#sw442

I covered in my manifesto Cross’ care for Allen. This chapter, I read him as caring so much for Allen, that he didn’t want to see him suffer. And he openly admits that to him upon first appearing. Some are saying it’s terrible that Cross wants Allen to give up and disappear, and still saying so even after seeing Allen’s resolve.

But I see that as human. Sometimes our care for people can make us behave in selfish ways, which humans naturally are. Being selfless is an effort. Sometimes, our 1st thoughts are what we think and how we feel, even if we’re not trying to be selfish. 

Cross doesn't want Allen to disappear, which he mentions. But there is nothing anyone can do, far as we know. So Cross just wants Allen to sleep peacefully and enjoy himself in a peaceful world during his final days. Almost like the IT of Naruto Shippuden. I definitely did not get that he was trying to manipulate Allen to get him to die so he could be rid of him. 

Cross is trying to get Allen to accept finding inner peace in final moments, rather than try to continue fighting, and end up suffering and torturing himself for nothing, because he’ll be swallowed up anyhow. 

Again, that comes off as selfish and unsupportive, but sometimes your care for loved ones can make you a bit selfish. Even when they do something they seem to want to do, you don't want to watch them get hurt, so you try to convince them to rethink things.

And Cross seems to fit that bill. In his message, he encouraged Allen to keep walking and create his own path, and stop wearing the Mana mask. He also mentioned he was not trying to force him to take a certain road. But now, with Nea being awake and things looking more grim, he's trying to encourage Allen to just take it easy and not suffer anymore, or worse by fighting.

So his statement about wishing him to disappear, to me, seems to just mean he wished Allen wasn't set on taking the road with more suffering and hardship, and wished he'd have picked the lesser evil and more easy route. Plus it may be lost in translation. Sometimes English isn't very graceful. And stuff said in 1 language isn't as offensive in another. 

Now, Cross was going to stay there with Allen in the dream world.

This was a very selfless and possibly difficult thing for him. Again, Hoshi has mentioned that Cross didn’t want to get attached to, or empathize with, Allen. Possibly because Allen is a sacrifice to be lost one day, and Cross possibly already feels guilty that it’s a kid that has the fate, but even worse if he came to care for him, knowing he’s going to die soon, in addition to his life being shortened by nature due to the Parasitic innocence.

But, despite the fact Cross doesn’t want Allen to disappear, he offered to stay there, and thus put himself in the position where he’d have to watch Allen disappear in-person. But it wasn’t about him when he offered that. He was staying as a comfort to Allen. 

Atmosphere 

And it’s important to look at the atmosphere while Cross is talking to Allen. Notice how they look when this takes place. 

Both of them look like they did when Allen 1st officially became Cross’ apprentice, after he was well and they could begin their journey.

Then when Allen firmly tells Cross that he will not just roll over, everything changes. Now Allen is a young man again. And Cross is wearing his clothes from 166-168.

This seems symbolic. Allen is not a little kid anymore. He is not the same brat that Cross picked up years ago. 

We see with this, Cross seems to have a habit of thinking Allen is still his little helpless apprentice.

He did the same in chapter 167. When Allen is upset about Mana, Cross looks down on him and sees little Allen again.

Then he kneels down to him, just like at the grave all those years ago.

So, similar to a parent that has trouble letting go, Cross can’t help but still see Allen as a child (his child), and the apprentice who still needs him. 

So when he appears to him, he holds out his hand for Allen to take, and it seems he may wish to relive “the good old days.” 

The days when Allen was an innocent kid who didn’t know he was destined to die, and hadn’t been exposed fully to the horrors of war, darkness of The Order, and back when he needed Cross more and could be somewhat protected. The days where Allen was the apprentice, who  still needed his master. He even says “I am your master, no matter what.” With this, we may be seeing that Cross actually enjoyed the days when he and Allen traveled together. 

But with Allen’s new found resolve, it seems to symbolize that Allen is not a kid anymore, and possibly that Cross has fulfilled his role as the master, which he (Cross) is coming to realize. Allen does not seem to need Cross trying to protect him anymore. He has grown up. But up until that point, it seems Cross still saw him as the cute apprentice. 

Off-note, Hoshi says Cross thinks Allen is cute in chapter 167. Anyhow, now he’s seeing Allen has fully grown and is ready to fight and understand the hardships and darkness of the war. 

