A/N- Aaaand, at long last, here we go again!
Sorry it took me so long to get to this. I hop around my unpublished fanfics a lot, plus I'm a pretty busy person. (Busy with what, drawing? I'm such an idiot…) In any case, I'm back to this disaster of a fic while trying to get motivation to finally write a different multi-chapter CroMa fic I've been planning for a while. I'm also beginning to work on a Christmas-y one. After all, everyone's gotta be in the holiday spirit, right?
Anyhow, I don't know exactly where I'm going with this particular fic, but I know that once everything mellows down a bit, I'm going to throw in a twist.
Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Gallows Manor.
That was the very first place that came into Maka's head when she thought of cleanliness.
Kid's mansion was big, expensive, and all decked out in fancy décor. Describing him a "spoiled brat" wouldn't be precise enough wording. Spoiled? Naturally he was, being the son of Death- whom apparently had enough cash to found a giant school and a giant home, not to mention the majority of the city. Bratty? It depended on how you looked at it. While he was extremely precise about everything and was easily offended, "bratty" wasn't the right term. He had a heart- though he hardly showed too much of it-, and he made a good companion… albeit a very rich one.
Maka, for the first time, was grateful that she had a friend like him. Obviously, he'd have a spare bathroom she could use for a shower until she was feeling in the mood to get back to her officially crazy apartment.
As if that would ever happen, with that freak running around like he owned the place.
As the manor finally came into view, she gave a hearty sigh and quickened her pace. Good, she thought, I'm almost there.
She trudged through the gates and up the porch, hurrying to the door like a madwoman. She raised her hand to the doorbell, and suddenly hesitated.
She had a dreading feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she was making a serious mistake. Whatever was behind this door felt like a disaster waiting to happen.
Maka brushed it off, being too desperate to really consider the consequences. She pressed the doorbell, stepping back and waiting for it to open.
For a long while, she got no response. She raised an eyebrow in anxiety, waiting with baited breath for something to happen.
Just as she stepped forwards to ring the bell again, a buzzing sound came from a small speaker just above it, indicating that it was turned on and someone was on the other end.
There was a small sigh.
"…hello…?" A feeble voice questioned, its tone wavering. It cracked a bit, as if it had been overused and dragged through the mud… multiple times.
Maka would recognize that voice anywhere, but she found herself in disbelief, unable to think of this as the same person.
She leaned towards the speaker and replied into it, face tight with confusion. "Erm… Kid…?"
There was a loud gasp on the other end, Kid giving a shout of "MAKA!" before the static stopped, and the speaker went silent. A series of quiet clicks could be heard as the door unlocked itself, allowing her entrance into the huge home.
She stared at the door for a moment, but nothing happened. It became clear that no one was at the door, and the unlocking was electronic, somehow. Maka, still frowning in confusion, reached for the doorknob with her free hand and thrust the door open.
As were the other times she'd entered, the main room was spotless and gleaming, reflecting the peak of aristocracy. Maka didn't dwell on its professional nature for long, as she noted that there wasn't anyone in the room. Not a single sound could be heard except the light padding of her feet, still in her pink slippers, and her own breathing.
Finding this peculiar, she set the fresh clothes she was carrying onto the counter of a coffee table to free her hands. "Hey, Kid?" She called, glancing around. "Liz? Patty?" Maka started off down a hallway, looking around with curiosity and peeking into the rooms she passed. "Hey, is anyone home…?"
She paused about halfway down the hall, listening attentively as a quiet sound reached her ears. It was a rapid thudding of some sort… like footsteps.
It grew louder and louder, and she grew alarmed, taking a step back.
Her fear was short-lasting, as she saw Kid tumble towards her from the other end of the hallway, stumbling like an awkward lamb. He was almost as destructive as a tornado as he crashed into the wall to his right, knocking over a few precisely hung paintings and letting out an indignant "oof". He forced himself back into his feet in mid-stride, making it his number one priority to reach the baffled girl, no matter how much dignity he had to abandon.
"Maka!" Kid cried finally, knees completely giving out as he clung to her.
Maka almost collapsed under his weight, struggling to keep her balance. "Uh, Kid?" She awkwardly patted his back, hoping to help him re-gain his normally composed stature. "Are you okay…?"
"No, I am not okay!" He wailed, shivering in what she could only think was terror. "I can't take it anymore! Save me, I beg of you, Maka!"
