Hi! This is Poison. Here's a small one-shot with Crona and Maka. In this fiction, Chrona is a boy.
Summary: The light can only hold on for so long before the darkness closes in. Chrona doesn't know how much longer he can hold on to what little he has left.
Disclaimer: Do not own Soul Eater.
Breaking Down My Soul
The sketchy, timid, and frightened young boy didn't know at what point he had started to care a little more than a lot for the other girl. He had been lost and alone, in an abyss where no light shown through. One person had managed to reach a hand out, through the layers upon layers of brick, and grasp his hand. He had been horrified at the time, as cracks of sunlight began to appear and his body began to shine. Slowly, the hardened wall began to crumble and stronger beams of light raced through, his pupils dilating in the sun. She had saved him, and now he was paying the price.
"What's on your mind, Crona? You seem lost in thought." His grayish eyes opened up wide as he looked towards the source of the noise. A young girl of about fourteen smiled up at him, her eyes kind and thoughtful as always. Her name was Maka and she was a classmate of his at Death Weapon Meister Academy. They sat near each other during school hours and she was the only person to really look out for him.
"I-I'm fine, M-Maka. T-Thanks," Crona murmured, resting his hands on the desk. They were tightly interlaced and squeezed, his fingers turning red from the pressure.
"I hope she didn't catch me looking at her. I don't know how to deal with that!" He thought to himself, his eyes widening in fear. The professor at the top of the room cleared his throat and the girl's eyes turned back to the blackboard. That was also something the boy admired about the female meister. She worked very hard and was always so studious. She happened to be at the top of the class as well.
Crona wished that he could also do well in school but he never got any studying done. The reason why…
"Crona! I'm bored! Let's ditch!" A small black demon with "X's" over his eyes appeared, tugging at the boy's light pink hair. The voice was squeaky, irritating, and small but his punches and abuse hurt!
"No, Ragnarok! I have to do well or I'll get in trouble! I don't think I can deal with that!" The demon issued a howl of frustration and settled down, retreating back into Crona. The boy placed his head upon his hands and stared at the board, feeling anxiety begin to creep up. Maka kept glancing back at him every now and then with a concerned look on her face.
His blood began to boil beneath him, and soon he couldn't take it anymore. His hand shot up into the air and the teacher, Dr. Stein called upon him.
"Yes, Crona?" The man asked, peering over the tip of his frames. Upon the table was a rare species of bird, forced apart down the midsection by forceps.
"I don't feel good, sir! M-may I go to the nurse?" Dr. Stein nodded his hand and gave a dismissal wave before returning to the lecture. Crona silently stood up and sneaked out of the classroom, trying to calm his racing heart.
"Finally, we are out of there! Good lie, Crona!" Ragnarok appeared again, black smoke billowing from his bottom half. He twisted around in the air, his eyes rolling around in their sockets.
"It wasn't for you, Ragnarok. I needed to get out of there! I can't deal with this!" The demon peered at his meister, a small frown eminent on his face.
"What's wrong with you now?" He scolded, giving the boy a distasteful look. The pink-haired boy struggled to find the right words and failed. He didn't know what was going on. All he knew was that being in the same room with the Maka girl felt awkward and uncomfortable.
Taking a few steps, he made his way down the hall, and to the entrance to the dungeons. Honestly, he missed his little room down in the dark where he could hide. After a few weeks of good behavior and improvement, they had moved him into a room. Regardless, he was still monitored by the school often.
Living at the Death Weapon Meister Academy had been a dream for the abused teenager. He had made friends, many of them kind to him and understanding. They had even asked him to come hang out with him. He felt normal for once in his life. Well, kind of…
The lights above began to dim and soon he found himself standing in front of his old cell. Pushing open the door, he retreated to his small dusty corner and curled up into a ball. He rocked back and forth, whispering to himself, willing his mind to settle.
"Crona," a voice whispered, the air in the room becoming stale. He felt his body tense up, and even Ragnarok froze for a moment.
"W-who's there?" He stuttered, fearful eyes darting about the room. He nearly screamed when a snake slithered out from underneath the cot on the other side of the room.
"Crona, my child," it whispered again, tongue darting out. The boy placed his hands on his head and squeezed his eyes shot, begging for the image to go away. It did.
