"Honestly," Maka sighed running a hand through her hair as she gave the houndoom an exasperated look. "I can't let you off leash for a day without you burning something to the ground!"
It wasn't my fault! Ragnarok snapped, not at all liking Maka being in his presence after the day he had. The feeling was clearly mutual. I had her! I freaking had her until those damn humans and their damn pokemon got in the way! But did you want to hear what I had to say when we met up? No! Instead of listening you dragged me back here!
Plopping down onto her sofa, Maka felt tempted to just wack him as hard as she could, but suppressed that urge as she tried to do some thinking. Tsubaki was perched on the arm of the furniture whilst Soul sat near the window of the living room, seeming none too worried about this discussion. His mind was clearly elsewhere beyond the confines of the apartment.
"Okay," Maka sighed, rubbing her temples to fight off an incoming migraine brought on from both stress and aggravation, "you had found Crona. I'll admit that's great, but instead of getting into a fight with those people you should have found a way to slip past them–"
There. Was. No. Way.
Before Maka could argue or hand out suggestions of what he should have done, Soul got the conversation switched to a more important matter that would help them come another step closer to finding their friend. Did you get a good look at the guy who took her?
Yeah. He had black hair, pale skin, and...yellow eyes... giving it some more thought Ragnarok then added, gesturing to Maka with a nod of his head, he was about as old as this stupid bitch over here.
Was there anything that caught your attention? Tsuabki chirped, watching as a pulse began to visibly beat in Maka's temple. You know, something that stuck out? A tattoo? Scar? Birthmark, maybe?
He had three white stripes on one side of his head.
This seemed to bring out a spark of surprise from deep within Maka's dark green hues. "Black hair...three white stripes...wait a minute!" Without giving so much as an explanation she darted off to the kitchen. Tsubaki was curious, but seemed unwilling to leave Soul and Ragnarok alone together, as though they would launch a full scale assault on each other without a female presence to prevent friction
Usually, Crona would stick near the houndoom if she wasn't with Maka and things would be cool, but then there were times when she wandered off and–in all honesty, as well as what Tsubaki observed–Ragnarok got jealous.
Not that he'd admit it. She wouldn't be surprised if he were jealous of the human who had Crona, but then she knew it was more likely he was thinking of the human's pokemon rather than anything else. And she didn't blame him. Before she lost track of Black*Star, they had discussed all sorts of scenarios where things were bad and, usually, the sylveon in those scenarios was suffering from major abuse, but as with every one of Black*Star's fantasies he swoops in to save the day. However, Tsubaki knew in real life things such as that didn't happen and if Crona was in trouble...Tsubaki didn't like to think of that...she couldn't bear the thought of the poor, sweet sylveon being hurt after enduring the past brutalities she had.
Great, Soul sighed to break the silence, giving a genuine smile and feeling a bit closer to locating Crona, so now we have a description to go on.
Ragnarok said nothing. He seemed to be stewing in his own thoughts. No one questioned him on what they were and no one bothered to try and get him talking about it, which ended promptly when Maka returned holding a crumpled up, juice stained newspaper. There was a picture of a man who appeared to be giving a speech.
"Is this what he looked like?" she asked, practically shoving the paper into his face. Ragnarok gave an annoyed grunt, backing away and shook his head.
No. Actually, that looks like him but older. A lot more white in his hair.
"I know. That's my point. I think that kid you saw is his son. And look," she pointed to the headline about how the mayor was giving an important speech, "he's the mayor of this city and I know, as a matter of fact, that Professor Stein once mentioned knowing him."
Wow, talk about lucky. Soul smiled, standing and crossing the room to see the picture. We gonna call Stein for directions now or what?
"No, I think we should just use the mayor's office number and call him for an address then we can just go to his place. We find him then we find Crona. Simple as that."
What'll we do if they won't give her back? Tsubaki dared to ask, bringing up the question that was at the back of each of their minds. Her eyes held only concern and she tried to keep her expression stone-faced so as to not appear as troubled as she felt.
Then we'll just take her back, Soul replied, flashing a toothy grin at that simple solution.
By any means, Ragnarok promptly added, fiery hues reflecting danger as he felt his tail start to lash side-to-side in short, swift motions at the idea of turning violent.
"That won't be necessary." Maka assured them with a weak-willed grin. She didn't seem too sure of her own words but kept going in spite of it.
"I'm sure his son will be more than reasonable and even if he isn't then I know his father should be."
Crona was a bit unnerved to find Kid struggling to straighten out picture frames that were already straight. Liz and Patty sat nearby watching, apparently acting as mediators, encouraging him to stop when he got particularly frustrated.
