fossilised | For Zack Fair

[ Not... creepy at all?

You mean.

Creepy as all fuck.

But it's late. Hell, he had been jogging-to-find-somewhere-to-stay-post-haste late. Not wanting to check his tablet- knowing he probably didn't have the time, really, with his own tablet blipping in warning. Just kept on moving, moving, moving-there!

A house! Shelter! Homefree!

That had been his thoughts as he opened the shabby looking door, beginning to gently close it behind himself. ...When he pauses and hears those whimpers. He's heard of the others talking of seeing ghosts and whatnot. Maybe that's what he's hearing now? He's not sure. ...But either way, he knows he's out of time to go off and get to another house. Especially when as soon as he lets go of the doorknob in his hesitance, the door goes to shut by itself... and then he hears that familiar soft click.

Well then.

He stands there, catching his breath just a bit. Not very winded, but still. But then he... slowly. Slowly starts in, the creak of the boards beneath him being the only indication of his presence there. ]

[The creak of the floorboards is totally lost on Crona, who is way too absorbed in being miserable as hell to pay attention to little details like someone else in the same house.

Which means that Zack's progress through the house is largely unhindered, until he gets to what was the top master bedroom. The door is half open, enough to show a huddled shape on the floor with pink hair muttering in an inaudible drone.]

[ The house is largely dark and empty as he travels through and he's thankful for his SOLDIER eyes, knowing he would have likely been almost blind as a bat otherwise. They especially help him in spotting that he's definitely not alone as they land on the closed off form of someone... or something in the bedroom.

He's not alone. But he's not sure how he feels about that.

His knife hand tightens on the grip a bit as his sharp ears catch that drone. But the words are almost drunkenly slurred together. He can't make sense of them. ...But he can get the sense of fear in them. ...Gingerly, he pushes the door open the rest of the way, trying to make his presence more known. And if that doesn't work, he offers out a soft: ] ...Hey.

[Okay, now it becomes obvious that there's someone else there. Crona's body doesn't move at all, but that pink haired head tilts until a pair of huge dark eyes are fixed on Zack's face.]

...and now someone else is here with me.

[Well observed. Such detective skills.]

I don't think that's a good thing. There's not a lot of food here, so maybe he wants to eat me and use me for sustenance. I don't think I can handle being someone's cannibalistic dinner right now.

[ The biggest detective skills ever. ...Not not really.

But wait. ...Who are they... talking to...? Maybe... Maybe they're hallucinating. Their form's too solid to be any kind of ghost. Zack tilts his head and starts to say something--

--but what words he was going to say are suddenly forgotten. Instead, his brows suddenly knit and he protests with an almost squawk: ] He-Hey! No way! Are you crazy!? [ Who would even think that upon seeing someone here for the first time? ...Unless someone tried that, but he hopes not!

...So much for appearing non-threatening though. Raising his voice like that. He's already probably scary enough, being six foot three and pretty solidly built. ]

[Crona shrank back a little at the yelling, but at least the question was an easily answerable one. That made a change, usually questions were hard and had multiple possible answers, and Crona would worry and worry about getting the wrong one. But this? This was easy.]

Yes.

[Yes, crazy. Definitely. That was the whole plan for Crona's life, after all.]

I have black blood, you know?

[Which is actually an explanation of crazy. Sort of.]

[ .....

What even. Zack just... tilts his head and frowns at that in thought. ] Black... blood? What do you mean?

[ He doesn't really get it... But. There's a lot of things he's learned through his stay there. Maybe this is something else new... from some other world. ]

[Crona finally lurches upright to face Zack, all spindly body and practically radiating nerves.]

I don't know if I should be talking to you, you might not even be real. There were things that weren't real here before.

[Stupid Snowhell and its hallucinations.]

[ At that lurch, Zack takes a step back if only by pure instinct. But when Crona doesn't move anymore than that, his stance relaxes again and watches them curiously. A curiosity that turns into something more... soft and understanding at that. They look so young... and afraid. For good reason, really. He scratches his head. ] Well...

[ Zack nods to himself finally... Then comes to a kneel on the ground and offers out the hand not currently carrying his knife, glove palm up. ] Here then. See for yourself.

