No. No. It wasn't his fault. It couldn't be. He was nothing. He was a copy. He couldn't be responsible for anything.

Isn't this what you wanted? a small voice asked at the back of his mind. Didn't you want to be responsible? Pit is responsible for lots of good things. Makes sense you'd be responsible for bad ones. You're a reflection, aren't you?

No. He wasn't a copy! Why-

WHY DID EVERYTHING HAVE TO GO WRONG?

He realized he'd reached the River Styx. Kuro stumbled to a landing. He stared dizzily across the grey waters. On the other side, the earth and air were black and murky. Persephone had once told him that the holy River Styx held back the land of Tartarus, the place responsible for all evil. It was the duty of Underworld guardians to keep watch over the River.

The River was fine. But he- Kuro, dark, shadow, crow- had caused evil anyways.

He screamed his frustration, swung the Persephone Blade every which way, fired a few shots for good measure, and flopped back on the ground. He punched the tip of the silver sword down into the packed earth and released it, laying down with his wings and arms spread to the side.

Something was hot on his chest. Kuro reached into his tunic and pulled out the thin-roped silver crystal that Persephone had given to him a long time ago. It was glowing, flashing. Maybe she was looking for him, or warning him, or protecting him from something; by the Gods, he didn't know. He'd never asked what it did, just worn it.

There was a familiar whoosh-whoosh, as of large wings. The crushing thump that followed was also known to him. The Dragon made a soft crooning sound to announce its presence- as if he couldn't have noticed it landing- and shuffled closer. He permitted it to creep up beside him and rest its head next to him, on his arm, and he bent his arm upwards from the elbow to stroke the side of its head. He wasn't sure how it had found him- the crystal, maybe- but he was oddly glad that it was here. Wouldn't ask any questions, like Persephone might if she'd found him.

He scratched the Dragon's smooth scales. It huffed, made a few noises with its jaws and tongue, opening and closing a few times, and settled still, nose bumping the Persephone Blade. It breathed mist over the sword, which glittered in the light.

"I can't talk to her," Kuro muttered. "She'll ask me things."

The Dragon crooned, eyeing him. Its eyes were big, right next to him like this. "You know, right?" said Kuro. "You're not the Cloud Dragon, but you know that I killed it…"

Ruk-ruk, went the Dragon, soft and slow and sad.

"I didn't know something like that would happen," said Kuro. "It was a way to get my wings back, and Viridi had it, so I did." He paused. "I guess… I was different then, huh? I'm not much different now… but maybe I'd have thought twice about it." He shook his head. "But I never would have changed if I hadn't had my wings back and met Persephone. Was it good, then? I don't know…"

The Dragon purred softly and nudged him. "What?" he asked. "What do you want?"

Silence. It watched him, as if reassuring him it didn't want anything. He sighed. "You're weird. You're one weird beast. You're not… you're not souls, not like the other Peacekeepers, right?" He paused. "They're probably all out fighting fiends. Here I am doing nothing." The Dragon snorted and Kuro rolled his eyes. "I don't have to fight all the time, I guess. That's… that's kind of why she GOT the Peacekeepers, anyways."

The crystal was hot again. Kuro picked it up with his free hand, pausing to curse the Dragon- "Your head is so heavy. I can't move my arm."- prompting a snort. It was flashing. "What's up with this? Do you know what this does?" Kuro asked the Dragon. It lifted its head to blow glitter over it- the Dragon's answer to everything, honestly- but this time, it did something.

The crystal lit up, and after a few moments, Persephone's voice entered his mind. "THERE you are! I found you!"

Kuro scrambled to his feet frantically, stumbling back into the Dragon's neck. Oh, right. Goddess. Didn't have to physically visit him to speak with him, just identify where he was. And the Dragon had done that for her. He glared at it, betrayed, but the Dragon seemed pleasantly surprised at what it had caused, just as surprised as him, if not as displeased with it. Kuro edited his startled push back against the Dragon into a more sustainable lean, trying to recover a little bit of his pride.

"Kuro, I think I know why you ran away," said Persephone. "But I won't ask about it. All I have to say is, if you want to tell me, you can." It had the ring of a decision. She'd thought about this. "Right now, I need you back at the Soul Garden. We need to talk about my sister and what she's doing."

"Right now?" he complained dully.

Persephone hesitated. "Yes. I'm sorry, Kuro, but this situation requires as immediate a response as we can give."

He sighed and picked himself up, stopping his lean back against the Dragon. It crooned its comfort and nudged his arm with its head. "You can rest if you need, maybe," said Persephone, softening her previous statement. "But we need to discuss first."

"Yeah." Kuro pulled the Persephone Blade out of the earth, flicking dirt from its tip, and followed the Dragon into the sky.

I went through and added all the chapter names that the AO3 version of this story has. Don't be alarmed, friends. ^w^ Same chapters, just titles! Huzzah!