an alleyway that was right up ahead, several yards off. She passed a sign that notified her she was still on Charlotte Avenue. Another sign up ahead informed her that she was close to nearing Macabre Street.

Jogging into the alley she paused for a moment to look around at her grubby surroundings, barely taking notice when Soul padded up to her side, shaking a whining mienfoo from his back. The fighting-type seemed to disappear into thin air once he was on his own two feet.

Dammit, Maka, Soul grumbled, sounding none too pleased at having been ditched, what the hell were you thinking back there? We barely got away from those psychotic– Soul ceased his tirade mid-sentence, catching the faintest trace of a rather familiar scent. Crona? He breathed, instantly grabbing Maka's attention.

"She was here..." Maka breathed. Hope filled her heart in that moment. It wasn't much but it was more than she had felt in what seemed like forever. It seemed as though her fears and distress had all been for nothing.

Yeah, Soul nodded, following the scent back to a gross looking crate, she was hurt and had climbed up in there to recover.

Maka looked down in the empty crate finding only broken string and withered leather cords. There were faint smears of crumbling black turned gray mixed in with the filthy rain water that had gotten in, nearly filling the bottom. She shuddered to think of Crona spending the night in such a horrid place.

Wait, Soul murmured, detecting a different scent that was as unfamiliar as the sylveon's was familar. There was someone else here. A human. And...and I think...they...they took her! A human found Crona and took her!

Maka didn't like the sound of this. Not in the slightest.

"Could you follow the scent trail?"

I'll try, he nodded. However, they soon found themselves back to square one. The rain had muted the scent trail quite well and the fact numerous other humans and pokemon crossed it didn't help matters much either. So, in the end, they were forced to backtrack, attempting to question some people, but not many were willing to oblige and any leads they were given weren't very helpful. If only they realized how close they were they may not have given up.

For, their beloved friend sat only a few short blocks away within the confines of Gallows Manor.

Crona was seated on the couch of the living room, to be exact. Kid was next to her, recreating the poster that had somehow gotten deleted. His laptop wasn't being very cooperative, though. So while the television lady talked about the weekly weather forecast, Crona listened to Kid fret and grumble at his computer.

"That's it," he finally mumbled, closing the computer after saving the file and making an extra copy just in case his laptop got any ideas about betraying him again, "done and done. I'll print them off within the hour. For now, I think we should just go for a walk or something. Maybe we'll get lucky today?"

Yeah, Crona mumbled, head lifting from between her paws and ears twitching slightly as she looked to him, forcing a halfhearted smile to light up her once miserable face.

Sure. Maybe...maybe...we will find them. Though she had the feeling they were doomed for failure. Getting up, she followed him out, only briefly stopping to listen to Kid audibly lament about where Liz and Patty had possibly gotten off to–since neither he nor Crona had seen either of the pachirisu all day–before heading out the front door.

I'm sure they're fine, he thought to himself, quickly becoming rather jovial upon noticing how the warm, breezy weather made Crona perk up slightly.

"It's a good day to fly kites," Kid commented, glancing up at the partially clouded sky. All the fluffy clouds drifted about lazily, though none dared go near the sun. "I can't imagine your owner–Maka, as I recall–doing anything other than looking for you."

Though Kid had the feeling that Crona's owner probably wasn't having much luck if she was searching.

Walking about they looked around the same spots they had before, coming up blank and only changing course once when Crona tried to remember where Maka had decided to stay this time around. She could recall the last place they had stayed, but this one–the current one–slipped her mind. Maybe it was because it was so new or maybe it was because it was smack dab in the middle of the city where a lot of other people lived and worked.

At any rate, she couldn't remember where it was or how to get there so they eventually had to go back, though they made a detour to get some late lunch. They ended up heading to the park to hopefully be alone and eat in peace without a scene like the one from the day before taking place.