Edited 2015-09-05 20:45 (UTC)

[Crona gets a sudden flashback to someone else holding a hand out, a smiling face, the first friend that had been there. The person who made such a dry soul suddenly fill with water once more, the one who helped a scared kid step over the line in the sand.

It's what makes Crona brave enough to step forwards and actually tentatively place a hand on his gloved one for a single moment.]

You are real.

[A momentary spark of relief, before that fades into fear again.]

Then maybe I'm the one who isn't real...

[ At first, he's not sure if the kid will actually take up his offer. He's half tempted to retract his hand already, really. But then he feels the soft pressure of that meek touch and he... nods a little, a bit of a smile slipping out of him. Especially at that sign of relief.

...But then, it starts to wane. And then he says... There's another tilt of Zack's head before he retrieves his hand. Putting his knife down at his side, his now freed right hand goes to peel the glove off his left. He grimaces at the cold that already starts to seep into him a bit as soon as it's removed, but... then he reaches out again... and if Crona won't resist, he'll take up that hand again and give it a soft squeeze. ]

[Crona doesn't resist when Zack decides to squeeze those fingers, though huge eyes never leave the sight of their hands entwined together. It's so strange, even with the friends at the Academy, friendly and gentle touches are still a new and amazingly unique thing.]

I--

[Any further words are postponed by the arrival of the third occupant of the house that evening. Aside from a momentary cloud of shadow, there isn't much of a warning before a bug-eyed creature is leaning all up into Zack's face.]

If this goes on much longer, I'm going to puke. Who the hell are you, anyway?

[ Zack can't hide the visible relief when Crona doesn't shy away from his hand reaching for their own, his smile returning. And he might have said something right about then- it was certainly on the tip of his tongue--

But then some thing just pops straight out of nowhere and all bets are off on that train of thought! No, that's Zack stumbling back and grabbing for the knife he left on the floor, raising it towards the creature in defense with wide eyes. ] What the hell!?

[Whereas Crona just looks resigned. Hands falling limply back down and gaze shifting to the floor as if half embarrassed about what was surely to come.

Ragnarok leaned over Crona's head to get a closer look at Zack and that pitiful thing he called a knife. Hah.]

What the hell yourself? Have you looked in a mirror lately, do you call that hair?

[ Okay, that gets a defensive sputter out of him and he does what First Class ex-SOLDIER material should do in their finest hour best! And that is to complain right on back! ] Hey! I happen to like my hair! Sure, it could use a little-

[ Backpedal, wait. Why was he even-- ] Who the hell are you and where did you even come from!? Have you been spying on us this whole time!?

[Ragnarok just laughs. There is nothing he enjoys more than a good bitching contest with someone - except, perhaps, slicing people up and eating their souls, that's pretty rad too.]

Spy on what? Your touching little hand holding moment? Do you always like holding teenager's hands like that, you pervert?

[Crona hunkers down further, bright spots of red staining usually pale cheeks.]

Please don't say things like that...

[ DID IT JUST SERIOUSLY- ]

NO! I was just- Why do I even need to explain myself to you! You didn't even answer my question!

[ Sorry, Crona. He'll get back to you in a minute. Busy dealing with this jackass here. Seriously, where did he even...!?

... ] Huh? [ It might be around that point that he notices how Ragnarok's body seems to... dissolve into Crona. ...But Crona's leaning right back against the wall. ]

He's so rude, you shouldn't listen to what he says.

[Crona cuts off sharply as Ragnarok bangs one of his fists down hard onto a pink-haired head. And then again. And again.]

Oi! Shut up, Crona, don't interfere!

[He leers over at Zack even as he continues punching Crona, who just sort of half heartedly tries to shield the worst of it with a resigned expression.]

Why should I answer your questions, pervert?

[ He might have had more of a retort to give towards that pervert if he wasn't so thrown by the fact that this thing was now clobbering the crap out of the poor kid. Zack moves before he even thinks about it, knife hand raised while his other hand goes to try and grasp the one the creature's hitting Crona with. ]

Hey! Knock it off!

