Forever Insane

by Maddylovesyou

Darkside insane asylum is something Maka's use to, for she goes there all the time. She goes to see her mother. Maka is bitter and cold, keeping everthing in and letting nothing out but when she runs into another patient at the hosipital could all of that change? How can someone who is so frail fascinate her so much? AU Crona x Maka

66. Chapter 66

"..Crona?..What the fuck have you done?" Ragnarok stares at Crona..the raven's face has completely fallen..a panic in his chest..but as Crona's gaze shifts..at how he won't look at Ragnarok..that panic slowly starts to turn to rage..Ragnarok's shocked expression soon turns to a scowl..everything fades away from him..He's not in a room full of others..right now it's just him and Crona..his rage blinding him to the full picture.." What the fuck have you done?" Ragnarok's voice is darker..deeper..

Crona doesn't answer..he only stares at the floor..

This gets something to snap in Ragnarok.

"What the fuck have you done?!" Ragnarok roars as he appears right in front of Crona, he grabs the other boy by the shirt before he slams him into the wall hard..Ragnarok snarling in his face..Crona still isn't' looking at him...The ghost's slam had to hurt him..yet he doesn't make a sound..doesn't struggle..He doesn't do anything. "Answer me!" Ragnarok growls as he bangs Crona's head into the stone wall as a threat..It's getting hard to control himself..The rage..

Crona looks to the floor for a moment longer..the back of his head is bleeding slightly..yet he doesn't even wince in pain..he just stares..before those lips part..and he speaks. "I h-haven't done anything wrong."

"Nothing wrong?!" Ragnarok's being flickers..his grip on Crona's shirt tightening..those eyes starting to turn black, his teeth grinding. "Crona.." Ragnarok calms down just a bit..closing his eyes..trying to think before he charges in. "..You had the fucking gem..so how did he get it?..did he sneak it away from you?..or did you.." Ragnarok can't finish that..because if Crona willingly gave the demon the-

"I g-gave it to him."

There's no holding back now.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Ragnarok screeches, his fist connecting with Crona's cheek before the raven even knows he's hitting him..He busts Crona's lip before slamming him back against the wall..Ragnarok's face is mere inches From Crona's..such a deadly look on his face. "Why the fuck would you do that?! That gem was Maka's time Crona! That gem was our only hope! Why the fuck would you give it to him?!" Ragnarok is screaming..panic..anxiety..rage..it's all clawing at his being..he can't deal with it all..He deals with it by beating the shit out of Crona. "All that fucking hard work! You two almost died trying to get this gem for her and you give it to the fucking demon?!" He's blinded in his rage..he doesn't know how many times he's hit Crona now..5..10..15 times?-

"Y-You don't u-understand.." Crona mumbles ..blood coming out of his mouth..it causes Ragnarok to stop mid punch at this boy finally speaking again..Crona slowly turns his head to look into Ragnarok's eyes..Crona's face is busted up, his nose crooked, his lips bleeding badly..He'll surely have a black eye..but Ragnarok doesn't even feel guilty. Not at all. Crona has killed Maka. That's how he sees it. He destroyed her by giving that gem to the demon.

"What's there to fucking understand?! You gave the demon our last hope! Maka needed that! Don't you see what you've done?! You've killed her!-" Ragnarok..in his rage..in everything..his voice is dark..his voice is almost evil..

Yet it cracks..only the slightest..But he ignores it..

The dead don't cry. He doesn't cry. No matter what.

"N-No!" Crona shakes his head..it's weakly..his face a grimace. "You have to b-believe me Ragnarok.." Crona starts to whisper. "T-That gem would have just hurt Maka! Blue t-told me that it would-"

"Of course he would tell you it would fucking hurt her! Because he's fucking for Asura Crona! He didn't want Maka getting it so she wouldn't get anymore time! How could you fucking listen to him?! I told you he wasn't for us! He's betrayed us! and you gave him everything! You trust that bastard over Maka's safety!" Ragnarok is trembling..His eyes getting blacker..if he could, he would be breathing fire..those eyes threatening to rip Crona apart.

"B-Blue is my best friend! R-Ragnarok if he was against us he would have taken my b-body from me!-"

"What if he just let you have your body to have your trust?! So he could do this? Trick you into giving him our last fucking hope!-"

"T-That's not the c-case Ragnarök!-"

"What if it is?! Think about it for one fucking minute Crona..what if he is a tratior? What if he fucking lied to you, and that gem was Maka's last hope? Crona he fucking left you to deal with getting the shit beat out of you! He just left with the fucking gem! He isn't your fucking friend! and you're the dumb ass that fell for it all! You killed her!" Ragnarök is screaming in his face..

"N-No!" Crona screams back..tears in the corner of his eyes..a rage..yet a fear in those eyes. "Y-Your wrong! B-Blue-"

"You're the one that's fucking wrong! You've handed Maka over to Asura! You fucked everything up! How could you fucking do this?! How could you trust that demon?!-" Ragnarok is shaking Crona..both boys screaming in each other's faces..rage..fear..panic..unceratinly..

That's what they are made of.

"He fucking gave the gem to the demon!" Free roars, picking a chair up and throwing it..his face is red.

"H-He has ruin everything!" Eruka tugs at her hat..She's rocking back and forth. "N-No..no.."

Free stops throwing things to look over at the fog witch..and in his rage..he stops..a frown coming to his lips at seeing the witch in turmoil.

Medusa just sits there. Staring. And nothing more.

"- I-I did it t-to save Maka!" Crona cries out..his tears are falling now. "I d-did it so she wouldn't die!-"

"That demon was fucking lying to you! Now she only has fucking the day after tomorrow till she's dead-"

Dead. Die. Death...

The day after tomorrow..

Dead.

Maka can't take anymore..everything is spinning..everyone being blury..except for Crona and Ragnarök..except for her family..She can't hear their words any more..but Crona is bleeding..from wounds Ragnarök inflicted on him..He's crying..and Ragnarök is screaming..a pain in his eyes..a panic..She has to sit there..and watch the two boys that mean the world to her fight..fight over her..fight because she's going to die..die the day after tomarrow..She has to watch her family fall apart yet again..has to watch as everything she's worked for falls apart..

She only has till the day after tomorrow..

Crona gave that demon her hope..her gem..gave that demon everything..because he trust him..now she only has till the day after tomorrow..

She should be angry..she should even hate him...

Yet she can't stand to see those tears..can't stand to see Ragnarok hitting him..

She can't stand to see her family fall apart..

She only has till the day after tomorrow.

She cant' stand all the screaming..can't stand the blood..can't stand this feeling in her chest..

She only has till the day after tomorrow.

Ragnarok slams Crona's body into the hard stone wall once again..

She can't stand it anymore.

"STOP!" Maka screams, grabbing at her hair..

At that one command..everything stops spinning..everything goes silent..

Crona and Ragnarök look overt at her...when those pale blue eyes fall on her..his tears fall more..and when those piercing blue eyes fall on her..there's guilt..there's panic..

"N-No more.." Is all she can say..before everything turns dark..everything slips away from her..

Crona gave away her hope..her heart is torn..

She can't stand it.

"Maka!" Both boys yell in concern, Ragnarök's about to fade away to catch her before she falls..before the unconscious girl hits the floor-

Only for someone to beat him to it..

Everything gets quiet again..Ragnarok has let go of Crona since Maka looked over at them..Crona leans against the wall..his eyes wide as they look at the woman who just caught Maka.

Medusa holds Maka up by her waist..the young girl's legs still touching the ground as Medusa cradles Maka's head in her chest..The snake witch's eyes are blank as she gently moves a piece of hair out of Maka's face..tucking it behind her ear..no one could read her expression as she stares at this girl..

Stares at the girl who is going to die soon.

"Ragnarök." Medusa speaks..it gets everyone to tense as she turns and holds out Maka towards him. Ragnarök gets the picture..He appears in front of Medusa, taking Maka gently from her arms..He holds Maka against his chest..craddling her..holding her so tightly..his being is flickering..

He's holding her because he never wants to let go..

Because death wants to take her away from him.

Death wants to take his life yet again.

Ragnarok is too much in shock now to do anything else..Maka speaking..and the look in her eyes..it sent him right back into a state of shock..the rage fading away..maybe only for this moment..but in this moment he'll hold her..he'll comfort her..

Because it's all he can do.

Crona pants from the wall..his bloody lips dripping..his pale blue eyes shaking as he stares at Maka..the girl he may, or may not have just screwed over..Crona was 100 percent sure that he could trust Blue..that giving him the gem was good..yet now..after seeing what his choice has none to Maka..done to Ragnarök..

He's not too sure. He's afraid..he's so afriad..He didn't..he didnt' really give away maka's hope did he? He didn't really give away her only chance right?..No..No the gem was bad..right?

Judas wouldn't lie to him..right?

Either way..Crona feels hollow..he's in pain..even if he did do good..it doesn't change the fact that..

Maka only has till the day after tomorrow.

His tears fall..does she think he did wrong too?..Does she think that he's betrayed her?..Does she hate him?..

He thought giving the gem away was supposed to make things better..

