A/N: This pairing was given to me by Ynot7, I'm sorry it took me so long to actually post it. . Anyways, hope you enjoy!
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28. Puzzled Papaya and Hazelnuts
Without a Smile
The chilly air awakens a tickle in the back of his nose and the little boy releases a great sneeze, rubbing his stiff nostrils with the back of his hand. In front of him, his mother walks quickly and purposefully, glancing over her shoulder with cold, slitted eyes to make sure her son is keeping up. Satisfied he's doing fine, she pulls the collar of her long coat closer to her neck and continues on her way.
A young Crona struggles to stay behind his mother, for his legs are shorter and his boots are a tad too big and keep slipping. A cold wind kicks up a swarm of leaves that wrap around him and he releases a cry of alarm.
Medusa turns, countenance a wave of exasperation as she motions for the little demon meister to quicken his pace. It's a long way to their destination, and not for the first or last time, she's regretting her choice to bring her son with. The rural, open air of Japan is cold and the sky looks bleak. Medusa doesn't like the idea of collecting the materials for her experiments from questionable sellers, rogues on the bad side of Lord Death, but such items are hard to come by. Besides, if anything goes wrong, the lowlifes can be taken care of, one way or another.
Behind her, Crona trips over an uneven cobblestone in their path, releasing a squeak as he stumbles ungracefully. He doesn't fall on his face, however he pulls his oversized coat around his skinny frame and sniffs quietly.
"Come along, Crona," Medusa prompts her son impatiently. "We're nearly there."
Crona can't really fathom why they're walking and why they can't just fly on one of her large snakes, but he doesn't ask questions, only follows and prays Ragnarok doesn't ooze out of his back to harass him.
A bird flutters from a nearby tree, startling the pink-haired meister to turn and watch it fly away into the pale sky. The bird's take-off shakes a few leaves free of the branches, and they drift down around Crona's feet. To his right a ways off, there's a small, cozy house. A low gate made from tied bamboo stalks stands beside the house, and to the left of it is a collection a thick, green bushes with red flowers sprouting between the leaves.
Crona stares at the unfamiliar plant and turns back to the road ahead to follow his mother. However, much to his horror, Medusa's tall figure has disappeared and the road is empty. He runs a few paces ahead, looking either way for Medusa, but the witch has disappeared. The meister backtracks, returning to the side of the road with the simple home off to the side.
"Lady Medusa's going to be so angry with me," Crona whimpers to himself, rubbing his hands together and nervously looking around. "When she sees I'm missing, she'll—"
"Stop your whining, pest!" snaps the irate voice of his weapon partner as Ragnarok seeps through Crona's coat and appears from between his shoulder blades. The black blood grabs Crona's cheeks and tilts his face back, screeching, "You got us lost, dummy! Do something about it! Medusa's not gonna let you eat for a week again, and you know how I feel about not getting any food in me. It sucks! You hear me? Sucks!"
"I know, I heard you!" Crona protests, pulling his face free and wrapping his arms around his head as his partner proceeds to smack him with tiny fists.
"You're pathetic, Crona! Pathetic!" Ragnarok wails, pulling at his meister's hair. "Why don't you just go ask those nice folk for help, hm? Or are you scared you'll lose your way trying to get to them?"
Crona turns to where Ragnarok is indicating with a stubby arm, seeing the home off to the side now has two children behind its fence. They're kicking a ball back and forth, but one doesn't seem to know how to kick it back and they're fumbling with it.
"Don't just stand there like a tree about to get chopped. Go ask for directions!" Ragnarok snaps, hitting Crona upside the head and succeeding in getting him to take a few steps towards the other children.
Crona makes it halfway to the fence before stopping and looking at his weapon, murmuring, "But Ragnarok… I don't even know where Lady Medusa was going."
Ragnarok's eyes go wide and his pupils spin angrily. "That's perfect! You're quite attentive, Crona, you really are. Did you remember to put socks on this morning? If your feet are really cold, you probably didn't! Oh, wait, perhaps you haven't even noticed! I'll give you a minute or two to let the thought seep in."
Crona flinches as Ragnarok throws his arms in the air, releasing a frustrated pigyaaa!, and the pink-haired meister quickly tosses his own hands up, covering Ragnarok's currently non-existent mouth. "Quiet, Ragnarok, or they'll hear you!"
"That's good, stupid. We're supposed to ask them for directions!" Ragnarok hisses around Crona's fingers. "Now hurry up!"
Crona meanders a little closer to the fence, watching nervously as one of the children, a young girl, kicks the ball towards the boy across from her.