"Dammit!" Kid swore, fidgeting with one frame that seemed stubborn and kept tilting itself off to the side. Finally, he seemed to get irritated enough and tore the frame from the wall, inspecting the nail for about two or three minutes, and then attempted to place the frame back. It stayed and he seemed pacified for about eight seconds before he started the process over with yet another frame.
Kid...are you okay?
He ignored her, moving past Crona as he finished with the frames and headed off to do something else. Liz and Patty scampered after him, though Liz paused next to Crona while Patty continued after Kid.
Liz, what's wrong with him? Why is Kid acting like that?
Don't worry, Liz said, he's just a little uneasy about his dad coming over. It's been a while since his last visit and Kid wants to make sure the house is perfect for his dad. It's mostly his OCD, though.
Crona tilted her head to the side, displaying evident confusion. His what? She inquired, unfamiliar with the term. The sylveon could see some irritation flickering within Liz's dark orbs, perhaps at her ignorance or perhaps it was at Kid's anxious behavior. Whatever it was didn't deter the pachirisu from giving an explanation.
OCD, Liz explained. It's short for obsessive compulsive disorder. It's like this fixation he has with symmetry. It's kinda creepy sometimes.
"All I really want is to maintain symmetry."
Ah, Crona thought aloud to herself, as an awkward bead of sweat formed and slid down the back of her head, so that's what he meant. She barely noticed Liz had moved on, though found herself following after. The human they were after was found was quickly located, having apparently wound himself down for now.
Although, judging by how Patty kept tugging and ruffling his hair it seemed he was using every fiber of his being to resist swatting her away, instead Kid pried her from his shoulder to sit her on the floor, watching as she ran about like a hyper child fueled by sugar and soft drinks. It seemed to both amaze and bother him with how energetic she was. Liz tried to assure him that Patty wasn't planning on messing any of his hard work up, which had Crona wondering exactly why Patty would do such a mean thing.
Finally, at long last, Kid stopped his relentless cleaning to groom himself. Crona was tempted to nap on his bed while he did so, but she quickly decided that she would much rather figure out what Liz and Patty were up to. The pachirisu may not have been her biggest fans but Crona supposed it wouldn't hurt for them to try getting along.
After all, she managed to get along fine with Ragnarok most of the time and that in itself was a challenge.
Eventually, Crona discovered the two playing around in what appeared to be an art studio. Patty was splashing paint onto a once blank canvas practically bathing in her selected colors. Liz complimented her artwork all the while. Crona stood in the doorway watching the two for a few minutes before she gathered up enough courage to enter, she glanced to the completed works of art on display either hung from the walls or resting on a wooden stand.
Pausing, Crona stood before one that left her breathless. It was a painting of a younger Kid with a younger Liz and Patty on either shoulder. Behind them was a beautiful sunset and the scenery of the mansion's front lawn some odd years ago. Though, Crona couldn't help but notice a few minor tweaks had been made to the reality the painting was meant to mirror. For one, Kid lacked the three white stripes in his hair and for two, Patty hosted a blue stripe just like her sister. Crona could only guess it was to preserve the symmetry of the painting. That or Kid had serious denial issues when it came to unsymmetrical items.
Like it?
Crona nearly jumped. Turning to see Liz standing nearby, Crona relaxed and offered a friendly smile. Yes, she replied, it's beautiful. Did Kid make it? Soft blue orbs glanced back to the painting then back to Liz who seemed to be giving it some thought, perhaps recalling the day it had been created.
Yeah, but that was a couple years back before that bitch Ponera came around.
She was scary and I didn't like how she treated Kid. I'm glad she's gone. I hope Kid finds someone better.
Ditto! Patty chirped, splattering a blue glob of paint onto her artwork.
I guess that's something we can all agree on. Liz said with a momentary smile that faltered and was promptly replaced by a frown. Look, no offense, Crona, but right now you should be more worried about getting home than what goes on with Kid. His life is none of your business.
What? But Kid's my friend. He–
If you were really his friend then you'd consider his feelings and how your leaving will hurt him! Have you even thought of how miserable you'll make him?
I...just...I...didn't mean to... Crona found herself unable to formulate a coherent sentence at this point, glancing between Liz and Patty who had stopped working on her painting to see what had her sister talking so sharp. Apparently, the pain of the statement shown through her watering orbs and trembling form as soft sobs began to work their way up from her chest.
Hey, Crona, I didn't mean–
Smacking her paw away with a feeler, Crona didn't bother listening for an apology or explanation behind the hostility as she made a swift exit to run back to Kid's room ignoring the manic and apologetic cries that called from behind. The aforementioned boy was still in the bathroom leaving her alone to her thoughts as she hid beneath his bed where she found the ball they had played with lying abandoned, the same as she.
Brrring! Brrring! Brring! Brrring!
"Hello? This is the Mayor's office with whom am I speaking?"