But at seeing Ragnarök hold Maka so..desperately..seeing Maka's pale face..the limp girl..remembering that look in her eyes before she past out..The fear..the sadness..

If he was right or wrong..it still kills him inside..

The uncertainly is the worse. Not knowing if he was right..not knowing if he was wrong..

"M-Maka.." Crona whimpers as he moves from the wall.. he starts to walk towards Maka-

"Get the fuck away from her Crona." Ragnarok snarls, sending Crona such a deadly glare.

Crona pauses..he trembles..his gaze shifting before he locks eyes with Ragnarok. "I n-need to see that she's okay-"

"She won't be okay soon thanks to you-" Ragnarok starts to go off again..only to stop..

In a blink of an eye..Crona was standing in front of him..trembling..

Now Crona has been slung against the wall..his wrists being held on the wall by dark magic..

That's not what has Ragnarok stunned..quiet..all rage gone yet again..

Medusa stares into her son's eyes..her face mere inches from his..the look in her eyes..oh god, that look..the pupils of her eyes are so narrow..fine slits..those eyes are glowing with hate..rage..Ragnarok in all the years he's been around Medusa..has never seen her this pissed..never seen her eyes that color..

Crona..is trembling in fear, his eyes wide with shock..his face completely fallen..sweat starts dripping from his brow..his teeth chattering..

Medusa has never pinned Crona like this..has never looked at him like this..

Ragnarök feels..a fear..a panic as he watches Medusa pull back her hand..pressing her fingers close together..her sharp nails all together..that murderer's look in her eye hasn't left..The room has gotten deadly quiet..no one dare move..no one can move..

Medusa strikes. Dust covers Ragnarok's vision..everything seems to halt..if he had a heart it would have stopped..his eyes desperately try to see through the dust..to prove to himself he didn't just see what he think he just saw..

Medusa killing Crona.

Luckly..it isn't what he saw.

The dust clears..showing Crona trembling, his face has no color..frighten tears falling down his face..but he isn't harmed anymore then Ragnarök's wounds..

Medusa had hit the wall next to Crona's head..It's a large hole..twice the size of Crona's head..

She didn't kill him.

Medusa stares darkly into Crona's watery eyes..before she backs away from him..the dark energy let's go of Crona..and he falls down..falling on his butt, his trembling legs not able to hold him up..He stares at her..he's in shock..everyone is..

For in that moment..eveyone thought Medusa was going to kill her son..She wanted to..it was all in those dark eyes of hers..

But she didn't.

All eyes are on the snake witch as she takes a couple of steps forward..till her back is to everyone..the air is so tense..it's suffocating..Eruka hugs herself..bitting her lip to stop a whimper..Free has gotten closer the frog witch..yet he's frowning..he dare not move now..Crona can only stare..those frighten tears still there but he makes no sound..no one does..

"..Do you know what you have done?.." Medusa's voice breaks the queit..and it's shaky..it's shaky..the room has gotten so much colder. "That was Maka's time. That was her only chance..now..now we only have a day to prepare for war..to kill my sister and save her..you..you have ruined everything..you disgusting piece of filth!" Her breathing is uneven..she starts to claw at the table..the wood coming off underneath her nails.. "The day after tomarrow..that's all we have..that's all she has!" Her voice is so shaky..no one dares to speak..

Then suddenly..Medusa stops clawing the table..she straightens out.

'Ragnarök..take Maka to her room..then come back down..we have to start preparations now for war..we have to come up with a whole new plan..if Maka is to survive this." Her voice is calm again..but she doesn't look behind her..she doesn't look at anyone. " We talk in the library. " She snaps her fingers..

Suddenly a cage appears around Crona..trapping him..

"We have no need for traitors who will give information to the enemy. You have betrayed me Crona. You've betrayed us all." Medusa never looks back. "..Everyone else. Meet me in the library.."

She fades away..

Yet the air doesn't get any lighter..her voice..so dark..so pissed..

Eruka and Free fade away immediately..

Leaving Ragnarök alone with the beaten, imprison boy..The boy who almost lost his life, the boy that has ruined everything. The raven haired boy..has too many emotions going through him as he looks at Crona..The boy still looks in shock..his eyes having a far away look..those tears still falling down his face..his teeth chattering..his body trembling as if he's cold..his blood mixing with his tears..

It's like Ragnarok has a flash back..four year old Crona..in that dark room, begging to come out..crying..

And what did Ragnarok do?

Ragnarok and Crona lock eyes..those pitiful eyes looking into his own..so many emotions in those pale blue eyes..pain..fear..uncertainty..guilt..Crona has been thrown in bars..thrown in a small room..

That's all his life has been..a small room..weather it was that dark room Medusa threw him in..or the small room at the asylum..he was always locked away..

Now he's locked away again..and yet..this time Ragnarök doesn't feel angry about it..

He feels empty.

Ragnarök closes his eyes as he walks past Crona's cage with maka in his arms..He won't look at him. He won't feel sorry for him. He won't look at the boy he's suppose to protect..

Crona has betrayed them. Crona may have just killed Maka..

He doesn't pity..he doesn't feel angry at this moment..he just feels..

Empty.

---

Crona holds his head in his hands once he can't see Ragnarok and Maka anymore..his knees get pressed against his chest..he can't hold in his sounds anymore..the pain of not knowing if he did right or not is killing him..if he knew what he did was right..all this suffering would be worth it..but what if he didn't do right? What if he's really gotten rid of Maka's hope?..He cant' get Ragnarok's dark our of his head..

Can't get his mother's dark look out of his head..that look of hate..that look of a murderer..

He can't get out of his head how everyone looked at him..with hate and disgust..with shock..

Most of all he can't forget Maka's face..that..hurts the most..and fills him with uncertainty..

Will she believe he did it to help her?..Or was all this a mistake?..did he fail her?..either way, he feels he deserves all he's gotten..he deserves this cage..to be put away like the animal he is..to be alone, behind bars..with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. His face is throbbing..his eyes hurting from all the tears..

They all think he's a traitor now..but Judas isn't helping Asura! He's Crona's best friend!..

"J-Judas.." Crona calls out for him weakly..needing to see him..needing to talk to him about all this..to be reassured..to be comforted..

But for the first time..when Crona calls for the demon..

He doesn't show.

Crona is left alone..in this cold cage..with only his tears and thoughts to comfort him..

Even his madness has abandoned him..

He is truly all alone.

Traitor or not..right or wrong..it doesn't change anything..

He's alone in this cage..

And Maka is alone upstairs..

She only has the day after tomorrow.

---

Maka stares blankly at the ruin buildings..at the concrete cracked in half..looks at this broken city..

Broken like her hope.

She stares at this city of the damned..stares at the blood of the innocent that paints this town..paints it red..taints it..

Her blood will soon be joining them.

She looks at the sky..so black..no light comes through..no light can penetrate the darkness..

There's no hope.

Maka listens to the sobs..she listens to the screams of agony and lost..She looks at the many people just laying on the ground lifeless..she looks at the people who are holding the lifeless..crying..screaming..she looks at people with missing legs..a woman holding a coughing new born..it's bloody..the baby's mother lays lifeless on the floor..she gave birth out here, in this damned city..in this city of the dead..

She gave life in this place..only to lose her own..

Maka can't stop looking at this coughing baby..something is wrong with it..it looks like it's gasping for air..everyone is screaming..they're calling for help..They need help..

Well..so does she.

Maka covers her ears..she can't take anymore..

Everything fades away.

---

Maka's eyes shoot open..her breathing uneven as she looks around..She's in her bed..sweat falling down her face..but she isn't alone..oh no..

"Maka.." Custos stands by her bed side..a frown on his face..his eyes full of worry. "..You saw it didn't you?"

"..." Maka's breathing becomes even..and she stares at him blankly. "..I saw it."

"That new-born doesn't have much time.." Custos fidgets nervously..he's frowning deeply. "They need you Maka..they need saving-"

"They need saving?" Maka chuckles dryly..she sits up..hugging her knees to her chest. "..I need saving too Custos. and who's going to save me? Is anyone hearing my cries? No.."

"Maka-"

"it's over Custos." Maka's voice cracks..her chuckle changing into a sob..her breathing becoming back uneven. "I'm going to die..the day after tomarrow..i'm going to be dead..There's no way we can kill arachne in that time!..i'm not going to avenge my mother..i'm weak! i'm not even a match for Medusa!..it's over..all that i've done..it was for nothing..Why did I even fight so fucking hard?..Just to die here?..before I even kill Arachne.." Maka cries..it's hitting her like a ton of bricks..her throat closing up..everything she's done..has been for nothing. It didn't mean anything. "I don't w-want to die Custos.." Maka's voice..is weak..painful..she wheezes. "I use to not care..as long as I avenged my mother..but now I know what love is..I-iIknow what makes life worth living...and now it's going to be taken from me..before I can even avenge my mother..so tell me Custos.." Maka trembles. "..Who's going to save me?..who's going to save my life?..No one..there's no hope..it's gone..it's all gone.."

This angel stares at her a long moment..those eyes so caring and full of love..lose some of it's light..

