So, i have grown to love the character of Crona. And in all of my stories, she is a girl, so keep that in mind. This idea came from Koa-chan and her story Antisocial Not. I loved the basis of Stein and Marie adopting Crona, and i wanted to see what i could do with that. I may continue this later, but for now it is just a series of short segments of Crona's life. If i continue, thre will be some romance, and most likely a little Shoujo-ai, even if it doesn't last, cause i think Maka x Crona is just adorable.

Some parts later on will focus on characters besides Crona, so don't be surprised if suddenly you're reading about Kid at the beach with Liz and Patty, or Soul and Blair going to a dance.

"Crona!" The pink haired girl looked to her friend just as the pre-kishin's claws came to her back. She had enough time to harden part of her blood, but was still torn up badly and launched into the side of the buildings lining the alley way.

"Hey Crona, are you okay?!" Soul called out to her as Maka's attention was refocused on running.

"I... I think so..." She pushed herself to her hands and knee, shaking from the force of the impact.

"Get back to the school! We'll take it from here, you're in no condition to fight!" Maka called to her, standing between the monster and the injured girl. Crona struggled to her feet and summoned Ragnarok to her hand in sword form.

"No... I can't leave you to fight alone..." She stumbled and crumpled to her knees, the sword going limp in her grasp.

"Maka, you go take care of her. I'll handle this one myself!" Black Star ran at the monster swinging the demon sword high. Maka thought about arguing, but one look at her friend told her there was no time.

"Crona, your bleeding badly! Can you harden your blood?" Maka was beside her, examining the wound and applying pressure as best she coud, but it was too much for one person. Soul transformed and put his hands in the gaps left by his meister.

"Ragnarok... He won't respond... I'm too weak..." Crona's eyes fell closed. Soul transformed his hand into a blade and cut his jacket into a few long strips, wrapping them tightly around the girl's bleeding back before picking her up in his arms. Maka followed quickly, keeping an eye out for the enemy as they made their way to the academy.

"This doesn't look good. Ragnarok should be able to harden her blood even if she is unconscious. That leads me to believe something happened to him more so than her. Maka, open a line to Lord Death please. Marie, get my opperating kit and clean the table off. Soul, run some water into pan and use one of those cloths to begin cleaning the wound."

Stein put those around him into action immediately, stepping in front of the mirror that now showed the Shinigami's concerned face.

"Stein? What's happened?"

"Crona is injured. Ragnarok is unresponsive. I'm afraid the kishin egg may have caused irreparable harm to him and that the injury will kill them both if I do not act immediately. I believe I may have a theory to separate them, which would increase the likelihood of both of them surviving. But I can guarantee her survival if I sacrifice him. It is risky either way. Crona is unconscious and I need someone to make that decision."

"No... I'm awake... Don't kill him... He saved me... Try to save him too... Please..." Crona whimpered from her place on the counter, startling Soul as he was wiping the deep cuts on her back.

"It is her choice, Stein. Please keep me informed of their conditions." Lord Death looked worried and regretful as he closed the link.

"Alright. Marie. I need you to go to the basement and bring me 6 quarts of blood, any kind. Crona is AB+ and the black blood should make her even more compatible than most. Soul, please take her to my lab and place her face down on the table. Use a couple of cloths as a pillow, I want her as straigh and relaxed as possible."

Stein walked purposefully to a large cabinet and began pulling out a number of contraptions that vaguely resembled improvised transfusion equipment. He set up the equipment around the table as Soul gently stretched Crona's nearly lifeless body out on it, propping her head up slightly with a few rolled up towels.

"Will she be okay Professor?" Maka was pale and shaking. She had always thought of Crona as indestrucatble. She held her friends hand as she waited on the scientist to begin working.

"Given the operation, I would say she has a 65% chance of survival. Ragnarok's is only 15%. But I will do my best. Just don't distract me, and don't get in the way." Maka nodded dumbly and scooted her stool as far to the corner as possible. Soul sat next to her and held her free hand.

"They'll be alright Maka. She's the second toughest girl I have ever met, and Ragnarok won't leave her alone." Maka smiled at her weapon's comforting words.

"Is this enough?" Marie returned with a tray containing many packages of red liquid.

"Yes. She's small, so it will be more than plenty. Alright, hook the first one up and get the second ready. You will need to keep an eye on the level and make sure there is always a fresh one waiting. My attention will be elsewhere."

"Y-yes Franken. How... how long will this take?"