The sun's rays beat down on the world below and the only thing that helped cool things down was the gentle desert breeze that blew through the city. Crona kept close to Kid who sat beneath the shade of a rather large tree that probably wasn't a desert native and had been planted by whoever was responsible for maintaining the park. She noted how he kept away from the other people present. There were only a handful of people. They all appeared to be kids and they all appeared to be accompanied by pokemon of their very own.

The first person who caught the sylveon's attention was an ash blonde girl. The reason for this was obvious, but she wasn't deluded enough to believe the girl was her owner.

For one thing, this girl was clearly younger–although, she was also slightly taller than Maka–and had her hair put up in a pair of braids rather than pigtails. In addition to this, her eyes were a dark blue, not green, and a spray of freckles dusted her fair skin, appearing to have spread over the bridge of her nose to get from cheek to cheek. Her clothes were different, too. She may have worn a mini skirt that was plaid, but it was a dark blue and she wore a sleeveless red top that shown off her midriff. Crona couldn't remember ever seeing Maka wear such an outfit so casually without something to cover her arms and shoulders.

Still, even though this girl wasn't hers, Crona felt a pang of sadness hit her as she watched the girl bend down to give her mienfoo a big, warm hug and gush over how wonderful he was. Crona wondered for a moment if that fighting-type knew just how good he had it to be at the center of such a kind human's attention. She doubted it. Most just didn't know what they had until they lost it.

Crona forced her attention away from that warm scene, which caused her heart to ache and reverberate its agony deep within her soul. She then spotted a chubby girl and a twig thin boy who both appeared about eleven sitting off beneath an apple tree together chatting while their respective pokemon done their thing. The girl's pokemon, a munchlax, ate apples at an alarming rate, whilst the boy's pokemon, a helioptile, posed for a sketch that her trainer was apparently drawing of her as he spoke to his human friend seeming to strain between speaking to the girl and concentrating on his drawing.

Moving on, she saw one boy, who appeared to be about Kid's age, throwing a red disk for a krokorok to fetch and bring back. A pair of boys that appeared to be siblings–one fourteen with a cacturne and the other seven with a cacnea–were playing a game of catch, throwing a blue ball from one individual to the other, though it seemed the older boy and cacturne were working together to keep it from their younger playmates who laughed as they struggled to get it.

A fair-haired girl sat on a bench reading a book whilst a blue-striped zangoose slept peacefully in her lap, occasionally getting rubbed between the ears. The other girl, one with firey red-hair, seemed to be playing a game of tag with a group of baby pokemon composed of a whismur, magby, togepie, and bonsly that ran from the girl who was apparently it. Lastly, she saw a boy, another who appeared about ten or eleven, running about with a graceful swoobat soaring after him on swift wings.

And yet Kid kept away from them all. Crona wondered if he had a hard time dealing with people, too. "Here," Kid's voice interrupted her thoughts. Coming to full attention, Crona was a tad surprised when she received part of the sandwich and a couple of the apple slices he'd gotten for himself and only after she ate the sandwich did she realize that Kid had been sharing human food with her. Maka did that sometimes.

Ears down and tail drooping, she sat crouched next to Kid, who gave her a sympathetic pat to the head. You're really nice, Crona murmured, nuzzling against him. Just like Maka.

Perhaps, this was best. Her being with him away from the other kids and pokemon that occupied the park. She was antisocial and he was also...somewhat...antisocial, so perhaps it was just best that they stuck together. Maka, she knew, wouldn't approve of her purposely avoiding meeting new people, potential friends. Then again, Crona had broken a lot of her owner's wishes already so what was one more?

Besides, in a way, she reasoned that it was Kid's fault more than hers. It was up to him to care for her and he, apparently, was in the business of pampering.