A moment of silence passed before the young man stood from his desk to move over to the tall oak doors of his employer's office. For the past hour his boss had been handling paperwork, but the urgency of the caller pressured Death's assistant to risk interrupting.
"Hiya, Justin," Death greeted upon noticing. Orgami animals and objects were scattered over his desktop, some laid discarded on the floor. "I was just finishing with this paperwork," he tilted the paper skull mask he had made up to emphasize his point, "before I leave for the weekend. You know, it's been a while since I've had this much downtime."
"I understand, sir," Justin said, phone in hand, "but there is an important call from chairwoman Mabaa."
"Oh? How is she?"
"Furious, unjustly so, but furious all the same. Would you like me to hang up on her?"
"No," Death sighed, "not this time. Let me see what bee's in her bonnet this time around. Maybe I'll be able to sort it out."
"If anyone can handle that women I know you can, sir."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence. You can leave early, if you like. If not then please have all incoming calls rescheduled for Monday. Last thing I need is for last minute business to interfere with me getting home in time for dinner."
"Is Kid planning something special?"
"Not that I'm aware," Death beamed, "but I thought of surprising him."
"What a glorious idea!"
"Thank you, Justin, and have a nice weekend."
Nodding, the blonde man left his employer to his call and returned to his desk to gather his belongings for the weekend. Another call came as he was walking out, but he loyally obeyed the instructions given to him and suggested the caller try calling back on Monday. That took care of that. However, the argument between Mayor Death and the wealthy chairwoman Mabaa was loud enough to be heard through the thick wood of the office doors, concerning Justin enough to stay until it was over and his boss stormed out.
"Is everything all right?"
"Fine," Death replied cheerily, "everything is just fine, Justin. Mabaa was just being a little difficult. Nothing to worry about."
Justin took Death's word for it, but when he peeked into the man's office he saw the paper animals had been slaughtered in a manner most depraved. Biting his lower lip, Justin silently hoped that whatever surprise Death had in mind wouldn't be tainted by whatever anger Mabaa had sparked in the usually riant man.
Miffed, Maka slammed the phone down hard enough to crack the receiver. What happened? Soul asked. He sat in the kitchen doorway knowing that whatever had been said wasn't good.
"I have to call back Monday if I want to speak with the mayor. Apparently, this is his weekend off."
Great, Soul sighed, now what are we supposed to do?
Maka! Maka!
"Yeah, Tsubaki? What is it?"
It's Black*Star! He's back!
"Finally," Maka murmured, following Tsubaki to the living room where the prinpulp stood beaming in triumph on the arm of the couch holding a piece of paper over his head. Maka froze upon noticing how intently both Soul and Ragnarok were staring but not at Black*Star, mind you. The paper within his finned grasp.
"A poster?"
Not just any poster, Black*Star exclaimed. A Crona poster! I found this during my search and look, he handed the flyer to Maka, there's directions where we can find her!
Wow, Soul said sounding genuinely impressed. That's great work, but I'm kinda surprised you didn't try finding her yourself.
Yeah, Black*Star, that doesn't seem like you.
The loser probably realized he needed help.
Hey! Red and insulted, the water-type glared at the trio flapping his wings in a display of anger that was more comedic than anything else. I could've found Crona and I could've brought her back here, no problem–
"If you knew how to get to this address." Maka interjected. Her hold increased on the paper as she mentally mapped out the city. "Dammit, Soul, we were near this place earlier!"
Seriously?
"Yeah, back on Macabre Avenue. The address is just a couple blocks from there."
Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!
"No, Soul and I will go get Crona."
And lose her again? Ragnarok growled. I don't think so.
Yeah, Black*Star proudly intoned, what if you need me? Soul might be cool, but I'm the star of this team! What'll you do without me there to save your skinny butt?
He's got a point, Maka. Tsubaki reasoned. What if you need our help?
"Fine, but you guys will have to stay in your pokeballs."
Reluctantly, the trio agreed to Maka's terms and allowed themselves to be pixelized and absorbed into their individual pokeballs. Poster in hand, Maka set off with Soul at her side to liberate Crona from her pristine prison and the boy who prevented her from leaving.
Done! With this chapter. I had to break it down and essentially cut it into three seperate chapters because it was SO incredibly large! X3 Anywho, I hope this was to your liking and apologize for the delay. I have gotten terrible at updating lately, though I partly blame my computer for being slow as SNAILS...yeah, it's a dinosaur.
Still, I wuv it! Xp Despite it's...evident...faults.
That fact aside, I hope everyone is ready for the reunion chapter. It should be up sometime tomorrow (I do mean tomorrow) and I would like to hear what you guys think thus far. Thanks for reading!
~Luff, Fairylust~