No! No, please don't--

[Crona sounds panicked, trying to intercept Zack before he can grab hold of Ragnarok and failing spectacularly. Ragnarok just grins all the wider at the hand holding onto him, something excited and hungry in his voice.]

You want to fight? Come on, Crona, let's fight!

[Zack would suddenly be holding nothing at all as the creature dissolved back into black mist, slithering down Crona's shoulder and arm until it reformed into a large black broadsword.]

...Now look what you've done. I'm going to have to fight you, and I didn't want to have to do that.

Edited 2015-09-05 21:46 (UTC)

[ He was hoping to just grab a hold of that arm, maybe talk down this thing from hitting Crona anymore, and then maybe, maybe getting some explanations. What he wasn't expecting for that arm to suddenly vanish and-- wait, where did that thing-- ]

Whoa!

[ He's not going to even try to hide the panic in his voice when he sees that sword suddenly form because what in the fuck just happened and where did that come from!?

And why is this kid suddenly--!?

Taking the cue, Zack pushes back, staggering back from kneel to his feet as he holds the butcher knife at bay in front of him. ] Wait, what do you mean you have to fight me!? [ WHAT'S GOING ON!? ]

Edited 2015-09-05 21:53 (UTC)

[You know what might make this even freakier? The sword has lips. Lips and a tongue that is now lolling out as that same bug-eyed creature's voice comes echoing out from there.]

Let's eat his soul... I'm hungry.

[Crona makes no move to actually raise said sword, just looking down at the ground apologetically.]

You were nice to me, I didn't want to have to fight you. But now... Ragnarok wants to fight, and we need to get stronger to get out of here. I don't want to.

[ ...Are you fucking shitting him. Are you. Really. Really. Lips and tongue... it almost reminds him of those clones, but... no, he's pretty sure whoever this Crona is... he has nothing to do with his own world. And that only becomes more pronounced when he realizes that thing's still there because it's that sword! And Crona's holding it, even as it makes that threat!

Something in Zack sinks... and only sinks deeper at Crona's words. Ragnarok wants to fight- the thing that had been hitting him only moments before, he's guessing. Great, so he pissed off his friend. Zack had thought-- well, he'd thought wrong and now he's pushed the wrong buttons.

Great.

Gritting his teeth, he shakes his head sharply as he gestures with his free hand. ] Look, if you don't wanna fight me, we don't have to fight! That's not what I came here for!

[ That and he really doesn't want to find out what Ragnarok means by eating his soul if things go south... ]

I-- I don't want to fight you.

[Crona's eyes raise to look Zack full on in the face, scared and more than a little bit unhinged. Long fingers tremble on the hilt of Ragnarok, but still the sword doesn't get raised into an attack position.]

But I can't argue with Ragnarok. If I argue with him then he'll hit me some more and pull my cheeks, and I don't think I can deal with that. I'm not very good at standing up to him, it's because I'm a coward.

[Hello woeful low self esteem.]

I suppose I have to kill you now.

[ Doesn't want to fight him... but he doesn't want to argue with his own... weapon. Seriously... What is all this, Zack's... still trying to wrap his brain around that. But what he does get is how regretful and really... unpleasant this all seems to Crona. Maybe he can talk him down. Maybe.

Spending a night fighting a kid wasn't exactly on his list of things he wanted to do ever in his life. So, Zack frowns and holds his ground. Sure, maybe words are a losing battle here. The kid certainly doesn't seem confident at all, but he's gotta try! ]

Look, you don't have to do anything like that. If you don't want to fight me, then don't fight me. Save that energy- you're gonna need it to survive and I can help you with that. I'm not your enemy here!

[ Not that he entirely trusts the kid now, but... If he could just settle him down... ]

But the energy I would get from you would help me survive, it would make me stronger, it would-- I would--

[That familiar madness is starting to rise again. It's been a while, reality has seemed much more accessible since Maka, since friends... but now those friends are nowhere to be seen, and even if they were... Even if they were, it wouldn't make much difference because Medusa is back anyway.

Finally the sword comes down in a graceful arm to a ready position, although Crona still looks distressed even through the madness.]

How do I know you're not my enemy? I have a lot of enemies...

