Kid's exit to the abandoned witch's hut was blocked by a red clown. It's movement was jagged and delayed, like a tin toy wound up to tight. It rotated it's head, each movement punctuated by the whine of metal on metal.

"You can't leave." The red clown said. "Stealing is wrong." It's jaw dropped opened and bared sharp teeth. "Give it back." Kid had hit it hard with the magic tool, disconnecting its head from its body. The head crashed through a support beam in the center of the room. The roof caved in as the whole cottage finally fell in on itself. "Damage at 87%. Shutdown is emanate." The voice warped toward the end. Just as Kid was about to leave the eyes of the clown lit up again and a snide feminine laugh echoed from it.

"'Oh, how the mighty have fallen.' You always were the favorite dear cousin. Everyone had such high hopes when you became the Sekaigami, but we both know a title doesn't suddenly make you the epitome of order and law.

You just had to try and make everyone happy, didn't you? Working with Shibusen in disguise, aiding demon weapons, stealing the Book of Eibon from me. It was only a matter of time before they all turned on you. Though I was surprised to hear that you lied to everyone about your intentions with Mortis. Seeing as he's out for your blood, I'd say he hasn't forgiven you either. It serves you right!

'I don't know what you're planning, but at this point, I trust the judgement of death more than you."

Set into the comically large gold key was a smaller engraved one. It easily lifted out of the shell, followed by a thing gold chain. Kid snatched it up quickly without a second glance and ran. He only had a few more minutes to leave. He wasn't entire sure which part was the magic tool and what was embellishments.

"Little Shinigami!" The blue clown charged him as soon as he entered it's territory. "You shouldn't have done that." Kid was out of the salt ring and beyond Claudia's feeble protection. It stood at attention, recognizing the glimmer of magic in his hand. "RETURN WHAT YOU STOLE!" It grabbed a hold of his leg and drug him to the ground. Kid growled in frustration at the claws that dared to sink into his leg and pull him through the dirt. A mixture of deja vu and fear rushed through him, his OCD was screaming at him to get out of the disgusting town. He clawed at the ground to try to create some resistant. "I wouldn't value your life much longer if I were you." A chill blanketed across his body, his arm itched again. The clown hissed just as Kid reluctantly threw the large part of the gold key. It recoiled from him and stumbled after it. Instantly Kid scrambled to his feet and left; if only he turned around, he would have seen the clown's arms curl like burnt paper from where it had touched him.

Kid soared over the wall on his skateboard. His landing was rough, and instantly he found himself surrounded.

"KID!" Liz cried. "Thank goodness you're alright!" She trapped him in a bone crushing hug.

"Sis wore a hole in the ground from worrying." Patty giggled and pointed to the path created by her sister's pacing.

"You didn't get hurt did you?" Liz asked. "You look pale."

"Where were all the people? Was there an explosion that killed them like BOOM!" Patty could barely contain herself. "Or were there a lot of bodies? Were they gross? I bet they were gross!"

"Slow down," Kid chuckled nervously. "I'm not hurt, but I might be a little radioactive." Liz stopped hugging him and backed away. "And no, there were no bodies, it was a nuclear blast that destroyed the town." He couldn't admit he found Chrona, not with the limited information he had. His weapon's ignorance was their only defense if something were to come of this.

"Ooh!" Patty cooed.

"Wait," Liz asked, "where's the magic tool?" Kid frowned and slipped the chain into his pocket. The person he was most concerned about getting their hands on more magical tools was his Father. Claudia's warning had also left him uncomfortable. Even in death, a witch trusted his father more than the old pillar of magic. What was so dangerous about this tool that it was kept hidden from both of them?

"I couldn't find it." He sighed. "It was probably destroyed in the disaster."

"Aww! That's too bad." Patty pouted. "I wanted to see what it looked like."

"Well at least no one can use it." Liz said to cheer Kid up.

"Yeah... We should head back." It bothered Kid that he could lie to his weapons so easily now.

Gopher hid yet another smile as she bustled about the small church kitchen. The change that had overcome Noah was monumental. There was a different air about him, more familiar, more passionate, more... lively. Yes, that was the best word for it, lively. And his energy had infected her. The church was in better shape than it had been in the last ten years; and with Noah's regained interest in other things, like food, she paid more attention to what he ate. She set a dish down where Noah was already waiting. He proceeded to wolf it down, pausing only for the occasional breath.

