Chapter 19 - ch.19

They arrived in the village of Sendly, and found it to nearly be a ghost town. "Where is everyone?" asked Naru, observing the few people on the street stalls.

"Probably hiding. The last 3 murders happened here, and in small towns, that's a big deal. C'mon." She heads to the nearest stall, a fake smile on her face. "Hi, we're new to town, and looking for a friend! Has you seen him?" She hand him the picture.

"Nope, sorry, can't help ya!"

"Damn. Thanks anyway!"

"Let us show you how it's done. Hinata, you're up!" He commands.

"R-right!" She focuses her chakra. "Byakugan!" She begins exploring the city with her sight, until she finds an empty tavern, with 2 people in a corner, both of their chakra looked...off. "I think I found her, and she has an accomplice! In that tavern, over there!" She pointed at a rather large tavern near the center of town. It looked slightly rundown, with paint peeling of the sides and a broken window.

"Wow!" She exclaimes, impressed at her skills. "So this is the renound Leaf's Hyuga clan in action, huh?" Hinata blushes. Well, better get them before the run again! She hurries to the tavern, bursting through the doors, to see them in the corner. "Soul!"

"Right." He transforms, and Maka walks over to them, pointing her scythe at him.

"Butcher! You're streak end here. Your soul is mine!"

"Madam Medusa.." Hes says quietly. "..She just started yelling at me. I don't know how to deal with that!"

"It's very simple.." She said in a calm and sickly-sweet voice. "You kill them."

Maka turned her gaze at Medusa. she was a moderately built woman, wearing a hooded sleeveless bodysuit, showing tattoos shaped like snakes, their bodies being composed of dots. The hood was down, obscuring most of her face. Her long blond hair comes over her shoulders, and twists around itself in front of her chest.

"Medusa!!" Grimm yells before, in the blink of an eye, pinning her to the wall behind her by her throat. "Tell me where Orochimaru is!"

"Oh my. Someone has done their homework!" she said, still unnaturally calm.

"Oh, he threatening her, but so strong. How do I deal with this...?"

"I'll take care of him, you deal with the others." she said before kicking her foot back and breaking the wall, sending them both into the next room.

"Yes, Madam Medusa! Ragnorok, time to fight!" As she says this, a slit appears in her palm, her blood flowing from it. But, intead of pooling on the floor, it flowed up, before solidifying into a black blade, with a white line down the middle. A mouth appeared several inches above the hilt.

"What is wrong with you!? I was having such a nice nap!"

"I can't help it. Medusa's orders..."

"You big baby! When are gonna grow you a backbone!? I swear I'm the one holding your body up! If I weren't here, you'd just be a puddle of flesh!"

"Don't say disgusting things like that. I don't know how to deal with it..."

"Whatever, let's jusk kill these guys so I can go back to sleep!" With that, he attacked Maka, swinging quickly. Maka blocked, and smiled confidently. "Ragnorok, Scream Resonance" The mouth on the sword created a supersonic screech, which caused everyong to cup their ears, except make, who had to put up with it to keep her defence up. while Ragnorok distraced her, he swung again, swinging underhanded. Maka swung her blade, knocking his attack away, and swung around and sliced him.

'What the hell!? It's like slicing through syrup!' She thought as she pulled her blade away, the wound closing immediately, but not before spilling a few drops of blood. He seemed to daydream for a moment. "My blood is black, you know..." Indeed, when she looked, the blood was pitch black, not even a trace of red hue.

"Crona, this is no time for random facts! Just killem, of you don't get supper!"

"What? No way! You can't do that again! I'm too thin as it is. "I don't know how to deal with being any thiner!"

"Then you better fight!" it responds with a cackle.

Authors Note: In Soul Eater, she was able to sense souls and their general condition. In this, I'm allowing her to do the same, but using chakra.

He attacks again, Maka easily blocks again. And feels something in her attack. 'What's this? Dispair? No...Lonelyness! She feels all alone, and has pulled back from reality. THAT'S why kills so easily!' She thinks, before forcing her back. "Naru, Sakura, Hinata, I need you to hold her still! Soul, get ready to take over!"

As the others rush Crona to do as she asked, Soul responded. "Maka, you can't be serious! We haven't mastered that yet! And I barely able to block Blackstar's attacks, and he was unarmed!"

"Yes, but he excels at hand to hand, and you have 3 allies here. Not to worry, I won't be gone long!"

He chuckles lightly. "Alright, you've convinced me! Maka..." She looks at the blade for a moment, where his voice emenates. "After this, we'll go to your favorite resturant. My treat!" Maka could almost see his smile as he said this.

"Yeah!" Maka returned her attention to Crona, seeing the having trouble keeping him still, his blood being weapon in its own right. Everyone was covered in scratches, including Crona, but most of the blood was theirs.

"You know you can't hurt me, right? but you keep trying... Ragnorok, how do I deal with stubborn people? I can't get them to stop!" He whines.

"You keep fighting till they're dead, you big baby!"

"Right! Screach wave alpha!" She swings her sword, unleashing a purple energy wave that they blocked, but sent them flying back.

"Damn, she has some good techniques!" Comments Naru. "Sakura, you go low, Hinata, behind! I come from above!"