"Four minutes or less. Any longer and the lack of oxygen will begin causing lasting damage. Maka, please get bandages out of that cabnet and lay them out in four long strips. As soon as I tell you, help me apply them to the wounds. Marie, when we do that, you will need to use your healing wavelength on Ragnarok. Try to keep him holding on for as long as possible. Soul... I will need some of your blood."

"What? For what?"

"You still have black blood in your veins. It is the best bet for saving her weapon." Soul swallowed and nodded, rolling up his sleeve.

"That won't be necessary. It multiplies quickly. I'll only need a drop." Stein pulled a syringe from a pocket and extracted a few drops of dark blood from Soul's finger. He turned to a machine he had pulled to the center of the room and squirted the liquid into a chamber. He flipped a switch and it began to hum quietly.

"Alright. It's time." Stein slipped two tubes into Crona's arms and then focused his wavelength on her.

"What are you doing?"

"I will have to guide the black blood out and keep Ragnarok separate from the incoming blood. Begin now."

The group did as instructed, moving from task to task smoothly. A stream of black blood flowed from one tube into the humming machine while a stream of red blood flowed into the injured girl.

In only three minutes, Maka was applying bandages to her friend with Stein's guidance as Marie tried desperately to keep Ragnarok from slipping away. Stein walked to the machine and flipped a switch just as a green light flicked on.

"That's all I can do. Maintain a connection with him. He will either stabilize or fade away. He's been mixed with a healthy batch of black blood, but if the injury was too severe, he may not recover. Maka, please inform Lord Death of the progress."

Maka opened a link to the Death Room and relayed the events that had passed since the last contact.

"Crona is going to make it?"

"Without a doubt. She began improving as soon as I removed the last of the black blood, but that does not bode well for her partner's survival." Stein washed his hands carefully and then lit a cigarette, stepping fully before the mirror. "I've done all I can. We're waiting now to see if Ragnarok will make it."

"Alright. How soon will you know for sure?"

"Hard to say. No more than a few hours, but likely no more than twenty minutes." Stein looked at Marie who was leaned against the machine, face tense with concentration. "It would not have gone nearly so well without the help of these students and Marie. Whatever the outcome, I recommend some reward for their services."

It was not often Stein commended someone's performance on anything, much less a field he himself was a true master of, so Lord Death immediately nodded. "Of course!"

"Stein he's fading!" The scientist's head twisted suddenly at the call of his death weapon.

"Hold on." He knelt beside her and resonated with her, using his own wavelength to coax the liquid weapon into a solid form. Moments later he stood. "No good. He's gone."

"Hey Crona, how are you feeling today?" Marie walked into the room to see the girl sitting quietly on the table, her legs dangling above the ground, her shoulders drooping slightly.

"I'm alright... I just miss Ragnarok... Everyone thought I hated him, but I couldn't. He was the only one there for me through everything, even if he didn't have a choice. He really did try to make me stronger. He was my first friend..." Marie sat next to her and hugged her tightly.

"It'll be alright Crona. I know it hurts, but you still have your memories of him. He died saving your life. So live it enough for him too." The pink haired girl nodded and began to cry, holding onto the blonde woman as she trembled.

"Can... can I go back to classes tomorrow?" Crona wiped her eyes and looked at the kind woman's one good eye.

"I'll have to ask Stein, but I think you will probably be able to. Remember to take it slow though. You've been through a lot and you shouldn't over do it." Crona only nodded. "Alright. Stein sent me to change your bandages. He's busy with a new research project and said to only come and get him if you'd developed an infection. This might be the last set of bandages!" Marie smiled reassuringly at the sad girl as she laid down on her stomach and pulled her shirt up to her shoulder blades.

"I haven't been injured for this long since I was a young child... I am not sure how to deal with this... Thank you for taking care of me though..." Crona winced as the bandages peeled off her back.

"You're very welcome! I've enjoyed getting to spend some time with you, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances. Promise you'll start visiting again?" Marie washed the tender new skin gently and applied the proper medicines before applying new bandages.

"I will... You're much kinder than I deserve..." Crona suddenly let out a squeak and turned her head to the side. Marie had just pinched her.

"Don't say that. You've been through hell. You didn't deserve that. You are a sweet girl and a good friend to everyone who knows you. Now if I hear you talking about yourself like you are worthless again, i'll have to keep pinching you." Marie held up her fingers threateningly, and Crona couldn't help but smile.

"Alright. Thank you. I'm just not used to having people care about me. I still don't know how to deal with it sometimes..." Crona sat up and pulled her shirt carefully over her fresh bandages and stretched, smiling slightly.