"Everything tastes alright?" Gopher asked. She received a low grunt of approval. "That's good. I was thinking about getting a new set of curtains, to let more light in. Of course, I'll probably need to get a job now that Justin's stopped preaching for us. You know, the coffee bar is hiring-"

"First we need to retrieve the Kishen." Noah said.

"What?" Noah glared at her, she bowed quickly. "I'm sorry, I'm just surprised you want to leave again so soon. Wouldn't you rather stay and rest a bit longer?" Gopher clenched the fabric of her pants under the table.

"We've already wasted too much time as it is." So close, she was so close.

"Why?" Gopher asked.

"What did I say about asking stupid questions!?"

"It's not a stupid question." Lord Death thought Noah was dead and removed him from the list. Gopher had inadverantly earned a pardon. There was no reason to stick their noes into Shibusen business anymore. "Why is the Kishen so important?" For once Noah faltered. He scrambled to come up with a reason. If this was all just for the sake of throwing that god into the book, she wouldn't stand for it. It was bad enough the god of madness was infecting everyone around it, the Book of Eibon might not be enough to contain it.

"I thought you swore to follow me where ever I go." Noah barked instead of answering. "Has that changed?"

"No! No, of course not." Gopher dared to make eye contact."But you have to promise this is it. No more collecting or fierce battles." She had nearly lost him once, and once was enough. As the gravity of what she said sunk in, her face lit up with a fearsome blush. She clenched her eyes and prepared for his cold indifference.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Noah growled. "However, you'll be pleased to know that this will be the crowning jewel." He glared at her. "And I will not tolerate failure."

"Noah-sama!" Gopher's heart soared. He cared about her! Granted, he was a little harsh; but that was to be expected of someone who almost died. And now, there was no more competition for his attention.

"He saved me." Chrona mumbled once she reached the sanctuary of her room. "He should have killed me, but he saved me." Ragnarok had been there too, and normally he'd have yelled at her for forgetting that. "...I wish you could tell me what's wrong." Maybe he had tried, and she just couldn't understand it. Growing up, he had always been this domineering presence, that much she remembered. It was hard to think of him as dependent on her. "The souls you've been eating don't seem to be helping."

Her pulse quicked. Fear, a guttural survival instinct she used to think belonged to her and her alone. She rested a hand over her heart.

"There you are. Don't worry, I won't stop. I'm just... confused." Nothing was adding up. Killing these innocent people was supposed to make Ragnarok stronger than her again, but he just couldn't keep up. Whatever kept them chained at a distance felt broken. Medusa said everything was fine, so long as Ragnarok was useful, it didn't matter how he acted. "It just doesn't add up. He didn't have to-" Chrona whimpered. "He shouldn't have. I'm not worth saving." There's nothing left to save. She curled in on herself. "Why did he save me? Why did he look at me with those eyes, like I mattered?" Tears threatened to trickled down her face. Ragnarok felt a fierce sense of possession over his miester. No one was supposed to make her cry. He bonked her on the head with a clawed hand. She grabbed onto it, the uneven texture so different from his old form, like a statue on the brink of crumbling.

"You're the one that's supposed to protect me." Her grip tightened around his arm. "I know you hate doing it..." Chrona sniffled.

Warm, the stranger's arms had been warm. Don't. Had he really looked at her with that strange warmth in his eyes. Forget. It was strange, being saved. You're safe where you are. He didn't yell at her for being weak, he didn't judge. Did such a person really exist, or was it just a dream? You'd taint him, ruin whatever it was that made him care. What would happen if Medusa found out?

"I'm going to keep us out of trouble, I promise." If she knew he had held her, even though he shouldn't have, what would Medusa do? Would she make her throw him away like that pin? "We'll get you stronger, and then everything will start making sense again." She shouldn't gamble their safety on a lie, not again. Even if, when he had been held, she liked it.

AN: So now we're fully in canon divergence territory! And rewrite divergence territory. Most things will stay the same, I just want to tweek things so they have proper narrative weight. I always found it odd how in the manga, Ragnarok just stopped being a character at a certain point. He really is a tragic character when you think about it, even if he is a demon and a bully.

The og version of this chapter was only 1K upon release. So crazy for me to think of posting something so short. Nowadays I average 2-5k depending on the story.