"..Only when you believe hope is gone..is it really gone." Custos voice is soft..he sits next to Maka..looking at her with those eyes..but she can't look at him. "You say it's over Maka, but you still have till the day after tomorrow..You still have time. You still have your health. You still have your strength. You ask me who is going to save your life.." Custos voice becomes firm. "You are Maka. You are life. That is why those people call out to you..because they want life..they want to be saved..You can save them, and you can save yourself-"

"In less than two days?!" Maka almost screams..she grips her hair. "Did you not hear me Custos? I have less than two days! Two fucking days to set all this straight..to kill Arachne..my family is falling apart in front of my eyes! I have my own problems to worry about and yet you expect me to use my power to heal others! When I need it to survive!"

"If your family is falling apart. Pull them back together." Custos voice is calm. "..I know you Maka..you don't want those people to die..I know your worried..your upset..your afraid..but don't be. You act as if less than two days is a short time..How long did it take Moses to spilt the Red sea? No more than a minute. How long did it take Jesus to destroy sin, to open the gates of heaven to all humans?..Three hours. Anything is possible Maka, but if you believe it's over..if you believe your going to die..then you are..You must have hope..you must have faith."

"Have faith in what? Custos, Moses was able to spilt the Red sea because he had god..Jesus was able to do that because he's the son of god..don't you get it? i'm a witch. God isn't on my side..i'm alone in this..there's only so much I can do..I'm..i'm just so tired of this Custos..of all this..of the death..of people needing me..with being weak..with eveything going wrong..today was suppose to be good.. I was suppose to get more time..today was suppose to be filled with celebration..but he swallowed it..he swalloed my hope." Maka holds her head in her hands.

"Hope can't be swallowed. It can only be destroyed..if you let it." Custos firm voice gets her to look over at him..the angel is giving her a scolding look..yet his eyes are so gentle. "What has happened to your spirit? So things havent gone as planned..but you have turned even the worse situations around Maka..that is how you are still alive now. How can you just give up after all you've done? After all the pain you've gone through? Are you just going to let it be for nothing? or are you going to fight death to the end?" Custos voice..and that look in his eyes..gets Maka's tears to stop..she stares into those eyes..her's wide. "You say you're doing this alone but that's not true! You have Ragnarök and Crona..you have Kid, you have Girko..you have me. We are all on your side..even when the day after tomorrow comes..you will still be alive. I won't let him touch you..i'll protcet you to the end..So don't lose hope..not when your still alive..not when you can still fight and you still have others fighting for you..are you really going to give up so easily Maka?"

Maka takes in everything this angel has said..she thinks of all she's been through..since the beginning..dealing with her mother being taken away..her death..dealing with thinking she's insane..dealing with the asylum..dealing with the demon..dealing with Justin..dealing with Medusa..dealing with all those monsters..dealing with witch hunters..dealing with the circus..dealing with the guilt..dealing with the dead..dealing with hurting her family..

Then she thinks of all the good things she's done..thinks of that Danielle and Daniel..thinks of all those people she saved on the cruse..thinks of all those people she saved in the city..

The she thinks of Crona's soft smile..Ragnarok's crooked one..Kid's yellow eyes..Girko's grin..

She's come so far..she's done so much..

Then..she thinks of her mother's bright green eyes..

The panic..the despair..

It all breaks like ice with those eyes..

She can't..she can't give up..even if her family falls apart..even if the fucking world falls apart..She can't give up..she has to try..she has to try to make everything right..

If her mother is watching her..Maka wants to give her something to smile at.

"I'm going.." Maka wipes her tears..and she sniffles..yet the fire she lost..is back..

At this ..Custos smiles so brightly at her..his eyes full of love and warmth. "God bless you Maka.."

She feels the pain..yet she smiles..despite everything..she smiles at his angel. "..Heh..god bless you too custos." She winces..yet she holds that smile. "..You really helped me out..don't leave my side..I need to be reminded of the good..or i'll get lost in the bad."

"i'll never leave your side if that's what you wish." Custos looks at her so seriously. "I'll protect life..i'll protect you with all that I am..with all my being."

Maka smiles..only for it to fall. "Shit! that baby! do I still have time?"

"..Yes. You must hurry though-" Custos starts..

Maka's gone before he can even finish.

Maka wants to do good..she wants to do as much as she can before she dies..to fix everything..to fix her wrongs..she'll save everyone else..

And maybe..just maybe..she'll be saved in return..maybe, just maybe..some one will show her mercy.

Just maybe..she will be saved. In both body and spirit.

She doesn't want to die..

She doesn't want to go to hell.

She needs salvation.

---

..Standing here..in this broken city..looking at the blood of the innocent..and the cracks in the concrete..The sobs and cries of these people..all she wants to do is fix it..fix everything..

Fix herself.

Yet when her eyes fall on the new born..the one that is struggling to breath..in the arms of a young woman..crying..not knowing what to do..when she looks at life struggling in this place of death..looks at this child..that against all odds, is still alive..it's mother is gone..most likely all it's family is gone..it's sick..yet it's still fighting for those breaths..still wanting to live in this horrible world..

The baby isn't giving up...and neither is Maka.

All the fear..all the panic..everything fades away around her..all the sobs..the screams..all she sees is this baby..struggling..fighting..it's small chest heaving..it's mouth open..like it wants to scream..but no sound comes out..

This little baby has lost everything..and it's just gotten into this world..it won't know it's mother's smile like Maka has..it won't know the fresh smells of flowers and a bright sun like Maka had..all it will know is blood..hate..smoke..fire..

Yet it's fighting..it's fighting for life even when all seems lost..

Maka's body fades away..coming back right in front of this woman and this baby..looking at the small pink face..looking at the wince of pain on it's face..

"Please!" The woman looks up from the baby..not knowing Maka just shoved up..there's tears in her eyes..desperation. "D-Do you know anything about babies?! This woman..oh god..she j-just she g-gave birth..I-I didn't know what to do..she just.." The woman glances at the lifeless body of the mother..before quickly looking away and sobbing. "I-I couldn't save her! a-and her baby! something's' wrong! p-please.." the plea is a pitiful sob..

"Don't worry.." Maka finds her self reassuring as she reaches out..taking the baby away from this breaking down person..Maka cradles the baby..looking down at it with sad eyes..looking down at something she will never have..

She only has less then two days.

The baby wheezes..it's in pain..small tears steaming down it's face..

Maka closes her eyes..and begins to rock the baby back and forth gently in her arms..her power flowing through her..and into this baby. " Hush, hush, time to be sleeping.." Maka starts to sing..the song her mother use to sing her..The baby's wheezing slowly starts to stop. "Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping..dreams of peace and of freedom.." Maka opens her eyes..looking down at this baby that is looking at her with those small blue eyes..It's tears have stopped..and it's chest is moving normally..with her gentle rocking and voice..the baby's eyes close... "..So smile in your sleep, bonny baby." Maka whispers..before she gives this baby a peck on the forehead..

Giving it love in this place of the damned..this place that she, herself, has damned..

She is of the damned.

"You.." The woman looks at Maka with wide eyes as she hands the baby back to her..there's wonder..and hope..

Why..Why is she looking at her like that?..doesn't she know?..doesn't she know she caused all this?..

She is the life they crave..but also the death that destroys them all.

"..How did you do that?" The woman gaps.. "You just lit up..and the baby became ok!..you..are you..?" She gets closer. "Are you a angel sent from god?..have you come to save us?"

Heh..that's funny..why do they keep calling her that?..a angel?..sent from god?..

They don't' understand.

"I'm nothing like that." Maka states blankly..she turns her back on this woman-

"Miss! Oh miss!" A sob gets her to stop..she turns to look at a little girl..maybe 7 years old..bloody from head to toe..She's clinging onto a man..he has a spike..going through his chest..it looks in a bad spot..The man's eyes are open..he's blinking..he's alive..blood leaking out of his mouth..his eyes flickering as he fights with death..as he weakly squeezes most likely his daughter's hand.. "You h-healed that baby! H-Heal my daddy-"

"Would you shut the fuck up already?!"..Some man growls at her..He has his hands covering a little boy's ears and eyes..There's something deranged about the look in his brown eyes..as he glares at this little girl that's losing her father. "You've been crying about him for hours! He's fucking dead! Sorry to break it to you sweet heart, but your crazy older brother shoved a wooden spike through your father's heart! Just shut the fuck up! Your upsetting my child! You lost your father but my kid still has me, so shut the fuck up!"

Maka's..stunned..how..how can someone be so cruel?..and yet in this man she sees the drive to live too..he's aggressive..alert..He's cruel..he's evil..

"P-Please.." This little girl sobs to Maka anyway..looking at her with those big black eyes..

"Everything is going to be okay." Maka finds herself saying yet again..reassuring these people..helping these people..protecting life..yet she's the one that destroyed it in the first place. Maka walks over towards the girl..she starts looking at Maka with hopeful eyes..and it hurts her..it's painful..

They believe in her..when she doesn't even believe in herself.

"Oh yeah! everything's going to be fucking fine!" This man scoffs loudly..he laughs. "You hear that everybody?! This bitch says everything's going to be fine! You hear that dude with his legs blown off?! You hear that all you parentless children?! Everything's going to be fucking fine!" this man laughs..still covering his son..