"Crona," Kid started, as he leaned his head back against the tree and stared upwards towards the sky. The sylveon tried to see what he was looking at, but all she could see up in the leaves of the tall tree was a single nest that held three newly hatched starly. A male staravia sat on a nearby branch sleeping, perhaps awaiting the return of his mate. Other than that she just saw bits and pieces of the pretty azure sky with its fluffy cotton-like clouds floating past, providing further shade whenever they briefly concealed the gleefully heated sun. She wondered just what he found so interesting up there, quickly returning her attention back to Earth where Kid was beginning to look thoughtful and the game of tag grew somewhat close since the five contestants had scattered.

"Have you ever wondered what it'd be like if you had turned out differently?"

Sometimes, Crona confessed, though she knew he wouldn't understand. I sometimes wonder what it'd be like if I hadn't been raised by Medusa. If I'd never met Ragnarok. I sometimes wondered if I'd have been...better.

"I sometimes think about if things would be better if I weren't so–well, to put it bluntly, odd."

You aren't odd, Kid. You're a good person.

"I've never been good with people. I guess that's why I only have a few true friends, excluding pokemon. I also suppose that's how I got stuck with that witch, Ponera. Dad's really stubborn about me socializing, meeting new people, and, of course, having a relationship."

Maka's like that sometimes, too. I mean, not about relationships! It's just...those other things...like you said.

"Honestly, he says he wants me to be happy, but he doesn't understand. All I really want is to–"

Be alone. She mumbled at the same instance he finished his thought of, "–maintain symmetry." Needless to say, his response caught Crona's attention and aroused her puzzlement. She hadn't really heard much about symmetry except for when Maka wanted something just right or was commenting how some picture in one of her art books looked.

I don't understand. Crona said, staring at him with utter bewilderment shimmering in her soft blue hues. What do you mean?

"Look at me," Kid dared to chuckle. "Maybe she's right. Maybe I am crazy. Talking to you like you're a person...ridiculous...isn't it?"

No! Crona exclaimed, hoping to somehow reassure Kid that he wasn't being, quote-unquote, "crazy," as he had put it. That's not crazy at all, had anyone else said this and he understood Kid would have thought it sarcastic, but Crona meant it with every fiber of her being. She was glad that Kid wasn't like other humans. If he were then chances are that he would have given up his search, decided to keep her for himself, or done the easiest thing of all and just gave her away like Ponera had suggested he do in the beginning.

No, she liked Kid the way he was and hoped he wasn't about to change his mind about treating her so nicely. She knew without a doubt she would be unable to deal with that. It'd be like losing a friend. It was enough to bring tears to her pastel blue orbs. Kid noticed immediately and was quick to try and comfort her.

"Crona, what's wrong? Are you homesick?"

She didn't respond, shrinking away from his hand when he tried to pat her. Kid knew she understood him, given all the supporting evidence since they met, but he didn't think when he spoke and, of course, he knew that must've hurt her feelings. He attempted an apology, even inviting her to sit in his lap so he could rub behind her ears, and she seemed to listen and accept it but her tears didn't die down until a red disk caught her attention. She yelped as it narrowly missed Kid, hitting the trunk of the tree just an inch above his head and falling onto her.

Scrambling away from Kid, who now held the red disk, she stared wide-eyed at him as he examined it. Standing, Kid turned his attention to the owners of the frisbee, as the boy and his krokorok that Crona had earlier seen came running up.

Hey! Krokorok snapped, as though the frisbee had been stolen rather than thrown. That's ours! His trainer said nothing, but his unfriendly demeanor was enough to make it apparent he was in no mood to be nice. Crona found these two to be oddly familiar. Not in appearance, for she was certain she'd never before seen them, but it was in their attitudes and behavior she found familiarity. And she knew they weren't good news, slowly taking her place close to Kid, neither behind nor in front of him in the hopes of appearing neutral.

No such luck.

Maybe it was her drooping ears or rigid tail, perhaps the way her nails dug into the ground or the look of disdain she cast them, but they automatically knew she was expecting a fight.