"It's good to see a smile on that face! I'll go tell Franken and see if he will okay you going back to classes tomorrow." Marie smiled happily at the girl and walked out of the room.

"Crona! You're back!" Maka rushed to her friend as soon as she entered the lecture hall, hugging her carefully to avoid the girl's back.

"Hey Maka!" The pink haired girl smiled shyly at her blonde friend and hugged her back. "Professor Stein said I could come back today!"

"Hey Crona. Good to see you back." Soul stood a few feet behind his meister, hands in his pockets, but a relatively friendly smile on his face.

"Good to see you too Soul." Crona took her seat near them both and Maka placed a notebook before her.

"I took a second copy of notes from class for you. I hope it helps." Maka scooted the notes closer. Crona took them gratefully.

"Th-thank you Maka! I hadn't thought about how much I had missed..." Crona suddenly looked nearly ill with nervousness.

"Don't worry, you can come over and i'll help you study anything you have trouble on. It really helps to go over it with someone else. I've had to do a lot of make up homework because of missions and injuries. Don't worry, the teachers are very understanding. Well... Except Stein." Soul shivered and scooted down in his seat.

"He's been scarier than usual the last few days. Whatever his new project is, either it is going badly, or it's going well. Either way, it's making him smile more, and it creeps me out." Soul grumbled. Crona laughed a little.

"I have seen him every day for a week. He barely leaves his lab since he started this project. I still don't know what it is." Maka and Soul both sat up. Crona looked at them with confussion, then understood. "I had to go to him to have my bandages changed, and to visit Marie." The two partners nodded in understanding.

"I thought he was experimenting on you for a minute Crona. Don't scare us like that." Soul slouched again.

"Sorry... I don't think he experiments on his patients... Does he?" Crona looked scared.

"Well... maybe not anymore. Marie may have him on a shorter leash... But he used to experiment on my father when he slept back when they were partners." Maka informed her friend. Crona's eyes expanded and she shivered.

"Th-that is really s-scary..."

"Alright, everyone, sit down. Today should be a very interesting day for all of you." All eyes snapped to the front of the lecture hall where Professor Stein sat in his favorite chair, facing them over his arms crossed on the back rest.

"Today, we're going to the field. You will see what it is like for three star meisters to battle each other with death scythes." Gasps of shock and excitement came from the group. They rarely got to witness battles between pairs, and never had any of them seen a fight between masters.

"I will be competing with Professor Mjolnir, while Lord Death will be using Spirit Albarn. He's made multiple mentions of how out of practice he is, so I thought a good old fashion duel was in order. So. What are you waiting for? Get going." As quickly as he had appeared, the scientist was gone.

"This is going to be so awesome! Lord Death against Stein, the best meister to ever graduate from this academy?! This will be the most epic fight ever!" Maka was nearly squealing with excitement. Contrary to her usual behavior, the thought of witnessing a battle that should model what they all strive for was filling her with energy.

"Calm down Maka, it's only a duel. They likely will not go all out, especially within the school." Kid caught up to them with his two weapons at his shoulders.

"Yeah, if they were going to go all out, they would do it in the death room." Soul nodded at Kid's statement.

"Whatever. It's not going to be as cool as watching me fight." Black Star stated as he jumped from the next row of seat to theirs.

"Didn't Mifune kick your butt several times? Not so cool." Soul's teasing tone made Black Star glare at his friend.

"Hey, I won in the end, and that means I never lost!" The self proclaimed ninja walked off ahead with Tsubaki following at his heels.

"If I didn't think he'd beat the hell out of me, i'd love to deflate his ego a bit." Maka scowled.

"He's gotten better and you know it. At least now he deserves some of his arrogance." Soul said, weakly defending his friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Maka sighed and turned to Crona. "Come on! We don't want to miss this!"

"Well that was anti climactic." Maka sighed as they made their way back for their next class. Stein had struck Spirit directly with Marie and delivered a blast of their combined wavelength coupled togther with her electricity, knocking him unconscious and incapable of remaining in weapon form. It was over in under a minute. Lord Death apologized for not shielding Spirit from the attack with his own wavelength, but the red haired man still scowled mutinously for the rest of the day.

"It was still a good learning experience for some of the students. Its part of why we have to learn soul resonance. Most weapons will rely on their meister for defence against wavelength or electrical attacks." Kid stated calmly.