Oh, no. Not a good sign. It didn't have anything to do with Crona, did it?
"Whoa, Kid, slow down!" She instructed, trying to peel him off of her. "Tell me what's wrong and I'll see what I can do!"
He grabbed her shoulders and pulled back, staring at her with wide eyes and lips pulled into a half-scowl, half-frown.
"This is what's wrong!"
Maka's jaw dropped. No way.
The white lines on his hair were complete.
The lines of Sanzu wrapped neatly around his entire head, like three halos neatly dyed into the black.
"Kid… your hair…" She managed, still awe-struck.
"It's horrible, Maka!" Kid sobbed, wiping furiously at his golden eyes to keep them from watering any more. "Simply awful!"
"Pull yourself together, Kid!" Maka interrupted, holding him an arm's-length away by his shoulders. "How is it awful? Aren't you symmetrical now?" Knowing Kid, she was at a loss as to why he wasn't celebrating and tossing confetti in her face. "Don't you get stronger powers or something like that?"
"Maka," Kid said flatly and seriously, staring at her intensely. "My. Father. Is. Gone."
"Gone?" Maka's breath halted for a moment, and she was completely at a loss for thought. "Gone where?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know?! He's just gone, Maka!" Kid's face changed back into a panic, and his eyes darted around, almost paranoid. "And if my lines of Sanzu are complete, that means that he's gone-gone! As in, he doesn't exist anymore! He is dead, Maka!" His lips pursed tightly for a moment before he broke into tears again. "Do you know what I have gone through?! Do you know how inexplicably annoying the people in this city are?! Do you know how much goddamned paperwork I am left with?! And without a father! I am… orphaned!"
"Kid, Kid!" Maka said, expression going hard as she shook him by the shoulders. "Don't freak out yet! I'm sure he isn't dead… he can't be dead! He's Death!"
"Well then, smartass," Kid accused in a not-very-Kid-like fashion, "How do you explain these things on my head?!"
He was bordering hysteria and Maka had to think fast before he tore the entire manor down.
"Just relax! I'll help you out!" She removed her hands from his shoulders and put them on her hips in a determined way. "You have paperwork, right? Enough to make you cry?" Maka sighed and pursed her lips. "Let's see this disaster of yours. Just stop crying, would you? It'd make things easier for the both of us."
Kid sniffled, wiping viciously at his eyes to claw away his tears. "Tell anyone about this, and I swear-"
"Oh, don't freak out, you'll be okay," Maka patted his back lightly, smiling as nicely as she could in such a situation. "It can't be that bad."
Kid snorted and scowled, not saying anything more on the subject. "Come along," he invited, turning and quickly walking back the way he came. Maka sighed, deciding it best to comply.
As they walked, Maka realized that she could finally ask him what was going on after she sorted things out here… which may or may not be easy.
They came upon a large door with neat engravings in the wood, nearly reaching the ceiling. Kid sighed irritably and fingered the golden doorknob.
"I don't want to deal with it again!" He announced, frowning at the door with hatred obvious in his expression. "But I if I am to represent my honorable father in these times of need, I must tend to all of my duties…" He finally pulled open the door, panic beginning to show on his face again.
As soon as it opened, sheets of paper began to fly everywhere, giving Maka more paper cuts than she'd ever had before. She spluttered and knocked them out of the air, clutching a small cut on her cheek.
"You can't be serious! This is what you've been doing?!"
The large room was nothing but piles of paper stacked all the way to the ceiling, pens scattered all over the floor, and a desk in the middle. In the corner, there was a printer rapidly spitting up more printed material for Kid to deal with. She noticed another door leading to a different room, with the muddled sounds of multiple phones ringing.
"How does this have anything to do with being a shinigami?!" Kid wailed, covering his face with his hands. "Apparently, Father has been putting this off for years, and now it needs to be done! Guess who has to do it?!"
"Do you seriously need to read all of these things?" Maka muttered, picking up a document from near her feet. The grammar was almost too complicated for her to decipher.
"Read? HA! I gave up reading these things long ago! They're all pretty much the same; I just need to sign them!"
"…Kid, what if they're-"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" He shouted, snatching the paper from her and jotting his name on the signature line. "Just get these things done! Here, you sign my name on the documents over there!" He pointed to a large pile across the room.
