These characters are under copyright by Atsushi Ōkubo, Squar Enix, Yen Press, Shōnen,
Akatsuki Yamatoya. Madman Entertainment, Manga Entertainment, Funimation, and/or others. This is a work of fanfiction, for no monetary gain.

A/N:
Caution: Brief mention of the possibility of rape.

Also, FYI, I am using "they" and "their" pronouns for Crona below, due to the character's non-gender specific nature in the original Japanese manga and anime.

Chapter 8 – Confessions: Good for the Soul?

Lord Death was surprised and concerned to see Spirit pushing a wheelchair containing his son beneath the Guillotine Arches. "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously. Though Kid's face had been washed, his newly shortened hair was uncombed and the overly large white dress shirt and blue jeans he was wearing were still a torn, bloody, dirty mess. It was jarring, seeing Kid look anything less than immaculate.

"I'm fine, Father. This isn't about me, it's about Justin," Kid assured him, intently but calmly, as if he was completely unaware of his current ragged state.

"I told you not to worry, son. Justin Law might still be young, but he's one of the strongest Weapons I've ever seen, and one of the very few people in all our history to be an Autonomous Weapon, to obtain dual Weapon Meister status. That's why I made him head Death Scythe in our European Division," Death assured him.

"But Giriko is a Weapon Meister too, extremely powerful and obsessed with Justin. Father, Giriko doesn't just want to cut or kill Justin. He… when I was Giriko's captive… he said… sexual things and… did things," Kid trailed off, ending in a whisper, unable to meet his eyes, suddenly looking far more pale, looking ill.

Death felt both a wave of cold fear and hot rage burn inside him, at the implications. "What did he do to you?" he demanded.

All the blood left Kid's face as he shrank back from him, and Death silently cursed as he realized he'd unleashed his darker side once again in his son's presence and frightened him, even as Spirit stepped between them, a chastising yet cautious look on his face. I must look truly terrifying, if even Spirit is unnerved by me again.

"I just arrived. I heard Kid was alive, that he's safe, but injured, and was coming to report to you before going to the Infirmary," a familiar, normally timid voice proclaimed indignantly from behind Spirit. "How can you scare your own son like that? You're always so kind to him, he doesn't know how to deal with you being mean," Crona accused.

"Crona!" Kid cried, excitement and relief in his voice as he peered around Spirit, clearly eager to see his friend. "I hadn't heard any of the details of Justin's capture yet. I was afraid you might have been with him, that you might have been hurt or killed or taken."

"I'm fine. I've been studying with Justin, but we didn't travel together. I should have been with him. Ragnarok and I could have helped protect him," Crona claimed mournfully.

"Like I want to help that smug, pious, jerk," Ragnarok protested, rising up from Crona's shoulder.

"Quiet, Ragnarok! That's a terrible thing to say, especially since Justin's been captured," Crona chastised, their voice firm and confident, instead of quavering.

Lord Death was pleased to see his idea of having Crona study with Justin and some of the others in the European branch had been as fruitful as he had hoped.

Then Crona frowned, looking suspiciously at Kid's cast. "Why do you have wards on…? Oh! Oh, I see. They're Protection and Healing. I've never seen those two wards combined like that before, within a single circle. If they actually work, that's amazing. I only know of one Witch who was skilled enough to do that, and she's dead," Crona said sadly.

"Do you mean the Witch Umbra?" Kid asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Crona said, their eyes widening in surprise. "You don't mean Umbra is still alive, do you? Mother told me Umbra's own sister, the Witch Esmeralda, had killed her." Crona shrank in on themself. "Mother told me family means nothing, if you betray them, that sisters have every right to kill each other, like mothers have every right to kill their children if they ever disobey or disappoint them," they added, in a crushed whisper.

Ragnarok pinched Crona's cheek, making them cry out in pain. Crona raised their hand to their face. "That hurt! Why would you do that?"

"Because you were wilting again. We have a deal, remember? You wilt, I get to pinch you. I still think it's no fair, I swear you agreed I could punch you, not pinch you, but the last time you got so gloomy about me punching you that you wouldn't come out of the corner for days and I was bored out of my mind. Even if it was fun to hit you, it wasn't worth it," Ragnarok grumbled.

"Excuse me, Crona, but Kid and I were having a very important conversation about Justin, before you arrived. I'd like you to…" Lord Death began, needing to hear what Kid had been trying to say, before he'd frightened his son so badly.