"Yeah, but I was really hoping to see a good example of what a three star meister is capable of." Maka sat heavily in her seat.

"Hey, when you're a three star meister, we can challenge Stein and show them all the fight you wanted to see." Soul put a hand on her shoulder as he sat beside her.

"Yeah... I've got to turn you into a death scythe first though." Maka leaned back in her seat and looked up a couple of rows to where Black Star and Tsubaki were talking. "I really hope we make it before they do."

"Why?"

"Because I would rather not have to put up with Black Star's ego if he is the first in the class to create a death scythe or reach three star level." Soul sighed and slumped onto his desk.

"I only need two more keshin eggs and a witch." Maka jumped.

"We're that close?! Why didn't you tell me!?" Soul raised an eyebrow at her.

"You usually keep count yourself."

"Good afternoon!" Marie walked to the front of the class with her ever present smile. Maka fell quiet and sulked at Soul's mention of her loss of attention.

"Professor Mjolnir... I have a question..."

"What is it Crona?"

"Is... is it possible... for me to continue here... without taking a new weapon partner?"

"I don't know... It would be unusual at the very least, but I don't think it is unheard of. Stein is more dangerous without a weapon than many full pairs. That is if you still want to fight. There are always non combat rolls. Stein would be the one to ask though. He has more experience. If you hurry you should be able to catch him before he leaves." Crona thanked her and ran quickly to the lecture hall just in time to see Stein walking out, dragging his chair and a pile of books stacked on the seat.

"Professor Stein!" The man turned and paused, looking at the slender girl sprinting toward him. She stopped and breathed shakily for a moment.

"You know you were supposed to be taking it easy your first day, not sprinting the halls." He didn't sound angry, mearly bored and slightly ammused at her actions.

"I... i'm sorry. I needed to ask you something before you left... Can... can a meister continue here without a weapon?" Crona remembered just how intimidating the tall man could be.

"Yes. There are several courses still open to you even without a weapon partner. Research, wavelength combat, medicine, teaching, or even a technical career. I would recommend a combination of wavelength combat or hand to hand with any of the others. You will be able to go on missions with the others, but also be able to be useful and successful without taking a new partner."

Crona stared up at the scientist as he reached up and twisted the bolt slowly. She had no idea he could be so helpful. She hadn't heard of many people actually asking him for advice. As the best meister to graduate and a brilliant scientist, she shouldn't have expected any less.

"Th-thank you professor." Stein nodded and returned to dragging his chair and books down the hall. She heard him twist his bolt again, the clicks echoing eerily down the empty hall.

She made her way to her room in the visitor's quarters beneath the school and packed up the books and materials she would need to complete her homework, then began the long trek to Maka and Soul's. She knew she would be taking every opportunity to escape this lonely dungeon now that Ragnarok was gone.

"Marie, we need to talk." Stein was sitting in his favorite chair as usual, but contrary to his usual habits, it was parked squarely in the middle of his living room. Marie was startled when she walked in and saw him sitting there, gazing at her with those sharp eyes.

"F-franken you scared me! What is it?"

"Crona."

"Oh no, what's happened?! Is she alright?!" Marie was inches from his face in moments, demanding to know what harm had befallen the unfortunate girl.

"Nothing has happened Marie, I want to speak to you about her future."

"At the academy?"

"Among other things. I understand her reluctance to take another partner, and I would like to make every possible path available to her. This may require private lessons from both of us as well as other members of the staff."

"And you want me to go sweet talk them because you're not so good at that sort of thing?" Marie asked as sweetly and sarcasticlly as she could.

"Yes." As usual he either missed her tone or ignored it.

"Alright. I'd do anything for that poor girl."

"That brings me to my second point." Stein's mouth spread into a terrifying grin.

"W-what? D-do you r-really m-mean that?" Crona was standing in front of her tall blonde E.A.T. Teacher.

"Yes. We really mean it. Believe it or not, it was actually Franken's idea. I was as surprised as you, but I agreed immediately, and I wish I had thought of it myself. At the very least, come to his office with me so he can say it himself." Crona could only nod and walk silently behind her.

"Pr-professor Stein said that?" Marie turned her head and nodded over her shoulder, smiling brightly.

It took only a minute to reach the closet-like office of the meister in question.

"Franken, Crona is here!" The door opened and the two were greated with a large yawn and a hazy stare before Stein blinked and smiled in a manner that no one but Marie had seen before. It wasn't scary or sinister, only warm, and a little sad.