"That was better, Tsubaki," the little boy praises, smiling brightly. "Try it again." He positions the small, red ball with his foot and gently sends it at his companion. The little girl, Tsubaki, quickly throws her foot out, hitting the side of the ball and sending it at an angle, straight towards the fence where it bounces to a stop.
"Now's your chance!" Ragnarok whispers quietly, tapping Crona's head.
Crona, however, spins behind the house before Tsubaki can see him. He keeps firm hands over Ragnarok's mouth and waits, holding his breath so the young girl won't hear him. He hears footsteps as she approaches, the rustle of clothes as she bends down to pick up the ball, and then silence.
Crona freezes, positive the girl has heard him and is listening carefully for him to make a noise. Maybe she's quieter than he thought. Maybe she has already grabbed the ball and is walking back to the boy. Or maybe she's climbing over the fence and is standing right around the corner, a teasing voice whispers in his mind and Crona wills himself not to cry out.
He counts out five seconds, holds his breath, and allows himself to peek around the corner of the house. Tsubaki isn't looking in his direction, but instead has her eyes focused on the ball. Crona almost ducks back out of sight but he stops, frowning in bewilderment. The little girl who'd been smiling at her companion is now focused on the ball as though it's the source of all the tragedy in her world. Once shining, indigo eyes have turned melancholy, and she is without a smile.
Crona blinks, staring at the suddenly changed individual, wondering why she looks so sad. Isn't it nice to have someone to play with? The boy appears kind enough and didn't seem too frustrated when the girl sent the ball in the wrong direction. How can she look so gloomy?
"Hey, I know you're worrying about the little lady, but remember that you have a bigger reason to be down in the dumps!" Ragnarok growls softly, pulling on a strand of his meister's pink hair. "Because of your stupidity, we've lost Medusa and now she's going to starve us!"
"Quiet, Ragnarok," Crona whispers, thankful Tsubaki hasn't seem to noticed the mutterings of his weapon.
"Quiet?" Ragnarok murmurs, pupils shifting from side to side. "You don't tell me to be quiet, little brat!" He gives Crona's hair a good yank, earning a surprised scream from the boy before they both go still.
Tsubaki has looked up, no longer sad but now confused as she looks over her surroundings. Clutching the ball in her fingers, she stands, preparing to look around the fence and behind the house and bushes.
"Tsubaki, are you coming?" the boy calls, waving a hand to get Tsubaki's attention.
Tsubaki backs away from the fence, casting one more look behind her before returning to the boy, the bright smile back on her face again. "Yes, I'm ready!"
"What were you doing over there?" the boy inquires, stopping the ball with his foot as it's kicked towards him.
"I thought I heard something, but it must've been a bird," Tsubaki answers quietly.
Crona breathes a sigh, stepping away from the house and trudging back to the road. Above him, Ragnarok is sending glances back at the two children, snorting every now and again. After a moment, the black blooded figure mutters, "I think I'm allergic to those flowers they had growing there."
Crona wrinkles his nose, going over his partner's words with a dubious expression. "You can get allergies from something, Ragnarok? Are you sure?"
"How should I know if I'm sure?" Ragnarok snaps, folding his arms and leaning against the top of Crona's head.
"They were pretty flowers, though, huh?"
Ragnarok looks befuddled by the inquiry and replies, "How should I know that either? If they'd been blue like human souls, perhaps I would've been more drawn to them. Those were red, like… see, I don't even know what to compare them to! That's how much I didn't like them!"
"Fine, fine!" Crona cries out as he comes to a stop on the long road. A figure cloaked in black stands tall in the distance, light hair waving in the soft breeze that has come up.
Crona exhales in relief and goes running towards the stern face of his mother, stopping in front of her and attempting a grateful smile.
Medusa's eyes narrow, and she grabs a fistful of her coat, handing it to Crona who hesitantly takes it.
"Don't get lost again," the witch states darkly, turning to continue her journey, Crona trailing after her with a tight hold on his mother's coat. Ragnarok mutters, "Dummy," under his breath but is content to lean on Crona's head as they walk along.
The demonsword meister spares a glance over his shoulder, pinpointing the pretty, crimson flowers and the two children kicking the ball back and forth. The little girl has turned in his direction to chase after the ball once more and she notices the two figures walking along the road.
Crona blinks and raises a short arm, waving very slowly to the little girl. He doesn't turn around until he sees her smile and wave back.
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A/N: I don't know where I got the idea to make them kids when they first saw each other, but I thought it'd be something different. Hope you all liked it! If there are any pairings anyone has in mind, feel free to let me know! :)