"If it's about Justin, I need to hear too," Crona interrupted standing straight again, as if they'd never been cowering.

Kid shook his head, looking appalled. "I can't say any of it in front of you," he claimed, horrified.

Death felt his fear and fury begin to boil again.

"Crona, why don't you get Soul from the Infirmary? He wasn't too badly injured and I think maybe Kid and Soul need to talk alone for a while, and then Soul can tell both you and Lord Death what happened," Spirit suggested. "Would that be alright with you, Kid?" Spirit asked Lord Death's son, ignoring his presence completely.

The look of relief on Kid's face helped calm Lord Death.

"I think I could tell Soul," Kid agreed.

"Where would you like to talk to your friend, Son?" Lord Death asked Kid, needing to show he supported Spirit's initiative.

"At home, in my… in the game room," Kid replied, the hesitation in his voice making Lord Death quietly fret and fume. He could tell Kid had been about to say his bedroom, the place where he'd always felt safest, but he hadn't wanted to be there which meant… He was going to ensure that Giriko's death was as long and painful as he could possibly make it. He was going to use Spirit to skin him alive, the way he'd skinned Asura. The only difference was, Giriko wasn't his son. He wouldn't survive it. But he'd make sure Stein injected him with something to keep him alive as long as possible. That insane Weapon Meister was going to pay for hurting his son.

He didn't realize his shadows had filled the room until he saw Spirit barring the Arches that led to the only exit, save for his viewing mirror. He belatedly realized Crona must have wheeled his son away.

"Sir…?" Spirit asked bravely, guardedly, though his voice was shaking.

"Spirit, you're going to help me kill someone," Lord Death said, not even trying to mask the hatred and rage in his voice.

Spirit kowtowed in front of him. "I live only to serve you, Lord Death," he swore.

Seeing Spirit acting so humble and subservient was almost as jarring as seeing Kid afraid of him. He sighed, heavily, and the shadows dissipated, melting back inside of him, where they belonged. "That will be enough of that. Get up. I think we could both use a cup of tea," Lord Death said wearily.

"Chamomile, Lemon Balm, or Skullcap, sir?" Spirit replied smoothly, as he stood, listing his three favorite calming herbal teas.

"I think we'd better make it a blend of all three," Lord Death replied honestly, as he sat at the table, and tried not to think too much about his son. A line from the play Medea gnawed at his enforced calm. "People go mad if they think too much." He couldn't afford to go mad. The results would be catastrophic.

He sighed again, watching his old friend and trusted Weapon measure out equal portions of the three types of tea leaves and carefully mix them together into a harmonious blend. "You know, Spirit, I know Marie is a great help to Stein, but I hope you realize that you are the one who keeps him sane. I wanted to thank you for that," Lord Death said quietly.

Spirit froze for a moment and then resumed his work. "You're welcome, sir. Stein means a great deal to me. He's a good man. I'd do anything to protect him. I'd do the same for you."

The quiet intensity of his answer enabled Lord Death to say what he'd been thinking. "Thank you for not allowing me to harm anyone, Spirit, for understanding. Forgive me for attacking you earlier, and for frightening you so badly so many times these past two days, including just now."

Spirit had met his gaze after the first few words, and hadn't looked away.

"I've never told him in so many words, but I love Stein, sir. I'd never thought I'd want to partner with anyone else, other than Maka's mother, until I became your chosen Death Scythe, until you wielded me for the first time. Each of you is special to me in a different way, but you're each irreplaceable. Losing Julia and nearly losing Maka because of my divorce was a nightmare. I never could have made it through that without you and Stein. I'll protect you and your son with my life, for as long as I'm able.

"Splitting your soul, so Kid was born before you were dying, unlike all the Reapers before you, was an incredibly compassionate, very human thing for you to do, sir. I know you believe it was worth the risk, and I do, as well, and that the outcome was worth the cost, but I also know that, when you wrestle with your darker side, like Stein, you sometimes lose. That's when you can lean on me, and Stein, and the other Meisters and Weapons here, Lord Death. We're all here to support and protect you, the way your soul encompasses the DWMA and protects us all. I'm pretty sure you realize that, sir, but I just thought I'd tell you anyway," his Weapon said with a sincerity and depth of feeling he'd seldom heard from Spirit before.