"Let's battle," said the krokorok's trainer, as he glanced to the sylveon then to Kid, who wouldn't vocalize it, but Crona quickly realized he had no experience battling. Whether it was because he found it cruel or had been too sheltered she didn't know, but she did know that it wouldn't be a good idea for them to fight if he had no idea how.

However, the boy with the frisbee wouldn't hear any excuses or be talked down. "I wasn't asking," he hissed, eyes narrowing on Kid who was appearing rather annoyed at this point. "I've never fought against a fairy before but I hear they're real pathetic."

Crona didn't realize it but she gave a low growl, earning a surprised look from her companion and a smirk from the challengers. Kid dropped the frisbee and without looking to her, he said, "We're leaving."

Crona nodded and began to follow after Kid only to find herself rolling and tumbling a few seconds later. The world span around in a flurry of earthy colors whilst she struggled and yipped as she felt her body strike the ground with such violent force that her eyes started rolling in the back of her skull. The world exploded into a variety of sounds. Kid yelling, that boy shouting back at him, twigs snapping beneath her body, and then there was the dreaded breathing that warmed her face and ears.

It took her a moment to regain her senses before she realized the krokorok had her pinned beneath him, his jaws mere inches away from her throat and claws digging uncomfortably into her fur. Squirming and yelping as he purposely dug his talons deeper she forced herself still against the hard earth. They'd went rolling and she realized they must have ended up in the nearby bushes. It sounded like their humans were still arguing, perhaps fighting themselves. The sudden sounds of flesh striking flesh confirmed it and encouraged her to struggle, knowing fully well what a male like this was capable of in the absence of his trainer.

Crona tried to break free, letting out one of her most bloodcurdling screams yet, as the krokorok forced his body weight against her, crushing her against the ground. His claws and the twigs and pebbles beneath her body dug into her skin quite painfully. She could barely breath and found herself shaking in a medley of fear and pain that prompted tears to her eyes.

"Don't do that," the reptile warned, tracing a claw from her side up to her throat, holding it there with threatening force, "it'd be unfortunate if you were to accidentally slit your own throat."

"Get off of me!"

The dark smirk he wore told her he had some rather dark thoughts in mind. She continued her struggles, never giving up her fight for freedom. She froze only when the claws left her skin and the weight was lifted up. Gasping for breath, Crona looked up in time to see the grinning krokorok's teeth starting to glow a dazzling white. She attempted to scramble away, but it was too late. She released yet another pain-filled cry as his fangs sank into her midsection. The next thing she knew she was lifted up and sent soaring off through the sky, nearly colliding with the swoobat from earlier.

Chilren screamed and pokemon scrambled along with their partners, all eventually gathering around to watch the fight between the brawny krokorok and puny sylveon. She heard some boys betting she'd lose and a few girls plead for someone to stop this but nobody made a move to do anything. Pokemon sat and watched, some on edge and others cheering, whilst a couple others were impassive and a single baby cried, clinging to the ankles of their red-haired mistress.

The male made the first move, attempting to crunch her again. Crona saw it coming this time and dodged, spinning around to deliver a powerful fairy wind that had their spectators screaming as they fought to stay grounded.

Krokorok was sent back a full seven feet. Kids and pokemon scrambled to avoid being hit when he flew back but he was quick to charge again, swiping wildly at the sylveon, attempting to get her with an iron claw attack.

Backing up, she dodged with ease for a few minutes before she tired of playing on the defensive and moved forwards, melting into his movements to avoid his claws as they swiped at her. There were gasps and the krokorok gaped at Crona as she approached, letting a broad grin slip onto her features, one that hadn't been present for quite some time. They appeared to be doing some sort of lethal dance where one wrong move meant injury, or worse. If he tried striking high Crona sank low or stepped to the side to dodge it, but if he tried striking low she was sure to jump or twist out of his reach.

