Disclaimer: Happy New Year everyone! It's been a while since my last update, and that was due to the triple whammy of holidays, finals, and resbang. Now that everything has settled down though I am back on schedule! Expect more updates soon! Enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen

-No Regrets-

When a Reaper is first born, they always wake up with a sense of fear and uncertainty.

It happens in the Death Room. That's where Lord Grim likes to hideaway and conduct his business, but it's also where new Reapers are formed from the souls of the damned. Locked away, secluded from the rest of the city, a private place where Kidd himself can go through with the ritual without interruption. No one has ever seen him do it, and the Reapers that are born as a result of the process have no recollection of what transpired. The only thing they know for sure is at first there was nothing, and then, suddenly, there was light.

Sometimes The Grim likes to keep it dark in there, but whenever a Reaper is born he always makes sure its well lit. A good first impression for a freshly born family member, or at least that's the way Kidd likes to think of it. Regardless of how one first enters the world however, it never fails that the first few minutes of a Reaper's life are scary and confusing. Plucked from eternal slumber only to be thrust into flesh and blood with no context whatsoever? It's shocking. Numbingly so, even. Which is why Lord Grim is patient while they get their bearings.

Silent. Patient. Respectful. That's how he is with all of them.

All except for Crona, though. Not that the Reaper could blame him.

His birth was different. At least, that's what he discovered after the fact. When it happened, and his soul was formed back into the body he'd died with same as all the others, Crona appeared on the middle of the floor. Bare. Exposed, fresh like a newborn baby. That part went same as all the others. But immediately after that is when things went differently, so much so that Lord Grim had to intervene for the first time in his life. Thousands of times the ritual had been performed, and his was the first time anything like that had ever happened.

Never before had a newborn Reaper immediately drawn his weapon at their birthing.

A few seconds of life. He'd barely just open his eyes and gazed upon his master and creator. There, in front of him, a kind smile waiting for him to draw his first breaths. He did so, and, without any sense of what he was doing or why, summoned a black blade to his side with an open stare. Crona jumped to his feet and immediately lunged forward. Kidd froze.

A tendril of shadow jetted out from the ground and chained Crona by his wrist as he brought the weapon down. Lord Grim stood transfixed as the newborn gazed at him with deadened eyes, no life or sense anywhere in them. He had no idea what was going on and was given no time to process as Crona tried yet anything to slash at him. The Reaper released his grip on the sword and let it fall, only to catch it midair with his other hand. Another swipe, this time from the side, and it ended with the same result. Another tendril, another chain.

Crona's untested strength was on full display as he struggled against his bindings. He pulled the tendrils farther from the ground as he tried to march closer to Lord Grim, the makeshift shackles still holding but not nearly as firmly as Kidd would have liked. The latter could only watch, dumbfounded, as the emotionless Reaper kept trying to slash him. No words were spoken, and The Grim dared not utter any of his own. All he could do was wait; specifically for what, he couldn't say, but something was likely to give.

And eventually it did. Crona's struggling continued for a few moments, but then suddenly it all came to a silent halt when something seemed to change in the boy. All of a sudden those dead eyes of his started to fill with light, and with it, seemingly, reason. His muscles eased and eyelids blinked, and just as suddenly as he'd attacked Lord Grim, the Reaper found himself taking several steps back. There was now a complete shift Crona's demeanor. Killing intent was now replaced with the familiar confusion Kidd had expected from him in the first place.

Only now it was both of them confused. Silent. Staring at the other with a face that begged the other for answers. Neither had any for the other, and what should have been a joyous moment celebrating life was now an awkward mess of bewilderment. Usually there would be a discussion about the Reaper's purpose; where they fit into the society Lord Grim had created and what his expectations were of them. Crona received no such talk from Lord Grim, and was instead escorted out after only the briefest of introductions.

Behind him the door closed and a servant was there to escort him to Commander Free to be briefed on his duties moving forward. An untrained and emotional Crona hadn't the slightest idea of what any of that really meant. He was taken away, and Kidd was left to himself in the Death Room. The image of what had just happened haunted his vision and as he stood there contemplating what it all meant, Lord Grim realized the implications of his future plans. Crona had been the first. An experiment. Perhaps, maybe even a warning?