So, the good old days are gone, and even in a dream world, they won’t be relived. So, Allen’s rejection probably may have been difficult on a few levels. One, because Allen is planning to fight and suffer more. And two, because he’s probably come to terms with how much Allen has grown and changed. 

After all, Cross’ expression seems to show Allen has struck a cord in him.

Here, he looks surprised, and a bit upset, possibly hurt.

And we see a close-up of his eye, just before Allen reverts to his current self, with little Allen disappearing.

And there seems to be a slight change in his eye here, where he’s seeing Allen is all grown up.

And that can explain why Cross tells Allen to go forward alone.

Not because he was pissed, and not because he didn’t care. But because Allen doesn’t need him as much anymore and they both have their own separate missions when they wake up. So that may have been his own Cross-farewell, as a master to Allen before giving him one last bit of info. 

Allen’s Feelings

Notice Allen’s expression. he doesn’t seem mad, or hurt. He seems to have a smile that shows he understands his master, and how he is.

He then goes on to say he was happy to see him again. Apparently seeing Cross did give Allen some comfort.

I doubt Allen would care anything about Cross if he was as evil as fanon says. Allen was abused in the circus, by Cosmov who beat him regularly.. He also killed Mana’s dog, which young Allen was distraught by. He also tried to attack Cosmov at one point. Then there was the abusive Ring Master, who locked Allen in a cage with a lion -thankfully Cross and Tim showed up, and the latter saved Allen.

So, there’s a good chance, Allen doesn’t care about or miss Cosmov or the ring master. But Cross is different. 

And Allen of all people would be able to see that after being subject to actual abuse. Thus, I doubt Allen’s feeling for Cross are any kind of Stockhome Syndrome. 

He possibly came to understand Cross better after he was gone, and after the message. Notice how, since then, Allen hasn’t had anything bad to say about Cross. Also, given his reaction to Apocryphos, he doesn’t take kindly to anyone else badmouthing Cross either. 

Allen cares for him. We have seen it a good bit. 

We see his expression when he sees Cross’ blood in his room

This doesn’t appear to be the look of someone who doesn’t care about their master.

He goes to fetch Tim, and finds Lvellie in Cross’ room.

Allen does not seem happy that Lvellie is lounging in the room his master was attacked in, and eating cake. 

Lvellie, in a moment of asshole-ness, asks Allen if he was the one who murdered Cross. And Allen seems greatly enraged by that accusation.

So apparently Allen would never think of actually killing his master, so he doesn’t hate Cross. 

The Earl is an example of someone Allen has hatred for, and would like to kill. And he is insulted that someone could suspect him of murdering his master.

Later we see how Allen reacts when he sees the truth about what happened to Cross. 

He is horrified for several panels.And in complete shock. it takes him a min. to calm down and notice Road there.

Again, not the reaction of a boy who hates, or has no love for, his master.

Then when he snaps out of the shock, he is furious and attacks Apocryphos in rage.

This is a rage similar to what he shows The Earl, with regards to Mana.

So now that he knows what happened, Apocryphos seems to be in the same category as The Earl now - beings that Allen hates. 

He lost Mana. Then Apocryphos took Cross away as well. He then goes on to state he wants to puke at the thought of merging with the one who killed Cross. 

Conclusion 

All of these moments don’t seem to point to Hoshino building Cross up as this abuser. If Cross were a heartless villain, w/o layers, then Hoshino probably wouldn’t go through the effort of showing Allen caring for him. Or having Anita love him. Having her mother love him. And having Mother think so highly of him, even though she doesn’t support Nea.

Cross’ “abusive” moments with Allen seem intended as slapstick comedy, or a showing of immaturity at best. No different than any Tsundere around. Hoshino doesn’t treat it with any genuine seriousness to illustrate that Cross is supposed to be inhuman. 

Cross is FLAWED like a regular human. He’s not a psychopath. Sokaro, and Sheryl are closer to that. lol

So I was very happy with this chapter. I was confused when I first read it. But after re-reading, I understand more. But I never thought this chapter showed that Cross was heartless. And I especially never got that it was saying he didn’t care about Allen. I got the complete opposite where we see more layers with Cross and Allen.