Krokorok was truly getting frightened of his opponent, never before had he been put in this situation. Most of his opponents were scared senseless and suffered a crushing defeat or decided to forfeit before much damage could be done. Not this one. She continued moving towards him even as he attacked and missed every single time he lashed out.

"You can't charge recklessly into every situation," Crona heard a cold voice scolding. Her body was battered and quaking as she underwent another scolding when she failed the harsh training session for the umpteenth time that day. "You must assess and attack with precision. Chaos is beautiful, but so is organized madness."

What the hell is wrong with you?! Krokorok snarled, pausing in attack, and getting rather annoyed with the crazy grin his opponent had began to wear. Crona said nothing in return, instead she took advantage of his hesitance and moved forwards on swift feet. Crona leapt and collided with him. Her front paws pushed against his chest and her hind legs came down against his stomach. The muscle in his lean abdomen was nearly as hard as a rock, allowing her to propel herself backwards away from him. He was sent back and stumbled, snarling as the spectators laughed at the sight of the small sylveon pushing back the fiercesome predator.

"Strike brutally and mercilessly," these lessons were drilled into her skull, "never show compassion or weakness to your enemy," she couldn't forget these lessons, no matter how hard her beloved owner tried to teach her different, "you are to never, ever forget what I am saying," when her blood went to boiling in the heat of battle she let her old teachings sink in, "or you will die, but if you do survive don't expect me to lick your wounds and coddle you. There will be hell to pay." And so she fought like there always would be, whether she was under Maka's command or not, Crona fought like her life depended on it. Luckily, this time, it kind of did.

She stood tall, allowing her feelers to spread open whilst a moon-like image apppeared behind her. Energy gathered and she opened her mouth wide, earning 'oohs' and 'ahhs', as well as a few applauds from some of the younger pokemon who found this display quite attractive. Once the orb of crackling pink was big enough she broke the attack, firing it off at the stunned krokorok that had been lost in awe at her newest attack. There wasn't enough time for him to dodge and it knocked him off his feet. Krokorok was sent rolling with a pained cry.

Screams came from the audience that scattered to avoid getting crushed. Disoriented, Krokorok didn't even realize when the sylveon padded over. Crona knew she couldn't let him up.

People and pokemon like him always came back for revenge when shown mercy. It sent up a chant of, "No mercy, no mercy, no mercy, no mercy, no mercy," within her mind like a bomb waiting to be diffused only by the spilling of blood. She was fully prepared to finish him off, but...through the haze of violence and madness...she could imagine Maka staring at her. Horrified. "Crona, stop!" She would yell. "You don't have to do this! Remember, you're better than..." and then her voice fades away, overwritten by that deadly chant.

"What's going on?" she heard a youngster cry.

"What is it doing?" she could hear someone ask. "The fight's over."

"Oh damn!" a boy exclaimed. "It's going to kill it!"

"Make it stop," the ash blonde girl sobbed, "please someone, make this stop!"

M-Maka? Shocked from the haze of battle, Crona backed away and trembled, she imagined just how disappointed her trainer would be to see the regression, to see her ready to spill blood over a fight that had already been won.

I'm sorry, Crona whimpered, shaking as her mind cleared up and she fully realized the mistake she had almost made. Her whimpers turned to cries as she found herself sane, yet in darkness that tainted her victory as thickly as the krokorok's blood would have coated her paws. I'm so sorry...so sorry, M-Maka...I won't do it...I won't!

Sudden movement caught her eye but she was soon sailing through the air. Gasps and cries from the onlookers could be heard and just before she hit the trunk of the tree, Crona wondered if she had made the right choice. In her mind, Maka was proud and that was good enough for Crona.

Lights flashed and her world exploded, body assaulted by a wave of agony and anguish. The wounded krokorok stood over her seething. She could have easily fled and made a blind escape, but her head was clouded by a thick layer of fog and she found herself drained of any motivation to move.