"...Is this going to happen with all of them?" he wondered aloud to himself. Staring at the floor where Crona had formed, Kidd shook his head. "These witch's souls...do they still remember me?"

"Pillar in the dark, Under-Arc Hunter!"

Crona flinched mid-step. He'd just dodged one attack, and already another was being launched at him. He planted his feet and changed direction barely in the knick of time as a giant pillar of light erupted from the ground right where he'd been standing. In front of him, Eater loomed with bestial ferocity. His fanged sneer was the only thing still visible as Crona ducked a followup jab from his scythe; it was the only tell he had that gave him a hint of where he'd strike next. Wherever that grin pointed at is where the most destruction would take place.

Crona stepped to the side. He brandished his sword for a counterattack. "Screech Alpha!"

Black steel sliced through fine sand. The tip of Crona's blade scraped the earth as he cut upwards, bringing with it a swirl of black energy that formed into the shape of a monstrous maw. It opened wide and let out a horrible shriek, one that echoed past the dunes and was loud enough to make even Enrique cover his ears from hundreds of yards away. Crona jumped backwards as his attack traveled forward, not wanting to be anywhere near the thing when it finally found its target.

Eater spun around to meet it. He brought his scythe around and slashed as the wave of energy came towards him. Steel met what felt like a buzz saw as Eater held his aground against the attack. His grin was still ever-present, but faded slightly as his defense wavered from the assault. His weapon felt like it was being struck over and over again with thousands of tiny cuts, each of them weak but incessant and relentless. Crona's attack continued to plow forward as Eater was forced to start grinding his feet in order to hold firm.

"You think this can stop me!?" the Reaper growled, patience wearing thin.

Annoyance growing, Eater started to shudder as he summoned more of his strength. The wave started to be pushed back as he brought his scythe up higher to deflect it. As he struggled, Crona took the opportunity to go on the offensive. With inhuman speed, he disappeared and then reappeared in a flash behind Eater. The latter could do nothing as Crona brought his sword up above his head and launch another assault. With a crack of lightning, the blade transformed; its shape became longer, wider, and a thin haze of purple surrounded its edge. The same face that screamed and hounded Eater in front now also plagued him from behind, as Crona's sword took on a similar appearance. It opened up its mouth and let out a bloodcurdling howl.

"Screech Gamma!" the swordsman brought his weapon down.

A thunderous blast rumbled through the desert. Two giant forces of energy met, with Eater caught firmly in the middle. Whirlwinds of sand and debris kicked up as both men were flung in different directions. Crona was tossed backwards; landing with a soft thud, the Reaper immediately recovered and hopped back to his feet. He pulled out his sword and got into position, ready to either attack or defend. Eater meanwhile lurked somewhere behind a sandstorm veil, hopefully hurt enough to where he wouldn't be coming out anytime soon.

Crona held his weapon nervously. How he'd lasted this long against a Spartoi member he'd never know, but there was no time to think about it now. Especially not when he suddenly remembered something very important as he looked down at his feet. His sense of direction had been thrown off during the fight, and he hadn't been paying attention to where he was stepping. Now, as a mess of blonde hair lay strewn across the ground next to him, Crona gaped in horror. Maka was still out in the open. He needed to get her somewhere safe!

Crona dropped his guard and went down to pick her up. The moment he tried however, a voice growled in warning. "Don't. Fucking. Touch her."

The swordsman froze. He looked up, and all of a sudden there was someone there that hadn't been before. Like an apparition, Eater materialized from nothing. His plastered-on grin was no longer there. Instead, an angry scowl twitched with brimming fury. Crona immediately pulled away from Maka and went to bring his sword up. Before he could even try to, a searing pain wracked the boy. With his scythe, Eater gouged a crevice clear across Crona's torso that left a trail of erupting blood in its wake. He sputtered.

The swordsman fell to his knees. In shock, Crona looked down at the quickly forming pool in front of him; jet black liquid stained sand the same color, and it marked everything around him clearer than any red, normal blood, could. Almost immediately, Eater took several steps backward. For once, the demonic-looking white Reaper seemed genuinely taken aback. He scanned the floor around him and tried to figure out what on earth was going on. He expected there to be a sea of crimson, just like when he'd slashed all the other Reapers.

But what the hell was this? Why was it all...?