Maka can feel all these people's eyes on her..she feels their doubt..she feels their hope..their sadness..their despair..She closes her eyes as she kneels next to this man..she takes a deep breath, channeling her power before opening her eyes..The father is looking at her..those flickering eyes fighting between life and death..and even in his eyes, Maka can see doubt..uncertainty..

"It's okay.." She assures the crying girl as she grabs the wooden spike..she sends her power down into his body..healing the inside and outside around the wooden spike..now for the tricky part.. "I'm going to rip it out ok?..I promise you..you will live."

The father looks at her with wide eyes..his face getting a little bit of color back..If what that rude man was saying was true..and the spike went through the heart..Maka doesn't think he would be alive for this long..It must have barely missed the heart..good..

She can do this.

The father nods at her..and his daughter grips his hand tighter as Maka tightens her grip on the wooden spike..she takes a deep breath..

Before she rips it out.

"AHhhhh!" The man screams out as Maka quickly puts her hand over the wound..healing it up..his screams die..and the wound heals..He looks at Maka with wide, bewildered eyes..his color back..

"Daddy!" The little girl sobs as she hugs this man..

Before Maka can even get up..she feels she's surrounded. When she turns around..all these people..all these hurt, desperate people are begging for help..begging to be healed..looking at her with hope of life..hope of salivation..

They don't want to die..just like she doesn't want to die.

There's so many of them..they all want help..all want her to follow them so they can show her their fallen companions..She shouldn't be doing this..she should be saving her energy..

But life was never meant to be hers..

So she follows each and every one of them..healing the hurt, the sick..bring life back to this dead city..she works quickly..healing to the best of her abilities..but..if some one has lost a leg..or a arm..she can only heal the wound..

She can't give them their lost parts back. She's a witch. Not god.

No mater what she does..she can't completely restore this town..she can't give back the fallen..she can't return the lost..She can only heal what's left..only comfort and dry the tears of the one's still here..

And yet..most of these people are so grateful..Maka can see that somehow..she's giving them some hope..she's given them some light..and despite all the shit that's happened..all the shit that's going to happened..

It makes her feel good..to be able to help them..to save their life..to give them what she, herself, wants..

Salivation.

Maka ends up falling to her knees in her exhaustion..her hands are starting to burn..She..she healed anyone that came to her..she couldn't tell you how many she healed..too many to count..

"Are you okay angel?!" That little girl and her father come closer to Maka.

"What's wrong?!"

"Is she okay?"

All these people..are surrounding Maka..looking at her with concern..all holding out helping hands..they look at her like she's something good..something special..

They don't understand.

"I'm just.." Maka pants. "tired..i'm fine.."

"She's tired! Give her some space!" a man that she healed his head starts yelling at the crowd..and they back up..it's odd really..to be looked up to..to be looked to for guidance..for life..

She use to be the insane girl..do you remember that? People would do all they could to stay away from her..or to make her feel like shit..yet now..all these people want to be close to her..they want to lift her up..They look at her like she's their hope..

And maybe she is.

"How are you holding up Maka?" Custos appears in front of her..no one else can see him..he's kneeling in front of Maka with concern in those eyes. "...You did amazing Maka..you saved all these people..you've given them hope!"

..How?..how could she have given them hope..when she barely has any herself?

"..I..I don't know if I can get home.." Maka pants.. "..I worked myself too hard...and really..I don't know if I even want to go back."

This seems to shock the angel..those green eyes get wide. "What do you mean Maka?"

She's really not been trying to think about it..to think about..what happened..to forget about that demon swallowing her hope..

And the boy that gave him her hope.

"..I don't know what's right or wrong anymore..I don't know where to turn anymore.." She bows her head. "..I don't' know who to trust anymore."

Custos frowns deeply. "Maka-"

"Ahhh! what are you doing?!" a woman's shriek gets Maka to look over..the crowd has parted..all looking at who is screaming..only for the crowd to scream and shout in horror..

A man..is..eating another man's..face? The woman is crying and screaming, hitting the man..yet he just pushes her off and continues munching on this struggling guy's face.

"What the fuck?" Maka growls and gets up..fighting her exhaustion she points at this man and sends him flying away from his victim..Her power goes out to heal his face..she can really feel the burn now. "What the hell.." Maka starts..only to stop when she sees the look in the eyes of the man that was eating the other man's face..

Madness..nothing but madness..

"N-No.." Custos eyes get wide. "Maka they're here! You must get these people out of here!"

"Who's here?" Maka whips around..trying to look for who the hell he's talking about as her power knocks this crazy man out..

"I'm sick and tired of your crying!" Maka whips over..to look at the man with his son..the one that was scoffing and being so doubtful..he's yelling at his crying son...something changes in the man's eyes..before a mad smile rips on his lips. "I'll end it all.."

"Wait-" Maka starts..only for this man to grab his son's head..

And twist it. The neck snaps..he drops his son's lifeless body on the unforgiving ground..a chuckle coming from this lips..

"Maka the madness! it's spreading! a demon must be here!" Custos eyes are wide as his eyes scan everywhere. "i'll try to hold it back! get these people out of here!"

Everyone!" Maka screams as Custos disappears..all these people look at her immediately..trusting in her..trusting in her words. "You have to get out of here! the madness attack is coming back! Keep your sanity and run! Anyone with an odd look in their eyes or an odd smile you run! Go! Go!" Maka shouts..

And oh boy do they run. They run like their lives depend on it. Maka runs with them a bit..helping some out that are slower..hoping that no one in the crowd will go crazy..she can feel the madness get stronger and stronger..it's like it's right behind her-

Suddenly she's grabbed..a hand put over her mouth so she can't scream..She's dragged..away from the crowd..she's dragged behind a broken up building..before she's slammed into the wall..She's turned around..

Her eyes meeting those haunted blue..

"Well howdy there Maka~" The demon purrs..looking at her with dark glee..his eyes are bouncing much more then usual..the madness radiating off of him is almost unbearable..those black vines are floating around him...his face half black..he has her pinned to the wall..Maka feels..such a hate..at staring at this fucker that took her hope..stole it..swallowed it. "Quite a party huh?! I know how to throw them!" he chuckles..

Wait..

"This is you're doing?!" Maka growls and struggles with him..this only seems to get the demon to chuckle more.

"Yup! I don't even have to do anything..just being around me, the weak fall. It's beautiful isn't it? i'm so very strong now, thanks to my father's tear.." He smirks at how Maka tenses..she's trembling..he leans in..his face mere inches from her own. "Thanks by the way..for being so generous with it! your too kind!"..

"You fucking bastard!" Maka screams and kicks out..her eyes getting dark in her hate. "That was meant for me! That was my time! You betrayed us! and Crona..he..he gave it to you.." Maka stops struggling..a deep frown on her face..

The demon's smirk doesn't fall. "Tell me Maka.." He leans too close for comfort. "Do you hate Crona for giving me your only hope? are you angry? does it hurt?"

This is what Maka didn't want to think about. She didn't want to think of Crona's part in this..didn't want to think of her love giving this demon her hope..Maka can't deny..the ting of anger she feels..or the bitterness..yet a small part of her is whispering..'he would never to anything to hurt you.'.but another part of her is screaming..roaring in anger and panic..Think about it..Maka was so happy..she thought she was going to be okay..only to watch this demon take her hope and swallow it..to find it was her love..the person she trusts the most that gave it to him..then to see her family fight and fall apart because of it..

This is all Crona's fault.

Maka doesn't answer the demon's question..but it's like he already knows her answer..like he could see her feelings through her hard emerald eyes. "You are angry with him!" He laughs..laughing right in her face. "How yummy! How wonderful!" He keeps laughing..enjoying himself. "Ah..this is what I was made for.." He shakes his head amused. "You see..I was the one who did all of it! I made him give it to me! Not only that, here's the best part! I took the gem away from him, yet he was blamed for the crime! He was beaten by the ghost and almost killed by his mother! yet i'm the one who did it! it was all me! The dumb ass really trust in me..and I took everything from him..just like Judas..I did the crime..he took the blame..same with Crona..he's all alone now, beaten, hated, imprisoned..yet i'm free and laughing my ass off! it's funny isn't it Maka?! How stupid he is? How trusting he is? I put it in his head that this gem would hurt you! He bit right in to it..just wanting to protect you..haha it's priceless! I messed up his head..then took the gem..and he's the one that got blamed! It's so fucking yummy!"

At his words..any anger..any bitterness towards Crona fades away like it was never there..instead..a furry over takes her..a protectiveness..the way this demon is talking about Crona..calling him stupid..fucking laughing about what he's done..fucking laughing that he's destroyed everything..laughing at Crona..her love..of course Crona would never do anything to hurt her! it was all this fucking demon! any negative feeling disappears towards Crona..only to times it by 100 for this demon..He used Crona..used her loved one..he's destroyed everything..Crona is not to blame for this demon's sin..no..

Maka's seeing red.

"How could you?!" Maka screams..her power building..her hair whipping around..this demon only grins at her. "Crona trusted in you! He stood up for you! You fucking bastard! i'm going to kill you for this! I'll send you right back to the pits of hell where you belong you sick mother fucker! Crona thought of you as his friend! you just lost the best mother fucking friend you could have! He isn't a dumb ass! He's innocent and pure and he would never do anything to hurt me! anytime he hurt me it was because of you! I should have known!" Maka roars..