Bones felt broken, her skin was bruised, her stomach was now bare, and she found her pride, as weak as it had been before, to be rather bruised as well. A foot was stopped into her side, making her screech and wriggle about at an attempt for freedom. She saw those glowing white fangs nearing as her vision finally settled and cleared. His breath was hot against her face, making her cringe and whimper helplessly. All the fight had been taken out of her.

Not so tough now are you, he chuckled, ready to do what Crona had refused to, you little bitch?!

She didn't respond, watching in stunned horror as he prepared to use crunch, pulling back and then plunging himself forwards. The glowing white filled her vision and she gave a piercing wail. Kids screamed as blood spattered and splashed the once lush green grass. Then black filled her vision and Crona knew she had to be dying.

A girl wailed hysterically at the sight of the krokorok's fangs dripping freshly spilt blood. The girl with the baby pokemon grabbed them up and ran from this scene of gore and horror. The onlookers were all frozen, but none more so than the boy dressed in black near the very back of the crowd. All he could see from the back of the stunned audience was the looming monster of a pokemon standing over his dear friend and her softly colored fur splashed a deep red. His mind went blank and he tried to push his way to the front, ignoring all the complaints along the way.

Kid was bruised and some blood was drying at the corner of his lip, but his opponent suffered much worse than he, as he ran to the sounds of battle that quickly died down and gave rise to cries of horror. He saw only a fraction of what went on from the back, but it was enough to propel him forwards to the front of the frozen assembly. He gaped at the scene laid out before him, as relief flooded his mind and new worry gradually filled it.

The krokorok laid on the ground. His fangs stained red and throat torn beyond repair. His head appeared likely to fall off. Lifeless eyes stared in horror at his killer who stood over him with a mask of cool indifference. A houndoom. His barbed tail lashed viciously and his claws dripped red, having torn through the leathery flesh of the reptilian pokemon's throat like tissue paper. His attention quickly turned away from the krokorok to the wounded sylveon. She was splashed by the crimson stream and lay gaping at her rescuer, unable to believe he was actually there.

Crona struggled to stand and found herself falling over as she made it halfway to her feet. She got it on her second try and stumbled, falling short and lying at his feet she attempted to speak with him in a sheepish squeak of a voice.

Where's Maka?

Forget that damn human, I just saved you. I should get a thank you!

R-right, umm, thanks.

It'll do, he grumbled, glancing to the crowd and found himself making eye contact with that damn human boy he'd seen Crona with before. No way he was letting that guy near Crona after letting her nearly get killed.

C'mon, he said, attempting to nudge Crona to her feet, we need to go.

B-but–

No 'but's! He barked. She winced and he rolled his eyes, starting to move past her. Let's go!

She struggled in getting up and when she finally managed to she found herself limping. He seemed to take pity–his sort of pity any way–on her and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. She yipped when his teeth pinched a little too hard, but he didn't seem to notice as he began to carry her off. However, by this time the frozen crowd unfroze and everyone began to panic or show anger. It was almost like the marketplace all over again.

Ragnarok threw Crona off to the side and leapt further away to avoid an incoming rain of poison nettles. It was then that a wall of people quickly separated her from Ragnarok and she found herself alone but then–like that same incident–Kid was there to take her battered form up in his arms and carry her away, oblivious to her pleas to stop and help the houndoom that was being barraged by a variety of different attacks from nearly every angle. She saw no way he could get out of there unscathed. It was too much for her mind to deal with and with one last keening cry she slipped into unconsciousness where she wouldn't have to see her friend die.

Crona! He saw through a gap in his opponents that the human had gotten his hands on her again and was leaving. She screamed and begged him to stop but he couldn't understand her entreaties and kept going. Even if the human did, Ragnarok doubted he would have cared enough to do as she asked, perhaps he would find her pleas amusing. Humans were cruel like that.

"Cacturne use pin missle, now!"

"Zangoose use quick attack!"