Crona took some shuddered breaths, but again surprised Eater when he seemed to recover much quicker than expected. He took a deep, steady breath and brought his head up. There wasn't anymore shock in his eyes, but instead this unnerving calm that made Eater step back even more. Crona stared at him with cold eyes, and it was enough to make even a member of Spartoi bring his scythe up in uncertainty. It all became even more surreal when Crona slowly rose to his feet and grabbed the sword that had fallen from his hands. He pointed it at Eater.

"Didn't you know..." Crona droned like a man possessed. "...My blood is black?"

Suddenly there was another eruption of blood, only this time it wasn't because of Eater. The black liquid that continued to ooze from Crona's wound, and the pool that already lie at his feet, suddenly sprang forth. In an instant it all hardened like void ice, taking the form of several biting spikes that jetted out and impaled Eater all over his body. The demonic white Reaper was completely caught off guard as giant nails of black blood sliced through his body and came out the other side, anchoring him in place with no hope of escape.

Crona calmly watched as his opponent silently accepted it all. Eater made no attempt to dodge, though it didn't really seem to faze him. He couldn't move, but it also didn't sound like he was in much, if any, pain. The shadows that surrounded him seemed to protect him from most physical attacks, or at the very least numbed him from feeling anything. It was likely the reason why his last attack didn't little to no damage; two of his strongest techniques back-to-back would have killed pretty much anyone. That is, of course, not counting a monster like Eater.

"Black blood," Eater muttered, staring his captor down. "Witch's blood."

Crona shook his head. "I don't know what that means, but it's over Soul. You can't move. So just let me take Maka to get some medical attention-"

"-NO!" the shadow Reaper roared, catching Crona off guard. "I HAVE TO PROTECT HER! NOT YOU! NOT A WITCH!"

Eater's acceptance over his prison was short lived. His body shuddered as he summoned strength from out of nowhere. The spikes that contained him started to quiver as he struggled to break free; several cracks began to form along the length of them and the smaller ones quickly broke outright. Crona's eyes grew wide and he brought his sword out once more. He hadn't planned on having to fight again after this, the spikes were supposed to hold. There was no way he could continue on like this.

Crona looked back down at Maka. She lie there covered in sand from all the chaos, but she was still safe. For now. It was all he cared about, and the only thing that kept him from backing down. Crona clenched his teeth and reaffirmed himself; he gazed at the wound in his torso and found that it had already stopped bleeding, as was to be expected. The black blood kept him from taking too much damage, but it ultimately wouldn't save him from Eater and all his fury. He had to think of something, or there was no mistaking it. He was going to die.

The blood spikes crumbled as Eater roared. They snapped off from the ground and turned back into liquid as they did, flowing from Eater like a river of stained water. Crona wearily readied himself as the shadow Reaper took his time collecting his scythe. The sheer indifference that Eater showed him made it very clear to Crona that they were leagues apart from each other. He could kill him at any point. He could have already if he wanted to, in fact. That became even more obvious when Eater finally brought his scythe up and held it high above his head. Completely open to a counterattack, although it wouldn't have mattered if Crona made one or not. The swordsman held his blade up in a desperate defense.

"Assault on six sides!" Eater howled. His scythe started to glow black as night. "Hexagonal Hu-!"

-A blur appeared in front of Eater and Crona. They hesitated, and in that second a familiar voice cut through them both. "...Tsukiyoha."

Immediately, the area exploded into a shock wave so violent that the earth itself caved in beneath their feet. A giant crater formed as sand was launched in every direction, taking with it Crona, Eater, and Maka. In what little time he had to react, Crona desperately clung to Maka's limp body as the two were launched into a sand dune hundreds of yards away. The swordsman took the brunt of the blow and coughed as Maka crashed into him, but ultimately they survived. Crona immediately tried to look back and see what caused the explosion.

A lone figure stood in the middle of the crater. A nostalgic shade of bright blue colored his hair, and his clothes were bleach white like the desert sun. In front of him hovered what looked like a four-pointed star, ornate and made completely of shadows like Eater. He held his fist through the center ring of the star; the portion of his arm that emerged out the other side was also covered in darkness and matched the pattern of the weapon. The man slowly removed his arm, and as soon as he did it returned to normal. The weapon itself started to evaporate until there was nothing left, leaving the lone combatant to survey the destruction he'd just caused. That, and eye the creature that was now getting up some distance away from him.