"Sign them? My handwriting isn't even close to yours!" Maka said in exasperation, eyeing the papers.
"That doesn't matter either, Maka! I've been doing this for so long that my writing is beginning to look like it's from a monkey writing with its feet while riding on the wing of a jet plane backwards! Just do it!" Kid froze for a moment, glancing at the door with the ringing phones. "I'll be back in a moment," he declared hurriedly, running to the room and entering. As the door opened, the sound of ringing phones was almost deafening.
Maka sighed huffily and hurried after him, wanting to make sure that he didn't kill himself over this. "Kid, slow down, would you?!"
"Yes?" Kid spoke into a phone, trying to be louder than the ringing. "Uh-huh? There's a Kishin egg in your kitchen? I'll send someone over." He slammed the phone back down and pressed a button on the desk, shouting into a microphone. "Mijolnir! You heard it, now get moving!"
There was a sleepy groan on the other end, which Kid promptly ignored, picking up another phone.
"Mhm? Yes, I understand." He turned and jabbed the button again, returning to his yelling. "Albarn, get off of your lazy ass and MOVE!"
As Kid moved to grab another phone, Maka slapped his hand away from it. "I think you need a break from this, Kid. You're losing it."
"Break? How I can I take a break when everything is at stake?!"
"Easy. Like this." Maka picked up the phone herself and spoke calmly into it. "Sorry, Death the Kid is busy right now. We'll take your call later." She put the phone back and glanced up at him. "See? Better, right?"
Kid was silent for a moment, dumbfounded. "I can do that…?" He asked feebly, staring at her.
"Well, you're in charge for now, so I'd assume that you can." She shrugged, reaching around one of the tables covered in phones and unplugging them from the wall. They went silent and she started towards some other phones to unplug them. "Better?"
"My ears are still ringing even though the phones aren't," he said, leaning on a table for support.
Maka unplugged the last group of phones and sighed. "Well, at least things are quiet now. There's only one more thing to do." She got up and walked back into the paper-filled room, Kid's eyes following her curiously.
"And what would that be?"
She didn't respond, but Kid listened as she walked away.
The sound of the printer stopped.
"Done!" Maka called triumphantly.
Kid managed to sturdy himself and hurried into the room, staring at the girl who stood over the destroyed printer. "Hey! What was that for?"
"Now you don't need to work anymore," she declared, crossing her arms, looking very pleased.
Kid stared at her blankly, like she'd turned into a deformed dinosaur.
"…but-"
"But nothing! Your father put it off for this long. What difference would it make if you waited until he got back from wherever he is?" Maka clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "You'll be fine."
Kid was frozen for a moment, and then he just sighed. "I swear that you have saved my life on this day." A small smile found its way back onto his face and he straightened the cuff of his shirt, finally composing himself. He absent-mindedly ran a hand through his hair, brushing down the messy strands. "…I am rather handsomely symmetrical today, aren't I?"
"Yes, you definitely are," Maka stated, sighing in relief. She decided that this was finally a good time to bring up the subject of the Kishin. "Hey, would you mind telling me what you know about what in the world has been going on around this crazy city? It's driving me insane!"
Kid nodded, contemplating. "I'm tired. Let's discuss this over tea," he gestured for her to follow as he began to walk down the hallway, his hand still caressing his hair as he murmured compliments to himself.
Maka reluctantly followed. She'd rather just get it over with, but seeing how Kid had just been bordering suicide, she thought it best to just follow along so he didn't go back into a panic. She couldn't see how he could relax after such a simple solution when the world was still out-of-whack; but so long as he didn't cry, it was okay.
They came upon a vast kitchen with a clean table in the middle, surprisingly neat. Maka wondered for a moment how it was still so organized considering Kid's rampage earlier; and then quickly came to the conclusion that he hadn't stopped to eat. She eyed him warily as he went to the stove to set a kettle of water, but she didn't note any change in his weight. She had known that being a shinigami had certain advantages, but didn't realize that it meant that he didn't need to eat all that often.
"What is it that you need to know?" Kid questioned casually, reaching towards a cabinet. "You've been asleep for quite some time."
Maka decided to ignore her thoughts for the time being, and sighed. "Where should I start…? I don't even know what's going on."