"Helioptile thunderbolt, go!"

"Swoobat, air cutter!"

"Munchlax please use rollout!"

He dodged two, nearly got hit by one, was nicked by one, and then full on hit by that damn cacturne's pin missle attack. Ragnarok still stood and returned fire with fire. Literally. He fired off two fireballs before switching to shooting off dark orbs. They struck but failed to take out his targets. He attacked relentlessly, using every attack he knew and managing to cause ample amounts of damage to his attackers, which suffered greatly once he realized the sylveon had completely disappeared. his anger fueled his body and his body struck back again and again without mercy.

It was during a barrage of fireballs that a particularly wild one was deflected and set a nearby patch of grass aflame. It spread quickly to a nearby bush and tree, and then before anyone knew what was what smoke billowed up and the fires stretched their hungry fingers across the earth in an attempt to consume everything.

This was torture. Crona had laid still for these pink-haired humans and pokemon for quite a while, allowing them to heal her broken body and once she was all patched up she was returned to Kid, who was more than happy to see her all better and cleaned up. She probably should have been cross with him. He'd taken her away from her one chance at returning to Maka, but she just found it impossible to show him anger when he didn't know.

Besides, she felt a bit happy to see him, too. She couldn't deny that happiness after coming so close to death and was, honestly, overjoyed Kid was concerned. He apologized for what happened like it were his entire fault and could have prevented it had he done something different, but she knew it could not have been avoided. Had they managed to get away from the park earlier those two jerks would have likely followed and fought them on the streets. That sort couldn't be persuaded. Crona knew this, told him this, and smiled when he seemed to understand she forgave him. Needless to say, they headed for home after everything was said and done.

On their way, halfway to be exact, they found a rather peculiar sight. It jabbed Crona with a blade of misery as well as happiness. Papers were scattered almost everywhere, taped here and there, blowing in the breeze, or stuck to something by some means. Kid picked one of the papers up gingerly, staring at it for several long minutes while Crona tried gauge his reaction.

Kid was totally baffled as to how the poster he had made and was, supposedly, deleted had been put on paper and gotten out here, but more than that he was...upset? Uneasy? She wasn't too certain but could've sworn Kid wasn't too pleased to see this.

"Well," he murmured quietly, "that's one less task that has to be done."

Kid–

"Come along, Crona. We need to get home. Who knows? Maybe your owner has called."

This thought brought about a smile and nod. Picking her feet up, Crona hurried along beside Kid, not even taking notice of the sadness lingering in his gaze. She didn't want to notice. All she wanted was to get back to his house and see if Maka had called. Unsurprisingly, upon returning to Kid's home, they found that not only had Maka not called, but Kid's dad was planning on coming home for the next day rather than staying...well, elsewhere...and that put Kid in quite a pickle, seeing as he hadn't yet told his father about Crona or the fact he had cut Ponera loose because she couldn't stand the sylveon's presence. He imagined getting the scolding of a lifetime and immediately went on a cleaning binge, attempting to make everything perfect.

Attempting to help him, Crona ended up being splashed by soapy water while he scrubbed floors. She shook herself off only to then be subjected to a rather frenzied bath that left her achy due to his rough, fast-paced treatment. He placed her on his bed after blow-drying her fur and heading back downstairs.

Crona saw no point in leaving once there. He didn't need her help. What could she do for him anyway? He was worried and freaking out over his dad, as well as puzzled over those posters, and then to top it all off she was there being a burden. If not for the fact she knew he'd be miserable to find her gone then she would leave to go find Ragnaork and make sure he was okay. Crona could only imagine how angry he was at her for what happened at the park.

CRONA!

She practically jumped out of her skin at that exclamation that was followed by the sounds of someone rushing into the room. Turning to look at the blue and white blur rushing at her, Crona suddenly wondered just how much worse things were about to get.


Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be out shortly.

~Sincerely Yours, Fairylust~