"All me~" He chimes..a blush on his face. "Guilty is charged." He purrs. "Now..I know i'm so awesome in all, with out smarting your dumb ass boy friend but..now here's where the fun starts.." He coos..getting closer..that mad smile growing. "I'm going to-"

"Fucking hell!" a deep voice growls..getting Maka to look over..the crowd of people are gone now..but there's one large man limping..his eyes a red..he's bleeding out of a cross-cut on his shoulder..

"Oh dear, looks like Costos found one of my brothers." This demon states boredly as he watches the large man disappear. "Well..no matter. The madness has already spread nicely here.." This demon smirks at Maka. "Now to go fuck everyone else up! Thanks to this tear..I will drive everyone to madness..I will be the next demon god of madness! i'll kill my father..and then.." He gets so close..his lips almost on hers. "..I'll come after you..if he hasn't gotten to you first that is."

"You fucking traitor! I knew it!" that other girl screams out. "I'm the one suppose to destroy the world, not you dick head!"

"Ahh Death.." He gets a goofy smile on his face..he almost seems to light up at her voice. "Don't be so upset..me and you will rule together..When Maka goes mad.." He chuckles darkly. "You'll be free..Me and you Death, will destroy everything, you will be my queen."

"Fuck no! The world is mine! I share with no one specially not with a lying shit head like you!"

"This is why I love you Death! you're so kind.." he sighs happily. "I love you husband! and i'll see you soon! you'll be my queen weather you want it or not!"

"I'm not-" death starts to scream-

The demon grabs Maka's head..those haunted eyes so close to her own..the madness..it's eatting at her..her breathing is becoming uneven..she can feel Death shake her cage. "Your mine.." His lips curl in a sick smile. "maka ablarn-"

"Maka!" Custos can be seen far away..The darkness is closing in on her..

Is this really it?..she's going to die here?..

Now..less then two days is looking better than this..curse her gratefulness...

Suddenly the dark clouds part..and a beam of sunlight shines down..right on Maka. The demon hisses in pain and let's go of her..backing up..his eyes slightly wide.. "so.." He smirks again..before he fades away. "He's on your side..huh?..say hi to Crona for me."

"What's going on?" Maka looks at this light with wide eyes..it stings..it's scary..everything about this is scary..

She almost lost herself..to that demon..to the demon that's taken her hope and let Crona take the blame..

She hates him.

"God answered my prayer!" Custos cheers as he appears in front of her..smiling so brightly. "..Try to use your power now Maka!" He's so happy..

Maka closes her eyes..and to her amazement..her power flows..well..she has her power back..she gasps and opens her eyes..looking up at the source of this light. "..He..he gave me my power back.."

"He's please with you.." Custos smiles gently. "You saved many people today Maka..despite how you needed your strength..you used it for these people..God has rewarded you, by giving all that power back..and by saving your life."

Maka watches as the sunlight goes back into the sky..she watches with amazement.. "Thank you.." She speaks up to the sky..still bewildered..

"Let us go home.." Custos frowns. "..I sense a lot of dark energy back at the mansion.."

Crona.

Maka's eyes get wide..thinking about how she passed out..what happened? Is he okay? What did they do to him? Maka starts to feel a panic..as she grips her fist..about to use her power to send her back..when she catches something from the corner of her eye..

Right where the demon was standing..is her necklace..the one she was missing back on that cliff..so he was the one that took it?

Maka picks it up and puts it around her neck..better not to waste any of her own powers..She grabs the necklace..and closes her eyes..

Fading from one damned place..

Only to fade into another.

---

"..all of you are dismissed. You know our plan. Let Maka get her rest..but as soon as she's up, it's time to train..we have much work ahead of us tomorrow..it's all we have to prepare." Medusa turns her back on the three others in this room. "..All of you get your rest. " She fades away..

Ragnarok stays silent a moment..staring at the floor..a look that no one could read..his expression is conflicted..He grips his fist before he fades away..

Leaving just Eruka and Free..The fog witch is holding her head in her hands..her shoulders drooped..her hat covering her face..She hasn't moved..even though Medusa has excused them all.

"..Uh..Eruka it's time to go.." Free stands there a bit awkwardly..he shifts a little, looking at the small woman that he towers over. "..You need to get your rest to-"

"For what? it's hopeless. You know it. I know it.." Eruka's voice is bitter. "Going to war with Arachne? With one day to prepare?..It's suicide..and what about me?" She trembles.

"..Listen Eruka, I know things look pretty fucking bad..but this is Medusa. She'll find some way out of this..and we'll get what we want..but fuck what is it you always tell me? Got to be patient." Free offers her a small smile..it's full of warmth..yet the fog witch isn't looking at him. "You really should get your rest. Come on, lets go."

"i'll lay down in a minute..I just want to be alone." Eruka grips her hat tighter.

".."Free frowns..but he nods and leaves the library hesitantly..

As soon as he's gone..Eruka fades away..

Enough is enough. She's tried of being paitant..She's tried of just listening to Medusa..

No more.

---

"..Ah mother.." Medusa stares up blankly at the picture of her fallen mother..she's standing in the lobby..a lone soul..the air around her is thick..it's too quiet..She grins slightly at looking at her mother, thinking of what she did it her..only for it to fall in irritation. " If not for you i would have ripped my son to pieces by now..I didn't. I wanted to. I have better means of punishment then you mother. I won't just kill him. Oh no. losing love and being locked away hurts the most doesn't it?..but you wouldn't know anything about that.." Medusa stares at the picture..a unreadable expression on her face.

"Lady Medusa!" Eruka appears next to her..her black eyes slightly shaking..she's trembling..but there's something firm about this frog witch. "We have to talk."

"Ah Eruka.." Medusa slowly turns to look over at her..her expression never changing. "And about what?"

Eruka takes a deep breath..gathering herself..

"I think we should cut our loses.." Eruka starts off slowly. "..Medusa i know you..you could come up with something so we can do the ritual..and end all of this before it's to late! You know going to war with arachne is suicide!..you also know..how Maka's story is going to end..it's writen in legend...No matter what you do, what anyone does, if this goes on Maka will die..She was never meant to live. so why do we fight this battle? let's take what we can from her while we still can! Let's rip her of her life..so that we can have our own. We don't have much time Medusa!"

Medusa stares at Eruka blankly..before she looks back at the photo of her mother. "..Those books are old..it's not for certain what's going to happen to her. She could live."

"Why does that even matter now? weather she lives or dies we still need that from her Medusa! Now would be the perfect time! They're going through a lot with Crona..now would be the time to do it..to use this against Maka, and get what we want! Why fight this war and die? no..let's start the ritual. Let's end this." Eruka's voice..is firm.

"I'm afraid not Eruka.." Medusa slowly turns towards the fog witch. "..For you see..there have been..some change of plans."

"What do you mean change of plans?.." eruka's eyes flash.

"What I mean is I'm not doing the ritual. All I want now is to destroy my sister..for this to be over with."

"..What are you saying?! you-"

"I believe I am being clear with what I'm saying." Medusa's eyes turn hard.

..usually Eruka would nod..would back down..would listen..

Not today..

A rage starts to engulf her. "You promised me!" She screams as she walks closer to Medusa. "You promised me this ritual! You promised me you would give Mizune back to me! You can't just change plans! i sold myself to you! just for your promise of giving back Mizune!"

"Oh well..I lied." Medusa chuckles darkly. " You're a fool Eruka..to believe I would share such the witch of life with you... Mizune is gone, and rotting in hell-"

"Fuck you!" Eruka screams, she raises her hand, a spell on the tip of her tongue..

Only for Medusa to grab it..her other hand going into Eruka's mouth..the fog witch gags..frighten tears starting to fall down her face as Medusa's smile becomes sinister.

"Aw what's wrong Eruka?..frog in your throat?" Medusa chuckles..her eyes lighting up..

No one hears Eruka's screams..no one knows of the hell she's being put through..as Medusa drags her away..

To where..and to do what..

No one knows.

---

The quiet hallways never make a sound..the floor doesn't creak where he steps..nor does his form cast any shadows when he comes in the light..He's a restless spirit..

He was never put to rest.

Right now it's impossible to settle down..to be alright..to be calm..

Ragnarok's mind is swirling as he walks down this hallway to their room..his fist grip..his breathing uneven..too much shit..and not enough time. Maka only has less then two days..more like one day now..Crona is downstairs, locked in a cage..alone in the dark because it's all his fault..They will go to war against Arachne in less then two days..

Everything is coming to an end in less then two days.

Ragnarok feels..overwhelmed..he feels the madness creeping around him..He's afraid..he's worried..he's pissed off..his being is flickering..

He can't lose her. Maka gave everything back to him..Ragnarok use to be a demon..he use to be a being of nothing but hate and anger..He had hated her back in the asylum..yet as time went by..he got use to her..then he found himself being around her more and more..She made him feel..gave emotions back to him..gave him back his humanity..Maka opened his eyes..showed him he wasn't a demon..she excepted him even after all the times he beat the shit out of her..she offered him family..offered the dead a place to belong..She gave him back his life..his memories of his old life..she gave him back himself..