"I'd think it would be obvious. You were there, after all." He got a box of tea bags and took out two of them, placing the rest back in the cabinet. He sent her a glance, his demeanor unwavering. "More present than the rest of us, that is. All we know about it is from what was left of Asura's corpse."
"That's not what I mean," Maka shook her head. "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about everything that's happening now. I don't understand why everything is so chaotic."
"Ah," he said dismissively, crossing his arms and answering quite simply. "It's because of the birth of a new Kishin."
"…Crona…?" she asked wearily, taking a seat in one of the chairs around the table.
"Indeed."
"…is it really him?" She breathed, resting her elbows on the table and putting her face in her palms. "Why is he acting like that?"
"He seems to get a kick out of misery and disaster, from what I've gathered." His eyes drifted back to the tea kettle, having nowhere else to look. "Mostly, I figure that it has to do with the ecstasy of having power over others. He's never had that before, has he?"
"Well, no," Maka murmured, glancing at him. "It can't be him, that's what I'm saying. He's not like this at all. He's shy and sweet, not… whatever you want to call him now."
Kid was dead silent for a moment, and then he finally continued hesitantly. "…Maka… you didn't really get to know him that well."
Maka's lips tightened. "What are you talking about?"
"What I'm trying to tell you is that maybe we didn't actually know him." His eyes avoided her, unable to speak directly to her without guilt. "He was only at the academy for a few months before he left again, and he didn't speak much to us in the first place. Well, he spoke more to you than anyone else, but I still find it hard to believe that you understand him at all." Kid paused for a moment before continuing. "Crona was scared, Maka. It's possible that who he really was didn't show."
Maka shook her head violently, scowling. "You're wrong, Kid. I know who he is and what he's like. How do you expect to understand this?"
"I'm just asking that you consider the possibility, that's all."
"Huh."
It was silent for a long moment, until Kid decided to speak again.
"I don't think what you've seen of him recently is his true form."
Maka stared at him. "What're you trying to tell me?"
"Being a full-fledged Kishin has changed him; that much is for sure. Considering that he was able to consume someone with equal- if not stronger- power than his own, I doubt that his body would be able to hold it. His body may have been able to hold in the power before now, but it took a violent toll on his mind. I can't imagine that his old self would be able to withstand even more." The kettle began to hiss and squeal, signifying that the water had finished heating. "He has changed a lot, hasn't he? Being able to sprout extra limbs and vines and all that. I don't find it hard to believe that he's changed even more. What he appears to be now… I think it's a disguise of some sort. He looks quite identical to how he did before his metamorphosis when he vanished, doesn't he? Not that I've seen him very much, that is. He did pay a visit here directly before the flood of work began, but it wasn't for long; mostly to disorganize my paintings. Anyhow, although I have no idea what his true form may be, I doubt that it's pretty." Kid poured the boiling water into two cups and set the tea in them, turning to look at Maka. "Do you remember anything from Asura's death that would prove to be useful information?"
Maka answered slowly, still digesting Kid's theory. "Well, his body did seem to… mutate. Whatever you want to call it, it's all the same to me. It wasn't good." She shuddered a bit, the memory rising to the surface.
"Then, it appears that my realizations were correct. I think it would be wise to be wary in his presence." He came over and set the teacups on the table, still deep in thought. "He's been running around and ruining everyone's lives, it seems. I heard that he's been using Soul as a slave of some sort? He gave me a call, but there wasn't much I could do, since Crona has made your apartment his base."
"He didn't try to hurt me, at least," Maka mused, taking one of the cups from him. "He was… well… perving on me. It wasn't anything super agonizing, though."
"It seems to me that he has a certain fondness for you," Kid murmured and stared down into his tea, still standing at the tableside. "I'd assume that's the only reason your sanity is still in one piece. I wouldn't think that he'd let you off the hook for too long, however. Stay wary."
"Alright," Maka agreed, voice quiet and murmuring.
It was odd to wake up into a strange world where even her best friends had changed. Everything was warped and weird, and she knew that she hadn't noticed even a fraction of the differences yet.
…differences…
She realized that it was oddly quiet for Gallows Manor, and her head whipped up.
"Where are Liz and Patty?"
A/N- I find a new appreciation for characters as I write for them, and it's really refreshing to be able to write all of these guys. Even though I can never be exact, it's tons of fun and I really try. :)
The next update will come when I get around to it, and don't worry- Crona will be back very soon!
See ya!