"Snapshot" By RavenAK.
Apparently unconnected moments in time, about everything, about nothing, about them. Soul/Maka/Crona, because ever since their roads connected they are undividable.
Disclaimer: Soul Eater belongs to Ohkubo Atsushi, Square Enix and Shônen GanGan. Not me. No, sir. The song "Cat and Mouse" belongs to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
Warning: Spoilers for the manga. They might get heavier as the story progresses.
Five: Cat and Mouse
Am I supposed to be happy?
With all I ever wanted
It comes with a price
You said that you would die for me…
"Stab, stab, stab…" Crona repeats while swinging around her swords in all sorts of combinations, walking up to them ever so slowly.
Soul has now transformed back to his human form and is trying to make Maka react by shaking her shoulders and yelling at her face; however she's just sitting on the floor with a lost stare, not reacting, not here.
So much for keeping his cool, he's going to have a panic attack right here and now, because he's having flashbacks of that time when they were fighting Arachne and Maka wouldn't move, and that other time when they were fighting Giriko and she lost the will to fight, but he's sure that this time is much, much worse, because Crona is coming to kill them, and whatever the result may be, it's not going to be a happy one.
First of all, he doesn't stand a chance against Crona, she's pretty much invincible right now, and if he goes down, she will kill Maka. No. No no no he can't think of that because that's not a possibility. That's never a possibility.
If, in some unlikely scenario, some other Spartoi member shows up and beats the living crap out of Crona, Maka would never forgive that person, and she would never forgive him for not stopping said person, not to mention that she would never forgive herself for letting it happen.
If Maka does snap out of it, and decides to fight, she will have to fight Crona to death, because this is it, the moment they always feared, the moment when Crona has become unredeemable and she's not holding back. One of them will kill the other, but he can't let that happen! He can't let his Meister die, but he can't aid her in killing her best friend, either.
"Dammit…" He sighs, clenching his teeth. Fate has screwed them all over; there's no hope for anyone, there's no choice. At this point, it's all about choosing the lesser of all evils. Should he let Crona go ahead and kill his Meister? No. Should he be a hero and let her kill him instead? That would be useless. Should he call for backup, ask his friends to defeat Crona for him? Double hazard: They might go overboard and kill her in self-defense, or they might end up infected with the Black Blood, which would be simply catastrophic.
He has to pick one option. What should he do? What would Maka do?
"I know someone who can help you with that…" The Little Imp suggests from within him. "It's just a little price to pay for the safety of your beloved Meister".
"I've told you, I don't want anything from you". He replies, finding himself sitting in the same old chair of the same old Black Room, as his interlocutor walks around him slowly, almost as a cop questioning him.
"Well, well, you haven't even heard my offer yet… And I think that you will like it".
"Doubt it. I don't have time for this, anyway".
"You can save them both. You can save everyone". The despicable Imp whispers mysteriously. "I only ask for one meaningless sacrifice".
"I have no intention to give up my life in a heroic sacrifice". Soul shrugs, standing up. "I'm not that kind of guy".
"Oh, I know, I know, because I am also a part of you. You don't want to be acknowledged as a hero, you don't want to be remembered as a legend… Because that would mean that you cared… That you cared enough to throw away your life meaninglessly… And you would be remembered as the foolish one who thought he could. How infamous".
"You're wasting my time…"
"But… if you simply stay there doing nothing, you will be a failure".
"As if… That's not gonna work with me, you know?"
"Right. What's the point of trying when you've already lost?" The Oni sighs with an overdramatic expression.
The young man resists the urge to talk back to him, and shoots him a deathly glare instead.
"You're so afraid of failing that you give up too quickly". The despicable thing continues, sitting in Soul's chair comfortably. "Instead of being a mediocre musician, you chose not to be a musician at all".
The boy clenches his fists.
"And instead of being a useless Weapon who can't do a single thing for his Meister, you choose to pretend that the outcome of this fight is irrelevant… although it's anything but".
"Shut up…"
"But all humans are foolish by nature. They think that one answer is good enough for all questions. You can't really compare leaving behind a piano out of shame, with leaving behind the one person who trusts you with all her heart…"
He wants to bite his head off. "That's not how it is".
"Oh, of course not. You walked away from your old life, from your family, because you kept on disappointing them, and yourself. Because you were a mediocre musician who couldn't do anything right, and your brother was so talented… so gifted, that it was a shame he was in the same family as you…"
He jumps off the chair rather merrily. "But this is completely different: You have the choice to run away from this as well, to go back to the safety of your home, so you won't have to face anyone looking like a coward. Because you're a mediocre weapon who can't do anything right, and your partner is so brave… so amazing, that it's a shame you're even in the same team… You could leave, right now, pretend that this is not even your fight, and leave your little friends to deal with it, but you don't want to. And it's not a matter of pride, it's not a matter of how pathetic you look right now not knowing what to do, it's because you care. You can't walk away knowing that you'll leave her unarmed and alone, that she will get killed so easily. You have to do something, anything, even if it's the last thing you ever do".
Soul relaxes his hands. Denying what the little bastard just said would mean lying to himself. He sighs… It's happening.
"Name your price and I'll consider it".
As always, any and every comment on the story is appreciated. Thank you for reading! n.n