She can't give him life...can't give him a reason to go on..and then just die..she can't..no..He won't let her. He won't let anyone take her away..He'll fight anyone..

Even if it's Crona.

Even Ragnarok doesn't want to think about that now.

He takes a deep breath as he comes to a stop at their door..trying not to think about how much time she has left..or the boy downstairs in the cage..His piercing blue eyes are hard as he goes through the door..into the room..expecting to see the girl in bed-

She isn't.

Ragnarok feels his chest tighten in panic..his eyes get wide as he looks around the room..but she isn't here. "Maka!" He yells..he hates the desperation in his voice..he hates the mess he's becoming.. She doesn't answer..his being flickers. "Shit!" Ragnarok growls and turns around to go tear this whole fucking mansion down to find her..

Anything could have happened to her..what if that demon-

No, No, NO!

"Maka-" He shouts her name as soon as he comes out of the room

"Ow! right in my ear Ragnarok." The ghost stops at that voice..he turns his head to see Maka right beside the door..covering one of her ears..at hearing her voice..at seeing those green eyes..a relief washes over him..it feels so nice..like aloe on a sun burn..He wants to hug her..he wants to hold her..those beautiful eyes staring at him..

"You alright bitch." Ragnarok grunts, straightening himself out so he's glaring at her. "Where the fuck were you?"

"Went to the bathroom." Maka has a deep frown on her face. "..Ragnarok..where's Crona?"

He can feel his face fall..she doesn't know what went down after she passed out..Ragnarok's expression turns hard again.

"Medusa locked him up in a cage. It's what the fucker deserves..he.." Ragnarok feels that rage again..but he holds it down.

Maka's eyes flash at that, her eyes wide. "No! You don't understand Ragnarok it wasn't his fault! it was all the demon's doing!" Maka breaths heavily. "Where is he locked up?!"

Ragnarok stares at her a moment..before sighing. "..Maka I know you love him but..he fucked us over. He gave the demon the gem, he-"

"The demon made him! Fucked with his head Ragnarok! Made him believe the gem was going to hurt me! Crona thought he was protecting me!" Maka's body starts to shake in her rage..just thinking about what that demon said. "Tell me where he is!"

"How the fuck do you know that? How don't you know he just gave the demon it willingly? That the dumb ass believed him on his own? That's what he fucking said Maka! Crona admitted to it!-"

"Of course he would! The demon wanted Crona to take the complete blame! listen.." Maka takes a deep breath. "..I..I saw the demon-"

"What?!" Ragnarok's body tenses..he looks around..glaring darkly..becoming alert..getting closer to her. "Where?! did he hurt you? fuck I knew I shouldn't have left you!-"

"He tried to hurt me, but Custos stopped him." Maka reassures quickly.

"..Custos..the angel in your head?" Ragnarok frowns at that.

"Yes! Now long story short, The demon was pretty much bragging at how much of a dumb ass Crona was! Telling me all that he's done..how he fucked Crona's brain..how he planned for Crona to take the blame this whole time..Crona isn't the one that betrayed us Ragnarok..its the demon!..Do you honestly think Crona would do anything to hurt me?"

"No but I think he would be a dumb ass and believe the fucking demon! I warned him but he wouldn't listen to me! now look at him!-"

"Even if he did just give the demon the gem..He believed it was going to hurt me..either way..that demon is the one to blame.."

"Maka because of him you only have two fucking days...two fucking days.." Ragnarok's trembling.

"I know..but.." Maka trembles. "I don't want to spend my last two days with Crona in a cage..and us fighting..I want to spend it with my family..I want everything to be normal..at least between us..I can't handle all this shit going on Ragnarok..and you two fighting..and Crona in a cage..I can't deal with not knowing who's right and who's telling the truth..my head hurts..I don't want to think of it anymore!..So tell me where he is..i'm letting him out." Maka hugs herself..but she looks at Ragnarok firmly..

Ragnarok stares at her a moment..before he curses and grips his fist..He closes his eyes..and takes a deep breath. "..He's in the dinning room-"

As soon as those words are out..Maka's gone.

Ragnarok stares at where she was..a growl admitting from his throat..He doesn't know what to believe either..but he's pissed at Crona..pissed at letting the demon stay around and befriend him..when he knew something like this was going to happen..

He's still pissed at Crona..

But for Maka he'll try to suppress it..something about the demon making Crona give him the gem doesn't make sense..either way..

If Crona had fucking listened to him..this wouldn't be happening.

Ragnarok takes a shaky breath..before he fades away..

Maka only has till the day after tomorrow.

---

No sound. No light. Not even his shadow to comfort him. Not even his madness here to fill the void in his heart. He's alone, completely, utterly alone. The cold, metal bars are the only thing he can hold onto..it's cold in here..so cold..he's shivering..whimpering..

Crona hasn't stopped crying.

He's hurting..this all too much to deal with..Maka's only has less than two days..and he's still not completely sure that giving the gem to Judas was a good thing..now he's in this cage..Ragnarok hates him..Maka might even hate him..

He didn't want this. He never wanted this. He wanted to be the hero..he wanted to show her that he was for her..that he would go against his mother for her..

Instead of being the hero..he has been branded with the name that has been haunting him since back at the asylum.

Traitor.

His mother called him a traitor..Maka called him a traitor..

And it's true. Ragnarok was right..

Why can't he do anything right? Why can't what he thinks is right be right?..

What hurts the most about this..

Is that he doesn't know if he did wrong or not..if he made the right choice..or the wrong one..

Will he be trapped here for two days..? Will he never see Maka again?..will they keep him away from her?..

This thought makes his tears fall more..his sobs becoming heavier..to never see her again..to be locked in here..not knowing what's going on..if she's safe..being locked in here with her hating him..

You know that saying..'It's better to have love and lost then to never to have loved at all?'..

That's not true. That is a lie.

At least if you never loved..you don't know what your missing out on..but to have love..and then lose it..It's hell. It's pain. Crona finally got love from Maka..felt it's warmth..only for him to fuck it up..and now he's alone in this cold cage..

In this moment..Crona wishes he never meant Maka..that he never ran into her at the asylum..

Because all he's done is take away from her. He ruined her life. He ruins everything..

Crona is a traitor..he never deserved her..he never deserved her love..if he failed her..

Strike him down now..but if he didn't..he needs a sign..

Yet Judas hasn't come back..hasn't answered his calls..this doesn't make Crona feel any better..it makes him restless..why would Judas just leave?..right after he got the gem..?

Unless it's true. Unless Judas betrayed him..

At that..Crona feels pain..his chest tightening..He thought of the demon as his friend..someone who cared..who thought he was special..He helped Maka..he didn't take his body..

So why is he acting so weird now? Why has he left him to deal with this alone?

Crona's throat is dry..it's sore..his eyes hurt from crying..maybe..maybe he'll just die here..he can't deal with her hate..the world can hate him..can beat him..but not her. Not Maka. Not his happiness..not the girl who made him cherry beard..that visited him at the asylum..not the girl who told him scary stories or colored with him..not the girl who held him..not the girl who danced with him..not the girl who gets him to laugh..to smile..not Maka..not the girl he loves..

He can't stand it. He can't deal with it.

Being here..in the dark..in this cage..it reminds him of his life when he didn't have Maka..alone in a box..in the dark..those lonely nights at the asylum..now he's back here..in this cage..in the dark..because he lost his light..he lost Maka..

Pain. It hurts. it hurts too much.

"I-I've finally l-lost you haven't I?.." Crona speaks to no one..he asks the darkness..because that's all he has now..the darkness and his thoughts..

"Lost who?"

That voice..that angelic voice..it couldn't be..it can't be..Crona whips his head up..only to see Maka..the lights have been turned on..and there she stands..his light..his love..his everything..staring at him..with those eyes..a expression he can't read..Crona stares at her in awe..not sure if she's really there..He's afraid..yet he feels his heart lift at seeing her at the same time.. Maka walks closer..and Crona gasps..fear starting to become a powerful emotion. "Well?.."

"..L-Lost you.." Crona finds himself speaking..it's so soft..weak..choked..he tries to wipe his tears away..but they keep coming..he's so pathetic it's disgusting.

"Lose me?" Maka hums as she comes closer to the cage..then he sees it..a smile..she's smiling at him. "Why you crying? i'm here aren't I? You couldn't lose me if you tried! Your stuck with me remember?"

Crona's breath hitches..he looks at her with those wide pale blue eyes..he's trembling..his tears fall more when he sees that smile he doens't deserve..at how her eyes soften. "M-Maka..d-don't you hate me?..THe g-gem.." HE trembles..not able to continue..just waiting for Maka to explode on him like Ragnarok did..

"I know it wasn't you Crona.." Her expression changes..does he see rage in her eyes? It gets him to squeak and tremble. "It was all that demon! He told me fucking everything..how he tricked you..how he left you to take the blame! How he made you give him the gem..how he fucked up with your head.." Maka shakes her head.