"Y'know, nothing personal, whatever you are," Black Star chimed as he summoned his katana from thin air. "But if I see a monster, I punch it!"

"Azure Knight...!" Crona hesitated. He wasn't sure how to address the man, but this was no time for formalities. "That thing is Soul! We have to stop him!"

Black Star turned around at the mention of his friend, then promptly turned back around to face the creature. He blinked in confusion. "The hell do you mean that thing is Soul?"

Eater's ethereal form rose up from the dirt. To say he was injured wouldn't have been entirely accurate, but he definitely looked much worse off than when Crona had attacked him. The demonic white Reaper was much slower in his recovery this time, and he grabbed his stomach in pain as he gathered himself. Eater let out a growl and glared at his attacker from a safe distance. Around him shadows started to shift and move as if suddenly reacting to Black Star's presence, like they now realized a serious threat was knocking on their doorstep.

The Azure Knight narrowed his eyes. He could tell from the scythe in the monster's hands that it was Soul, but just thinking about it disgusted him. The shadows had swallowed Soul whole, just like he had kept warning Black Star would happen to if he continued using his sword. Something was up, and he quickly assumed what when he turned back around to take another look at the pink-haired Reaper. Black Star zeroed in not on him, but the woman clutched tightly in his arms. A pretty face he'd seen secondhand in a mirror not too long ago.

"Maka...?" Black Star's face contorted in surprise. He lingered on the sight for a moment before turning back to face Eater. "So that's what's got your panties in a bunch..."

Eater let out a bark like a rabid animal, and Black Star again looked at his friend in contempt. The Reaper held onto his scythe with both hands and started to march forward, ready for combat. Black Star meanwhile simply watched, not reacting as the creature came closer to him. He came swift and even, each step bringing his pace up more and more. Even as Eater started to quickly close the gap between them, Black Star still did nothing. He wasn't even looking in the same direction as his opponent; instead, his eyes were focused on a dune off to the side.

Eater failed to notice. He was too caught in up in trying to end Black Star right then and there. Once he made it past a certain threshold, some hundred feet out, the Reaper broke into a mad sprint. He let out a roar, bringing his scythe around the side in order to cut his enemy down. At the same time, Black Star nodded to someone off in the distance. Who or what, Eater neither noticed nor care. Nothing could break his battle trance; not until it was suddenly interrupted by a feeling of intense heat as it swept across his body like a fire.

He immediately broke away and jumped to the side, expecting to escape whatever was attacking him. But the pain only followed, and very quickly Eater realized that it was a fire. Hot, searing flames crept up from his legs and started to envelop the rest of his body.

"What is this-!?"

-A sudden crackle of thunder. Another round of pain. This time it assaulted every cell in his body, and his entire being screamed out in agony. An electrical jolt paralyzed his muscles, while at the same time fire immolated him from below. The shadows that surrounded him began to flake off and disappear into nothing, as he himself roared with pain at the continued torture. Black Star, who watched from a few steps away, broke away to look back at the several figures standing atop the sand dune. Two of them wielded a lantern and spear.

Flames and sparks of electricity still lingered on Jacqueline and Harvar's weapons, respectively. Behind them, Kim held Tezca's mirror close to her chest as they all watched the scene in pity. The look on all their faces told Black Star the same thing; wrap things up so they could all go home. The Azure Knight nodded and turned his attention back to Eater; the Reaper continue to roar as he struggled to move and contain the fire surrounding him. He had neither the ability nor will to pay attention anymore. He was open.

Black Star took his shot. Sword in tow, he held it close to his face. Sparks of black lightning arced from his blade as he closed his eyes and focused, "Mugen!"

The shadow at Black Star's feet expanded into a circle ten times its original size. It then quickly split apart into ten even, smaller parts that surrounded him like planets around the sun. From far away, Crona gwaked at the sight of each shadow as they gave birth to a new sword. Each rose from their respective circle in a crackle of energy and levitated around Black Star, ready for his next command. It came quickly; the moment he opened his eyes, the assault began. Each sword spun around and aimed at the burning Eater. Black Star crouched.