[ And the thing is Zack doesn't have anything to prove that he's not his enemy, no. Not really. Combine that with the way Norfinbury is and his own past lack of luck with these kinds of things and... he shouldn't be surprised it would come to this. No matter what, he just can't seem to find the right words at the right time. A dark part of him has to wonder what it'll cost him this time.

So, he steadies himself now with a rueful shake of his head, steeling himself as he admits: ] It always comes to this, doesn't it. [ A little part of his wonders what Angeal would have done in this instance- but he pushes the thought away. Gotta concentrate!

With a pained gaze back Crona's way, he shouts as he holds the knife in tight form: ] But then this just means I'm gonna have to stop you! So, come on!

[Well, that happened.

The last shreds of sanity holding Crona back from attacking disappear. This is what they need to get out of here, this is what Medusa would expect of them, and this is what must be done.

The anguished look is replaced by one of much more contorted features, a mingle of bloodlust and dark humour and terror all at once.]

Ragnarok, scream resonance!

[The mouth on the sword opens wide and emits a shriek of genuinely damaging proportions, even as Crona is rushing forwards with the aim of taking Zack's head from his shoulders with the first swing.]

[ The way his expression twists from timid to deranged is honestly terrifying. But Zack's dealt with worse. Much worse. Had to bring down his own mentor. Had to take down a battalion of naive soldiers. This is nothing, he tells himself. This is--

Him. At a kneel. Clutching his hands over his ears as that shrill shriek emits from that sword, feeling the air whoosh just above his head and the warmth of a slight bit of blood trickling where he accidentally nudged his blade against his earlobe. He seems to scream in tandem with Ragnarok for the present moment because hell, this is the one time he would give anything not to have SOLDIER hearing! This is deafening and more! ]

[Crona stumbles a step when that swing meets air instead of the resistance of flesh and bone like expected, stumbling off balance and into the doorframe.]

O-Ow...

[It might even be comical how dismayed Crona seems over getting a sore nose from banging gently into a door, if that sword wasn't also coming up at the same time to try and slice into Zack again.]

It will be easier for you if you just let me kill you.

[ Snap out of it. Snap out of it. Snap out of it and move!

THERE. He gets himself going and just in the nick of time as that next swing comes around, quick enough to attempt a parry- attempt a shove the kid's way if it works! Close quarters might be his best bet. The room's small! ]

Sorry, buddy, but I got some friends waiting for me back there!

[The shove works and sends Crona backwards, making control of Ragnarok waver mid swing and the blade come slicing through to meet Crona's skin instead of Zack's. For a moment blood, blood as black as shadow, trickles down Crona's leg before it coagulates and then shoots outwards in spikes towards Zack.]

I had friends once.

[No longer. Maka will surely never forgive a betrayal for Medusa.]

[ At first, Zack can't help but wince when he sends the sword careening back so hard it bites into Crona, himself. That hadn't been the plan at all! His eyes are wide with grief, but that's all the reaction time he has before he feels the sharp stabs cutting through his body. He shouts out a curse as he heaves under the sudden hot pain flashing through him.

What the hell was that!? H-He doesn't know, but he's gotta- do something! Gonna try for swiping his knife through the spikes to at least detach himself from the attack. He'll worry about removing them later! ]

[The knife severs the blood spikes easily, and the ends that were in Zack splash to the floor as nothing more than spatters of black liquid. The other ends of the spikes, the bits sticking out from Crona's body, retreat back inside and block up the wound.

Ragnarok isn't as strong as he had been before, souls have been in limited supply recently, he can't heal and fight and manipulate the black blood all at once any longer.]

You're not making this easy.

[ Zack's bug-eyed as the black, solid ends of those spikes just suddenly dissolve as soon as he cut through them. But he doesn't have anymore time to just stand there gaping. He'll leave himself open and last time he did, that was the cost.

Still, he can't help but let a finicky smile cross his face despite his stern gaze. ] Of course! [ It's gonna take a hella lot more than that to take him down! He's already making a quick footnote that using that knife's going to cause him more trouble than anything though, so change in tactics!