"K!!" They attack again, Hinata working her way behind her, while Naru jumps and swings Inuyasha down, and Sakura attempts to cut her down from below. Crona blocks Naru, and takes a shot in the leg, making her wince, but it barely went a centimeter in before Ragnorok hardened the blood too much to go any further. "Damn!" She pulls it out, and retreats before just in time to avoid the the blood droplets which became spikes aimed for her head. While Naru contined to distract her, Hianta snuck up and grabbed her arms, pulling them back. "Maka, now!" She yells as Maka runs toward them, before stopping several feet away, and making a looking through the triangle she mad with her hands. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Her body goes limp.

-------------------------------------Crona's Mindscape--------------------------------------

Sand. That's all Maka saw in her mind. Just an endless beach without water. She wandered a while before finding Crona leaning against a particularly steep dune that looks man made. He had his eyes closed, with a troubled expression, that looked as if she were being tortured, but had accepted it. As Maka came close, she opened her eyes, and looked where her feet were making noise, and started to panic. "H-how are you here! Get out, this is my private spot!"

"Calm down. I just wanna talk!"

"No, this isn't right! I don't know how to deal with you here!"

"Crona, it's OK. You don't have to be lonely anymore!"

"W-what are you talking about!? I'm not..."

"Crona, look around. This is your inner world. It's just an empty beach, no water or anything. Isn't a beach meant to be enjoyed by everyone?"

"Well..."

"You're so lonely, that you didn't see any need for the water, and it all dried up. Am I right?"

Crona turns away from her. "Just leave! You shouldn't be here!"

"You know, if people came, the water would too. Imagine, an ocean. Vast, endless, in the sunset. Wouldn't that be nice?"

She starts crying and turns her head. "But, how do people come here? And how would I deal with them playing on my beach?"

"You make friends, and only those who you allow can be here. Including me."

"No, you forced your way in! I can't trust you!"

"I may have entered your mind, but I couldn't reach here without you! Trust me Crona, I can help!"

He turned to her again, tears still flowing. "But, what about Madam Medusa?"

"Who, that witch you were with? Tell me, do you WANT to kill people? Or is it just her orders?"

"Well..." She looks away, her expression saying it all.

"Come with us, and you'll never have to answer to her again!"

His eyes stared darting around as he thought. "But, she said I'd go back to the dark room if I didn't follow her orders..."

"Where we are, there is no dark room, and no people like her. You'll be safe from her. I promise. So, will you come with us, and be our friend?" She holds her hand out, being as inviting as possible.

"Well..." She looked away, still unsure. suddenly, she got a glint of determination in her eyes, and touched Maka's hand, letting hers rest lightly on her fingertips. "OK!" She said with the most confidence so far.

Maka grins, glad at her decision. "Great! Pretty soon, you'll be able to see the sunset from here!" She said, looking at the horizon where the sun was rising.

----------------------------------------reality--------------------------------------------

Ragnorok had been manipulating Crona's body, just as Soul was Maka's. Suddenly, she snapped back to her body, rattling Soul a little. "So, how'd it go?"

"Great! Everyone, stop fighting!" The genin jump away, weapons still ready, while Crona blinked as her focus returned. Ragnorok had returned inside to better control her, using her blood directly to attack with instead.

"Maka, what are you doing!? Where were you!?"

"We can stop now Ragnorok. They're friends!" The genin were confused by this comment.

"WHAT!!!!?" Suddenly a fountain of blood came out of her back at the base of her neck, becoming a small being made of the blood, with a white X for the face, and two white eyes under the upper lines, who's pupils were also X's. It starts whacking her in the head. "What do you mean, they're friends!? Didn't Medusa tell you friends are useless!?" He stops for a second to examine his body, before returning to his pounding. "And why am i so small!? I used to be twice this size! Change me back!"

"I don't know how! and you're embarassing me in fron of my new friends! I don't know how to deal with that!"

Grimm walks in, to see this unusual sight. "Damn, she got away. And I suppose we're not killing her?" He noticed everyone was sheathing their weapons and Soul reverting while the poor kid was being pummeled.

"I was right! She was misguided and confused, like I thought!" responded Maka.

"So, I guess she's coming back with us?" Maka nodded. He shrugged. "Whatever mission just said to find her. What you do is your business. Let's not waste any time." He turns to leave, and they follow, Crona keeping close to Maka.

"Vector arrow!"

"Shit!" Exclaimed Grimm, but he didn't have time to react before Hinata was impailed by an arrow-like black projectile, before it receded to Medusa again, who was standing on a nearby roof. Hinata falls limply, Naru catching her.

"Hinata!!" Naru and Sakura exclaim, doing their best to keep her awake.

"You try and take mine, I take yours. Crona, come!" Crona shuffled her feet, and tried to hide behind Maka and Soul. "You insolent child! Come now, or it's another week in the dark-" She cuts off midway to avoid Grimm's cero, which takes off a good portion of the house she was on.

"You guys get Hinata back, I'll handle her!"

"But-" Sakura started to protest.

"GET YOUR ASS OUT OF HERE!!!" He said as he looked at them, his eyes wild and terrifying. They began carrying Hinata to the truck, while he stared her down on another roof. "You shouldn't have done that..."

"Oh, I'm so scared! Is kitty gonna scratch?"

An angry tick appears on his forehead. "I was gonna let you live, I just wanted info on that serpentine bastard, But you had to hurt my student, huh?" He drew his sword, holding it horizontally. "You're gonna die, bitch. No one hurts my family! Grind, Pantera!!!" The force of his power increase practically destroys the roof he was on. "If you wanna live, run." He said in an earilly calm voice before darting at her, almost too fast to see.