All ten swords flew forward at the same time, and Black Star took off right after them. They cut through the air like black missiles, and they immediately hit their mark. One at a time in quick succession, the blades impaled Eater as he struggled to realize what hit him. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, each one bringing another force that knocked the Reaper farther and farther back. He staggered as each one pierced him, and by the end he had lost so much footing that he struggled to stay on his feet.

Still on fire. Still stiff from paralysis. Unable to clearly see and with no way to defend himself, Eater could only sway in place and watch as Black Star appeared before him. The two locked eyes and gave each other a look; one asking the other to end it, and the other affirming that he would. Again Black Star disappeared, only to re-materialize behind Eater a moment later. He skidded to a halt with his knee, blade held outward. The second he stopped moving is when the blades impaling Eater all flew out at once. The sudden force of each one being stuck by Black Star's sword finally registered, and they hit his friend like a cannon blast. The blades evaporated before ever touching the ground, and with them went all the fire and shadows that still surrounded Eater.

"Don't ever make me do that again," Black Star muttered as the Soul he knew fell to the floor behind him. "You're just lucky Maka wasn't awake to see this."

With a tired sigh he rose to his feet. The man turned around to survey all the damage, expecting to find his friend to be beat beyond recognition. To his pleasant surprise, Soul didn't have any obvious wounds; no gaping holes from where the swords had impaled him, though not that Black Star had expected there to be any in the first place. He lamented that driving those blades in was extremely difficult. The shadows were so thick around him that for a moment he seriously wondered if he could actually do it. But he did, and that's all that mattered.

The sound of falling sand wrenched the man's attention away. He looked back to find several people skidding down a sand dune towards him; the pink-haired Reaper and Maka in his arms, along with some redheaded guy he'd never seen before. At the same time, a similar sound came from an opposite sand dude. Black Star found the same sight, only this time it was Kim and the others coming down to meet him. Black Star shook his head at just how many people their little group had picked up already. Now they were up to nine.

Pinkie arrived first. The sound of his voice almost immediately grated on Black Star's ears. "Azure Knight! Is Soul going to be okay!? You didn't kill him, did you!?"

"The name's Black Star!" he growled in reply, sticking a finger in his ear. He was exhausted and his patience was thin. "And of course I didn't kill him! He's fine!"

"Enrique! Is that you!?" Jacqueline called out as the second group arrived. Her voice immediately made the man perk in delight.

"Jackie! Harvar! You're alive! Thank god!" He ran to the pair as Black Star again stuck another finger in his ear.

Kim quickly walked around the trio and made a b-line for Soul. She set Tezaca on the ground next to him as she carefully rolled the man over to examine him. Immediately she let out a sigh of relief; a quick glance confirmed that he hadn't been burned, and Black Star hadn't done any serious lasting damage. Still, she went to work regardless. Kim held out her hands as a soft green flow emanated from her hands. Small cuts and injuries started to mend immediately, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before he was at a hundred percent again.

Crona immediately became fascinated by the sight. He realized right away that this was exactly what Maka needed, and he quickly carried her over to Kim. The woman didn't seem to notice him approach, and it took Crona a second to summon up the courage to get her attention. He coughed a little, and when that didn't work he gently poked her with his foot. Kim immediately thew a look over her shoulder that could kill, and the young bodyguard suddenly regretted ever entertaining the thought. But he had to ask her.

"U-uh, excuse me..." he stammered. "...I know you're helping Soul right now, but Maka really needs to be seen by a doctor, and, well..."

"...Wait a minute," Kim's death glare eased as quickly as it came. She immediately halted Soul's treatment and stared at the woman in Crona's arms. "...Did you say Maka?"

Kim's reply was loud enough to be heard by everyone. That much was obvious, as the moment she said it everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at Crona. All except for Black Star, whom quickly got out of the way as everyone dashed over to go see how Maka was doing. Enrique had admittedly forgotten about her for a second, Jackie and Harvar hadn't seen her, and Kim was horrified at the condition she was in. Tezca of course was ever the watcher and simply gazed from behind his mirror, as Black Star did the same from afar.

There was a scramble of motion and conversation. Quick explanations and even quicker introductions, followed by Kim laying down Maka to be treated next. The group tended to her and Soul, while Black Star scanned the outlines of sand dunes for any further interruptions.

"Were there any more Soul Eaters when I left you guys?" he asked without looking back, still keeping watch.