Namely, he's going to dart backwards and grab onto the door of a cabinet. With a rough yank, he dislodges it from its hinges in order to collect a makeshift shield to swing around front and center. ]

[Shield?

Crona pauses in a half step towards where Zack had darted back to, genuinely surprised. Most people would take the offensive in a fight, or at least try and land one hit, and this man was... he was going for a shield instead? He didn't want to hurt Crona? It made the madness waver just a little bit.]

Why are you doing this?

[Crona's expression was twisted in grief, tears forming even if they don't fall quite yet. This hurt. This kindness hurt. It's sad, when a simple act of defence instead of offence is a kindness.]

You're supposed to fight me, you're supposed to let me kill you. Don't-- Why are you being so kind?! Stop it... Stop it! STOP IT! STOP IT!!!

[ Zack's just on the verge of moving forward, of doing what he unfortunately has to do if he plans to survive the night, when Crona just starts screaming like that. And that gives him pause- partly because he's just so caught off guard. But the bigger part is the fear. The fear and the tears and the agony of this kid, this kid so raw and confused and he- really doesn't want to fight you, kid. He doesn't and that's-...

He doesn't lower the door. But he doesn't move any further either. His breathing's a bit shallow, but he's surprisingly better put together than some people would be after getting hit with an attack like that. Shaking his head, he speaks with certainty: ] I already told you. I don't wanna fight you. And I definitely don't wanna kill you either. I don't wanna kill anyone.

[Crona's grip on Ragnarok suddenly loosened completely and the sword fell from numb fingers. Not that it hit the floor, it disintegrated back into that black mist and then disappeared completely.

The wound on Crona's leg, despite still obviously being gashed open, seems to be blocked with more of that black blood that's acting like a shield to stop it getting worse.

Crona drops to a kneeling position with a thud and fiercely grabs fistfuls of pink hair, tugging it and ripping at it. A truly agonised scream tears out and the tears begin to fall properly. Maka... Maka wouldn't want Crona to kill, she had given her belief and assurance that Crona could be a better person. Maybe that wouldn't always be the case, maybe-- not, definitely, betrayal was in the future.

But until that happened, until Crona was forced to betray Maka, then they would do their best to live up to the belief shown from the very first friend.

It hurt. It hurt and the madness was swirling, but the danger was over.]

[ It's the way the sword drops out of his hands-- that's the first sign of the end. Not that Zack lowers his guard anyway at first. Maybe it's only a brief reprieve. Maybe he'll change his mind. Maybe he's been falling to hallucinations in the first place and he's going to suddenly get up and go after Zack again.

But when he doesn't- when he just start screaming and sobbing on the floor- when he starts trying to tear his own hair out, Zack... Zack slowly understands that it just might be over. At least for now. Whoever this kid is, there's a lot going on... A lot he doesn't understand. A lot maybe he'll never understand. That sword, that strange black blood... Talk of eating souls and that creature...

Slowly, he lowers the cabinet door to the ground. And once he lets it go, he'll... cautiously start to approach Crona with another careful: ] Hey...

[Crona's eyes roll up to look at him, wide and intense. The madness is pushed at bay for now, but there's a glimmer of it hiding not too deep behind the tears, and the ramblings that fall from Crona's lips aren't exactly the most coherent.]

I said I didn't want to fight. I told you... I said I didn't want to, and I didn't. But I have to, I have to go back, and I need to be strong.

...I'm so scared.

[ He's not foolish enough to try his luck with a hand on Crona's shoulder or anywhere near him this time. Not just yet. But he does end up crouching again to his level if not with a sore grunt. Really, he's had a lot worse than the spikes that burst into his skin and with the aim being as erratic as it had been, Crona'd not hit anything vital. But it still hurts. But he'll take care of that in a minute.

Right then, he's going to address the kid lightly: ] Your name's Crona, right?

[Zack is too good of a person to be so kind to someone who just tried to kill him, and that fact isn't lost on Crona. It's the sort of thing Maka might have done, and it eases a little more of the tension.]

That's right, and my sword is Ragnarok. I'm sorry, he can be really rude.

[Trying to kill someone is rude.]

For Zack Fair

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totally didn't just do a thing.

huhu

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