"After you visit with me for a while, and once we hear what Soul has to say, you need to spend some quality time with Maka, in the Infirmary, while she's a captive audience. It's time you let your daughter know the real reason you and her mother divorced. Maka is old enough now that she should understand. You've kept up this ridiculous smokescreen of other women to protect Maka long enough, Spirit," Lord Death urged.

"Sir? I don't know what…" Spirit began, but Lord Death cut him off, refusing to hear the lie.

"Your wife was jealous of Stein and of me. She couldn't bear sharing your heart with us. It didn't matter that she was the only one you had a physical relationship with," Lord Death stated firmly.

Spirit opened his mouth and then closed it again, his eyes flooding with pain. He braced himself against the counter, and Lord Death rose, glided over to him, and embraced him.

"I tried to explain, but she…" Spirit began brokenly.

"I know. I wish she understood. But just because she didn't, doesn't mean that Maka won't. It's not fair to you or to your daughter to let her misconception go on any longer. Maka is destined to share something special with Soul, the kind of resonance a Weapon and Meister seldom ever achieve, but her ability to trust him has been damaged by her past. I know you didn't mean to harm her, that you were trying to protect her, with your actions," Lord Death was quick to mollify, when Spirit stiffened.

"But Soul has enough demons to fight, without having to fight Maka's, too. Someday he might yet go Kishin on us, unless he gains that level of resonance with Maka. We can't allow that to happen." Lord Death hated strong-arming Spirit like this, but it was long past time his friend rebuilt the bridge he'd burnt which led to his daughter.

"I will sir. I promise. As soon as we resolve the issue with your own child," Spirit promised.

0 0 0

"I'm sorry, Kid. I've never seen your father so angry before. He reminded me of my mother, but I know he's not usually like that, and I didn't know how to deal with it," Crona apologized, as they stopped to catch their breath, after pushing Kid in the wheelchair to safety.

"I think he thinks something worse happened to me than what did. It's my fault for not being able to talk about it. I'm so stupid, so worthless! He deserves a better son," Kid said self deprecatingly.

"Don't say that! That's not true at all! You're kind and smart and wonderful. It's not your fault parents can be scary sometimes. At least your father is alive and he's usually nice and you're not afraid of him," Crona encouraged, their voice sad and wistful.

That only made Kid feel worse. Crona had never known their father, and their mother had been evil incarnate, and was dead now. Without all of them at the DWMA, Crona wouldn't have anyone.

"Thank you for defending me, even if he didn't mean to upset me," Kid said, not willing to admit that for a few moments he'd actually been afraid of his own father.

"Of course I defended you! What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?" Crona asked, smiling shyly at him.

Kid felt his heartbeat start to flutter. Something about that shy smile always made him feel that way. Maybe it was because everyone else at the Academy was always so sure of themselves, except for him and Crona. But Maka made Crona smile too, far more than he did, and seeing them together, seeing Crona so relaxed and happy when they were with her, always made him smile too.

Crona's brow crinkled as their gaze focused on Kid's cast. "Who made that for you?" they asked curiously.

"The Witch Angela. I was sent to hunt her and her bodyguard Mifune, for a string of murders, but they weren't actually guilty of the crimes. Angela's evil aunt, the Witch Esmeralda, and Giriko were. Or maybe only Esmeralda. I'm not sure. Angela explained to me that evil Witches can use the souls of human sacrifices to power their spellcasting," Kid said.

Crona's eyes widened in horror and they nodded. "My mother used to do that," they whispered. "Sometimes she'd use my Soul Wavelength to power her spells. That's one of the reasons she bound a Demon Weapon to me, so I'd be more powerful, but also easier for her to control."

"Yeah, and now you just can't bear to be apart from me, can you?" Ragnarok piped up, popping out of their shoulder again.

"Ragnarok! What have I told you about entering private conversations without permission?" Crona asked in annoyance.

"You told me not to. Like I'd ever listen to what you have to say!" Ragnarok scoffed.

"Behave!" Crona commanded, unperturbed.

Kid was happy to see how much stronger Crona had become since they defeated their mother, how much more confident and in control.

"Come on. We need to get you to Soul, so you can speak to him. Unless you'd rather speak to me?" Crona asked, glancing down, the shyness back.

Kid felt his face flush, and he shook his head vehemently. There was no way he could say anything to Crona. It would be hard enough to tell Soul. "You shouldn't have to hear that. It would upset you and that's the last thing I want to do," Kid said earnestly.

Crona bit their lip and nodded. "Alright. Next stop, Soul," they said, and began heading for the Infirmary.