"H-He told you?" Crona frowns confused. "A-And he didn't make me..h-he-"

"I know Crona. It's okay." Maka shakes it off. "Your not to balme for this..I know you would never do anything to hurt me..and even if you gave the demon the gem willingly.." Maka kneels in front of the cage..her eyes firm. "..I would never want you in this cage. Your no animal..Your a part of my family Crona..you and Ragnarok are all I have left...I already told you..no matter what you do..I could never hate you.." She smiles at him again..and he sees it..the love..

He still can't stop crying..She doesn't hate him..she's here..she's smiling at him..It hurts..he feels his heart swell..yet ache..

Would she still say that..if she knew what he's done?

"M-Maka.." He can only whimper her name..grabbing at the bars that are separating him from her..she puts her hands over his..her touch is like a jolt..

"it's okay.." She reassures..she reassures him..when she's the one that's running out of time..

That's when he sees..Ragnarok reappear behind her..His gaze is still sharp..those piercing blue eyes glaring into Crona's..and yet Crona doesn't mind that..

Becasue at least he's here.

"I'm going to let you out okay Crona?.." She smiles as she closes her eyes. "We're all going to get some sleep..it will be like this never happened-"

"Stop."

Ragnarok tenses and whips around..Maka doesn't turn around..she keeps her eyes close but her smile has fallen..Crona's teeth chatter..

"Why?" Maka turns slightly..to look at Medusa who just appeared in the room..those snake eyes cold.

"Do you really have to ask why? Crona is a traitor. He betrayed you and he betrayed me. He doesn't deserve to be free."

Crona bows his head..he completely agrees-

"Your wrong." Maka growls and stands up..Crona looking at her with wide eyes. "It was all the demon Medusa..he's the traitor, not Crona...I saw him..he told me everything..it was the demon, not Crona. He wanted Crona to take the blame..he fucked with his head..he doesn't deserve to be here!"

"Maka I don't believe-"

"I don't care what you believe. I believe in Crona. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me!" Crona shrinks into himself but Maka continues. "I want him out of this cage! I only have less then two days and I want to spend it with my family! i'm letting him out-" Maka turns back around...reaching out to the cage-

"Careful now." Medusa appears right beside her..grabbing her hand..stopping her from touching the cage.. "I put a curse on it..let me do it." Medusa lets her go..she snaps her fingers and the cage disappears..Maka looks at this witch a bit surprised..She takes a step back when she realizes how close this witch is.. "If you say it was just the demon..I believe in your judgement..." She grabs Maka..cupping her cheeks..Ragnarok is so tense..Crona still seems in shock that his mother would just let him go.. "I will take care of this demon..you get your rest..tomorrow will be a big day.." She runs her fingers through Maka's hair..the young witch is frozen..those eyes staring into her. "..We will avenge your mother..rest assured. I will not let you die..for my only friend..I will make sure you live...I won't be easy on you tomorrow..I will show you no mercy..i've always protected Kami..but she's gone now..I'll protect you. The last of her." Medusa leans in..and gives Maka a kiss on the cheek..before she can do anything..Medusa fades away.

Maka stands there with wide eyes..she hates when Medusa talks about her mother like that..she hates when she has to be reminded of her past..she must die..she must hate her..it's just getting harder..Maka wipes her cheek..Ragnarok and Crona are just looking at where Medusa went..both shocked..both confused..

"Lets get some rest." Maka holds her hand out for Crona..the boy looks up at her with his eyes lighting up..He shakily grabs her hand..and she helps him up..She pulls this frail boy into a embrace..holding his trembling body against her own..feeling his heart beat..feeling how weak he is. "..It's okay.." she sooths softly as she rubs his hair..he only seems to tremble more.

"..Let's go." Ragnarok appears next to Maka..He puts a arm around her..Crona moves so he has one of his arms around her..and Maka puts her arms around both their necks..

"Take me to bed boys.." Maka allows herself to grin at the two..Crona blushes and Ragnarok scoffs.

"I should just fucking drop you."

"O-Okay Maka."

Their responses still amuse her to no end. Maka lets herself chuckle..forgetting about her time..forgetting about the demon..forgetting about Medusa..

It's just her and her family..that's all she needs..

Crona smiles slightly at her laughter..but when he sees the look Ragnarok is giving him..he ducks his head..

This isn't over..can Maka really just forget about what he's done?..pretend it didn't happen?..

And Judas..he told Maka that it was all him..how did they even talk?..Maka..that rage he saw..it was all for the demon..any emotion he saw back when Judas swallowed the gem..were gone..

Judas..lied so Maka wouldn't hate him?..What does that mean?..does that mean he did do the right thing?..that Judas didn't betray him?..then where is he?..why wouldn't he answer his calls?..

Crona doesn't know..he's confused..so he just girps into Maka tighter..praying all the bad will go away..that Maka will be okay..that everything will work out..

Tonight he will hold her close..and he won't cry in his sleep..

He'll be strong for her..he'll give everything he has to her..

She can't die..Crona can't lose her..

Maka only has till the day after tomorrow.

---

"Did you fucking see the sky?" Some man growls out through the roar of all these other people..they're all bunched together in this small, abandoned building..or at least it was supposed to be abandoned.

"Yes!..They all went crazy..I had to put down my own father!"

"My sister tried to kill me!"

"Is it really the end of the world? Fuck! I was going to retire in two years!"..

These people's shouts start to get louder..so many different accents..different kinds of clothes..different people..the same look in their eyes..

And all have the same cross around their necks.

There's clapping..all the talking ceases as all eyes go on the stage in front of them..Kid stands on the stage, with Liz and Patty on either side of him..His yellow eyes look around at all these witch hunters..all these people that he is in charge of..his back is straight..he has an air of authority. "Thank you.." He puts his hands behind his back..all that can be heard is his voice.. "Let me start off by saying thank you for coming all this way..I know times are tough for everyone around the world, yet you all got here as fast as you could."

They all stare at him..looking at him for answers..looking at him for guidance.

"..The end of the world is on us." Kid starts slowly..seeing how this starts some panic in the younger witch hunters..the older ones just stare at him..their eyes hard..they have been through hell and back..they can handle this. "Madness is spreading and this madness attack won't be the last..my fellow witch hunters..I have gathered you together so that we can fight together. We are the protectors..the innocent need us. I need you..these are hard times..we can not afford to be divided!" Kid's voice booms..those eyes hard.

Liz and Patty nod seriously..looking at all these people..gripping their crosses..

Times are hard. They need all the help they can get.

"You made us leave our homes and gather an army like there's going to be a war!" a man in the crowd shouts out. "My home town still needed me! How are we going to help the world if we're all here?"

"I'm glad you brought up war..because there will be one.." Kid takes a deep breath. "..The witch sisters are going to declare war soon..we need to be there, fighting against them..Medusa must die!-"

"Go to war against the sisters? Your insane!" Some yells out.

"If we don't do anything then the whole world will go insane!" Kid takes a step forward..this gets everyone to go silent. "The world will be destroyed if this keeps on! I know your worried about your home towns..but I know that not all witch hunters came..let them deal with your home towns..but I need you all..I need you all to save the world."

"There's not enough of us!" A young male witch hunter cries out.

"Yeah! How do you expect us to win with just 100 of us?!"

"That is why I called for back up.." Kid takes a deep breath. "..You can come in now."

At this..the doors open..all the witch hunters turn around to see a large group of men and women..all their eyes are hard..cold..cigarettes in most of their mouths..guns on their backs, and knifes hooked to their hips..yet they don't have crosses around their necks..

"Sorry we're late!" a voice calls out..the group of men and women create a path for this person as he runs into the building..runs up to the stage and gets on it..Kid takes in that cigarette in his mouth..takes in those dark red eyes..those sharp teeth in a grin..

"Soul.." Kid takes a deep breath and forces his smile. "Thank you for coming-"

"Any hing for you man." He smirks. "We're tired of he world going to fucking shit too! We know how to kill to keep the world in tack, don't we people?!" He roars over at his group of people..and they roar back..dark smirks on their faces.

"Who the hell are these people?" A witch hunter speaks up.

"They are-"

"We're assassins!" Soul cuts Kid off, getting his eye to twitch..the albino takes a drag of his cigarette.. and blows the smoke out. "Fucking awesome right?"

"Yes, they are assassins. They are highly trained with fighting..they know our cause and are willing to fight-"

"And kill."

"..and kill anything that stands in our way." Kid looks at all the witch hunters seriously. "We won't let this get any father! This is the time to come together and protect the balance! This is what we have been trained to do for most of our lives! This is the world we are meant' to protect! Though I can't force you..if you want to leave..now is the time to do it." Kid backs up and looks at all these people..

They look at each other..before any doubt leaves their eyes and they look at kid with determination

"We're staying!"

"We'll kill those fucking bitches!"

"We'll save the world!"

They cheer..the assassins and the witch hunters..Kid smiles..despite all of this..he has his army..he can do this..he can save Maka.

"Yay!" Patty jumps and down..her older sister grinning at her. "We'll destroy those mother fuckers!"

"All of you, please rest up..' Liz speaks up, taking steps forward. "The left side of this place is for the men, the right side for the women. This is a big place, this use to be a prison..so help yourself to the many rooms. There is food down stairs if your hungry."

