For Zack Fair

[madnessrising]

Set semi in snowblindrpg. Using the setting, but powers (such as SOLDIER and Ragnarok) are still in tact.

[The tablet was beeping to find shelter, but Crona ignored it. Just like Crona had ignored it every single day for the last four days since arriving here. Just like Crona hadn't moved from this house for the last four days since arriving here.

Because this wasn't Death City. And this wasn't any place that Medusa had ever taken Crona to. And this wasn't even a place that was recognisable at all. Which meant that this was bad, it was really bad, and Crona had no idea what to do that wouldn't make it worse.

Medusa would be so angry.

Just that thought alone had been enough to set off fresh moans and whimpers every few hours like clockwork, which would probably be the first thing Zack heard on entering the house to shelter for the night. Not at all creepy, right?]

Comments

[heroproceeding]

[ 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.

[madnessrising]

[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.]

[heroproceeding]

[ 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...

[madnessrising]

[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.

[heroproceeding]

[ 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?

[madnessrising]

[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.]