"Crona, no one should go through life with no where to call home and no one to call their family. Even I had parents who cared for me despite my flaws. And I am sure that wherever they are now, they are watching me with horror and pride in equal magnitudes. You're fifteen. Only a few more years and you'll be an adult. But until that time, I would like to ask you if you would like to be a part of our family?"

Crona couldn't keep her mouth from falling open in surprise. Marie just beamed at the man she had grown so attached to. He considered her his family, and he had even extended that offer to a child in need. She'd been told he had no love to give. She believed quite differently.

"Y-you want me to live with you? Even after all i've done? You would call me family?" Crona was shaking now, trying to keep from crying.

"Yes. We've all made mistakes. I know we are far from an ideal family, but I wouldn't pick anyone in the world to replace either of you. What do you say?" Stein leaned on the door frame and watched the girl before him with his calculating eyes, never missing a detail.

"I... I... Thank you... I couldn't imagine a better family..." Crona's face spilt into radiant smile and her tears began slipping down her cheeks. Marie enveloped her in a hug and Stein let out a small chuckle.

"We already have a room cleared for you. It may take some getting used to, but I hope you can come to see it as your home." Marie squeazed the girl close. She'd always imagined having a husband and a child. A home and a family. Now she had it. Maybe not exactly how she had imagined it, but she was with a man she loved, who loved her back in the only way he could. She had a girl who needed cared for who had allowed her to be that caretaker. She lived in a lab with a mad scientist and a former enemy, and she was happier than she had ever been.

It had been a month since she had moved in, and already it felt like home. A safe haven where the people who loved her would always be to welcome her back with open arms. She had been pursuing various fields with many of her professors, learning techniques to fight and preform other special tasks without a partner. She was still deciding what path she wanted to follow, but she was quickly narrowing down her options.

She looked around her room. It was the first time in her life she had a room to call her own. She had chosen her own bedsheets. She had decorated it herself, with Maka and Soul's help. She had even let Kid come and give it his seal of approval. Of course that was before she rearranged the furniture into a less symetrical layout to give herself a lot of open space.

Stein had given her a welcoming gift after her first week that had not left her grasp at night for the three weeks since. A stuffed plush wolf with crisscross threads running across it in several spots. She had giggled at the designs that made it so unique to the family that had adopted her and immediately decided it would be staying on her bed for the forseeable future. She named it Stitches.

She had expanded her wardrobe after shopping with Maka, Marie, Tsubaki, and Kid. She disguarded the ancient black robe that she had worn since she was a child and began wearing white as often as possible, both to contrast with her past and spite her mother's dark theme, as well to match the generally sterile white surrounding of her new home.

With a home and a family to go along with the friends and freedom she now experienced, came a new found confidence that never approached arrogance or pride, but was enough to let her walk with her head up and a smile on her face for the first time in her life.

It wasn't until her second month of individual study that she made a decision on what she wanted to do. Research. She would become a scientist. Stein finally got to experience what it was like to feel pride in someone. He presented her with her own white lab coat, free of stitches. He took her as an apprentice in his lab, teaching her everything he knew, and helped her personally as she struggled to master using her wavelength as a tool and weapon.

Now she was seventeen years old. Still attending classes with her friends, but branching out from their courses as she focused on her own path. She had finally become comfortable calling Marie "Mom", but always addressed Stein as "Professor". It never sounded formal though. She said it with as much warmth and adoration as any child would address her father.

Maka had reached the rank of three star meister and long since turned Soul into a death scythe. Crona had grown very close to all of her friends, particularly Maka and Kid. She worked three days a week in the lab as Steins apprentice and assistant, learning from him and helping him and showing an amount of trust in the man most others would not dream of.

Never once did he try to experiment on her in her sleep. Never once did he consider disectin is surrogate wife and child. He was still regarded as a terrifying individual, and with good reason. Now that he had a family to protect, he would not be a man to trifle with.

Crona was still shy, but no longer depressed. She was still working on improving her confidence, but she no longer cowered before those who looked her way. She was never going to be as outgoing as Black Star or as cool and laid back as Soul, but with the help of her friends, she was as compassionate as Maka and Marie, and as logical and soothing as Kid and Stein.

She had learned the basics of manipulating her wavelength, and could even hold her own against some of the one star meister weapon pairs, but her skills still paled in comparison to Stein's. He insisted she was making excellent progress and it would take time and practice, especially without a partner. She accepted the praise and set to work practicing, every morning and every night.

With only one year left until she would graduate, Crona finally felt like she belonged.