"We move out tomorrow!" Kid roars and they roar back..hyped..

They continue to roar and talk as the room clears out..them going to eat or rest..

"Awesome speech there." Soul grins goofy over at Kid who sighs..Soul fiddles with his cigarette staring at the other man. "I can't believe you called me though dude! This is fucking sick! Me and you fighting together..just like good old times right-"

"That was one time and it was a mistake." Kid crosses his arms. "I only called because i'm desperate. if not for that you wouldn't have even crossed my mine."

"Aw don't be a dick." Soul frowns as he taps his cigarette..his ashes falling to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kid points a shaky finger at the ashes..his eye twitching. "You don't just dump your ashes on the floor! There is something called an ash tray-"

"I don't have one." Soul chuckles at how pissed Kid looks ."Dude be cool, you'll give yourself a heart attack by age twenty."

"I don't need you to be worried about my health! I won't have a heart attack if you don't leave your ashes everywhere! go outside-"

"Here we go.." Liz sighs and rolls her eyes, getting Patty to laugh. "Let's go Patty..we need to rest up."

"Aww but I wanna watch.." Patty pouts as she watches Kid snatch the cigarette from Soul..it looks like the albino is about to cry.

"Come on Patty." Liz grabs her sister's arm and leads her over to the right..Patty doesn't stop watching though as she goes..giggling.

"Give it back! Do you know how much cigarettes cost now a days?!" Soul growls as Kid holds the cigarette out of his reach, moving his hand when Soul would reach for it.

"Then quit. It's a nasty habit. You stink. And you make a mess. If you stopped spending your money on cigarettes and weed then you might even be a millionaire" Kid snaps, still holding it away from him..The other boy pressed against him to get it.

"Hey! I work hard, killing things and shit, I deserve to have fun." Soul narrows his eyes..before they widen. "Holy shit Kid! Is there one more vase over there then on the left side-"

"Where?!" Kid whips around..his eyes wide in horror..

Only for Soul to snatch the cigarette from him..jumping back a couple of steps..

"You still have that problem?" Soul chuckles as he takes a drag of the cigarette.

"That was a dirty trick.." Kid grumbles, glaring at this boy..

"So where's my thank you?" Soul blows out. "I came all this way..gathered my boys and all you've done is scold me for my smoking habits! not very nice there kid."

"..Forgive me." Kid sighs as he straightens himself out and runs a hand through his hair. "..Thank you Soul. I really do appreciate this."

"That's more I like it!" Soul grins. "You're welcome! now..where exactly are we going tomorrow? it was hard getting my peeps to come here when I didn't know what really to tell them other than we're going to save the world.."

"I don't know."

"Oh yeah that's..wait what?" Soul blinks at the other boy.

"I don't know where we're going.." Kid frowns now. "..I got so caught up with just gathering my army..that I don't know where to even start!..iIdon't know where Maka is-"

"The girl who didn't like you back right?."

"...Yes. Now I don't know where she is..or where Medusa is..or Arachne.." Kid frowns.

"Well you better think of something! They are going to be pissed if they know you don't know what you're doing." Soul gives him a long look..he looks at how Kid's shoulders slump..how his eyes get duller. "Hey.." Soul puts a hand on his shoulder..smiling at him..not grinning. "You're a cool dude. strong and smart. you'll think of something..I get my best ideas when i'm asleep..I dream them. Maybe you should just get some rest.."

"..I feel like I barely have any time.." Kid's voice is soft.

"Don't think of time. I never do. IT's never about how fast I kill a guy.." Soul tightens his grip on Kid. "As long as I get the job done. you got this Kid..I believe in you."

Kid looks over at Soul..slightly surprised by how mature he's acting now..how those red eyes seem to bore into his own..how sincere his words are..yet, Kid can't really tell you who the real Soul is..He acts so many different ways..he's an assassin..

They are both killers..but Kid kills witches..Soul kills people.

Kid doesn't think him and Soul are the same at all..no..they are complete opposites..he doesn't like it..

Yet he finds comfort in this assassin's soft smile..maybe because..

It looks so real.

"So get some rest." Soul grins again and lets go of Kid..He turns his back to him..which has two machine guns strapped to it..He starts walking away. Soul stops and looks back..he smiles again. "Okay?"

Kid almost smiles back..

When Soul taps his ashes on the floor again-

"Disgusting! you disgusting person!" Kid growls.

"No ash tray!" Soul chuckles before he runs away..to the left side..leaving Kid all alone.

"despicable.." Kid grumbles as he walks over to the two piles of ashes this boy left behind..He carefully scoops up what he can with his hands before walking down to one of the two trash cans in this room..now he has to wash his hands..

Stupid Soul. He really wishes he didn't have to call him. The boy gets under his skin...

Kid sighs and he gets to one of the old prison's bathrooms..It's not that bad because this one was meant for the guards. Kid thanks god that this place still has running water, he happily gets to watching his hand..pulling out his germ-X from his pocket and having to use that as soap..the soap here is moldy from sitting here for so long..

Soon he forgets about Soul..and he remembers the problem..

He doesn't know what he's doing.

He got his army..he has all the people he needs..and yet now he doesn't even know what to do with them! He doesn't know where Maka is..or even if she's okay..if she's still alive..if Medusa-

Kid shakes his head..a panic gripping him..No..No..he still has time..he has to!..Death hasn't taken control of Maka..he would be able to tell..the world would react to death..Maka is still out there..

He just has to get to her..but how? Where is she? is she ok? doens't she still trust in Medusa?..are Crona and that ghost being good to her?..

All these questions go unanswered..he grips his hair..letting the steaming water run..what is he going to do?..

"Father.." Kid speaks softly..not know why..His father is still captured by Medusa..but he's been speaking to him like he isn't. "..I don't know what to do."

"you can't always know what to do Kid-o! I certainly didn't!" A voice chimes..

"I know but-" Evertyhing stops..Kid's breath catches as he whips his head over..

Only to see his father standing next to him..with a soft smile on his face..those yellow eyes bright..

"Father.." Kid gasps out..his body trembling a bit. "..Have I gone mad?"

"Nope! it's nice to see you again son! I missed you!" the mayor frowns deeply..his body see through. "..Maka let me go. she saved my soul."

"S-She did?" Kid can't help to stutter..his heart lifting..he feels his eyes water but he blinks it away..

Maka let his father go..

"Yes..you see Kid..I was wrong." The mayor shakes his head. "I know you already know but she's nothing like the others!..she cares for you, that's why she let me go." his eyes get hard. "listen to me Kid..Maka is in danger..with being around Medusa so much..i've learned that you have worse things to worry about hen just her!..a demon is after her son..She's cursed..this demon has been causing the madness to spread..he's causing the end of the world now..." Kid can't help..but to notice all the scatches in his father..how his being his faded. "..A demon did most of my toturing when I was with Medusa..He told me things, horrible things of what he's going to do to the world and what he's going to do to Maka..I know where she's going to be Son.."

Kid can barely process all this..His father isn't angry that he's helping Maka..he's been set free..but he was tutored by a demon? this demon wants Maka?..She's in danger?..she has a curse on her?..

But what he says last gets everything to stop.

"Y-You do?" Kid's eyes get wide in hope..he takes a step towards his father..just seeing him geting his eyes to water.

"Yes.." The mayor leans in..wrapping his arms around his son..holding him close..Kid can't feel him..but just seeing his father hold him again..gets him to cry..just a single tear..nothing more but it's there. "It's okay..everything is going to be fine.." he hums. " I missed holding you son..and I want you to know..i'm proud of you. i've always have been..and I always will.." He leans in closer to Kid's ear. "She's..." He mumbles into his ear..Kid's eyes widen. "Go and save her..and the world..I know you can do it.." the mayor is starting to get faded..

"Father what's happening to you?" Kid trembles..trying to hold him..but he can't.

"I'm moving on.. i'm free now..i've told you want I wanted to tell you..I can't stay here any longer.." He smiles at his son. "I'll see you in heaven..but don't worry..i'm not in a rush to see you." he chuckles. "I'll be watching you..every breath you take..every move you make..i'll be there..i'll see it..and i'll be cheering you on.." He's almost completely faded..

"Father don't.." Kid doesn't want him to go..doesn't want this man to leave him so soon..

"I love you son.." The mayor kisses Kid's forehead..but Kid doens't feel it. He can't feel his father..The mayor gives him a smile..before he fades away into light..

He's gone..off to heaven..

Kid wipes that one tear..

It's okay..his father isn't suffering anymore..he's moved on to better things..

And Maka let him go.

Kid's eyes get wide at the information his father told him..He turns and runs out of the bathroom..his chest burning with a new resolve.

He knows what to do now..

He knows where to go.

---

Got this out a bit faster. even though Crona's out of the cage I feel like nothing really got resolved..well at least with Crona and Ragnarok..

Now you tell me, was it a mistake for Crona to give Judas the gem? or was it a good thing?

Kid has his army..Eruka's in trouble..Maka's still saving people..

In all honesty, who thinks this is story is going to end horribly?..and who thinks it's going to have a happy ending?..

Well till next time.