"A few," Harvar answered in a similar fashion. His attention was on Kim and Maka. "We took care of them, though."

Black Star nodded. His eyes narrowed at what he thought might be movement in the distance. "Make it quick. We're leaving soon."

Kim said not a word. She was busy focused on healing Maka, though Black Star's words registered loud and clear. Their position was compromised, and she didn't have time to do everything she liked. Still, Maka was in about a similar shape to Soul. They both had relatively minor wounds, though both seemed completely drained. It would take time for them to recover, which is something they were in dire need of at the moment. Even as she tried to speed things up a bit, Kim kept looking over her shoulder.

Black Star kept staring at the same spot. In his gut he knew there was someone out there; there was no way they had gotten rid of all the Soul Eaters, and more were probably skulking around just out of sight. Sure enough, after minutes of intense scrutiny, he found the proof he needed. A head bobbed out from over the hill, and immediately disappeared back into hiding. That was all Black Star needed. Already he was turning around and making his way towards Soul and Maka. A second later and he had marched past everyone, scooped up Soul, and threw the passed out Reaper over his shoulder. Kim was aghast.

"Okay, time to go!" Black Star growled, leaning down to pick up Maka with his other arm.

Crona panicked. He managed to throw himself over the helpless woman. "Hold on! I'll carry her, okay?"

Black Star shrugged and did an about face. "Sure, suit yourself. But if we wait around any longer we'll be ambushed. We have to leave."

The man took off without waiting for the others, drawing some annoyed faces and an angry sigh from Kim. The remainder of the group looked at one another and agreed that Black Star was right, though. Crona picked up Maka, careful to keep her head tucked away from the sun. Everyone started to take off, all except for Enrique. The cabby barely made it a few steps before stopping in his tracks; the group stopped and gave him a questioning look as a look of horror swept across his face.

"Has anyone seen Blair!?" Enrique gaped. He'd completely forgotten about her. "Maka will have my head if anything happens to her cat!"

For a brief moment the group all shared his panicked expression. They haphazardly looked in different directions to see if they could spot her somewhere, though all came up with nothing. Enrique scratched his head frantically, unable to comprehend how he could just forget about his little buddy like that. She must have gotten lost in all the commotion, the poor thing! He had to find her! She was all alone in the middle of the desert with hungry Reapers all over the place, she wouldn't last a day by herself! But where could she be-!?

"-Found her!" Crona suddenly piped up, wrenching Enrique away from his mild panic attack.

The cabby looked over at Crona, but more specifically at Maka in his arms. There, curled up in the pit of her stomach, was a little ball of fur. A familiar coat of jet black shuddered as she purred, the tiny feline content at having been reunited with her owner. Enrique let out a giant sigh of relief at the sight. She must have seen everyone together and figured it was safe to come out now. Either that or the damn creature just loved to run up his blood pressure, which she most certainly did without question!

"Damn cat," Enrique grumbled as he went up to pet her. Blair contently meowed from the attention.

With their last member accounted for, the group marched forward. The ever impatient Black Star was already way ahead of them, though he took his position as point seriously; he scanned the area and kept an eye out for Soul Eaters as everyone else caught up. The motley crew of Grigories and Reapers huddled together to stay safe and kept a brisk pace to get as far away from Death City as possible. All kept an eye out for any more attacks, though the air seemed still compared to all the chaos from earlier.

As they cleared the big crater that Black Star had made earlier in his fight with Soul, Crona took a moment to stop and turn around. He wanted one last glance at the city in the distance; that giant black sphere that had seemed like a prison, and for all intents and purposes it was. It kept Maka from being able to leave, and it likewise bound him as her bodyguard. He'd been outside its walls before, only now his departure seemed all the more permanent. There would be no going back after this. He was no longer of The Grim, and he would be treated as an enemy like Soul and the Azure Knight. Part of him felt melancholy at the thought, while the other part had no qualms with the decision he'd made.

Crona looked down at Maka in his arms. He thought about the baby she carried with her, and the promise he had made to watch over both of them.

"No regrets," he affirmed under his breath. Pink dusted his face as he turned to catch up with the others. "None whatsoever."

A.N

Crona's quickly becoming my favorite to write. He's like a puppy! You can't go wrong with puppies!