He sat there in the darkness, feeling more alone than he ever had.
Ding dong death dong! The class bell sounded and Maka gathered her supplies, heading over to where Black Star, Tsubaki, and Soul stood. She beamed brightly at them, watching as other students filed out of the room.
"Hi, everyone. What's going on?" She pulled her overcoat around her and fixed her gloves before leaning against a desk. Soul, her partner, was already lazing about, his feet propped up on his desk.
"Just talking about how big of a star I am!" Black Star shouted, striking a dramatic pose. His mouth opened and his booming laugh emerged, as everyone visibly winced.
"What was up with Crona?" Tsubaki asked, her soft features converting to a worried look. Maka shrugged, looking at the door where the boy had exited earlier.
"I don't know. He looked upset though." The pigtailed meister frowned, debating whether or not to go check on him at the nurse's office. Soul scoffed and rubbed his eyes, leaning back further in his chair.
"The kid's probably fine. I wouldn't think about it." He let out a yawn and stood up motioning for Maka to follow him. She waved goodbye to her friends and walked with Soul into the hallway.
"I'm kind of beat. I'm going to head back to the apartment. You coming?" Soul looked over at his partner, his sharp teeth visible in a smirk. Maka shook her head and pointed down the hallway, deciding to go check on Crona.
"I'm going to look for him. I'll catch up with you later though!" Soul nodded and left, strolling towards the opposite direction. A few short minutes later, Maka arrived at the nurses' office and was surprised to see the place empty.
"Crona?" She inspected each of the rooms and was shocked to see he still wasn't there. "Where could he have gone?"
The small boy had been sitting in his spot for about an hour and half, whimpering and whispering to himself. The room was dark and although he was waiting for the snake to appear again, it never did.
"Let's go find Maka! She always gives me food!" Ragnarok shoved his fists into Crona's head, reveling in the painful noises the boy made.
"No! I don't want to see her! She makes me feel all funny inside! I can't deal with that!" Crona's voice echoed through the room and he winced, a small pink tinge covering his cheeks.
"Aw, little Crona's in love! How pathetic!" Ragnarok folded his arms against his chest and laughed, placing his face in front of the boys.
"W-what? L-love?" Smokey grey eyes stared at the demon sword with confusion and hurt. What was he talking about?
"You have feelings for the girl. Waste of time if you ask me. She'll never like you back." The small demon sighed, attempting to push Crona towards the exit. "Now go get me some candy!"
Crona stood up, pondering what his weapon had said. What exactly did he mean by liking someone? Yeah, he liked Maka a lot. She was nice to him. But was that why she made him feel all weird?
"I'm going to ask her! M-Maka is nice. She won't yell at me." Brushing dirt off of his clothes, he exited the dungeon and headed back into the hallway.
"Crona!" Maka was calling out his name above and he felt relieved when he ran into her. "I was looking for you. Why weren't you in the nurses' office?" She looked a little panicked, with her face flushed and eyes wide open.
"S-sorry. I left. C-can we talk?" He bit his lip nervously as she nodded and led him to a small bench. Ragnarok had retreated back to wherever he goes and was strangely quiet.
"Yeah, you could tell me anything. What's up?" She smiled kindly at him and his heart skipped a beat in his chest. Instinctively, his hand raced to his chest and clutched the fabric against the skin.
"Ragnarok says the reason I've b-been acting weird around you is because I l-like you. I d-don't understand." He glanced shyly at her, his cheeks beginning to match his hair.
Maka's mouth dropped open as she looked away shamefully. "Liking someone means you care about them a lot. It means you feel for them as more than a friend." She averted her eyes to the ground, and sadly began to dread what came next.
"So, that means I like y-you. Oh, I don't know how to deal with this. It's so confusing!" Crona placed his head in his hands and sighed, waiting for his weapon to pop out and embarrass him. It never happened.
"Sometimes, the other person returns your feelings. Other times, they don't. Liking someone isn't always fun. But it gets better." Maka tried to give Crona a smile but he wasn't looking at her.
"Does that mean that y-you like me too?" He looked up at her and Maka sighed.
"I'm sorry, Crona. I like someone else." A flash image of Soul flew across her mind and she gave him a halfhearted smile. "I still want to be your friend though."
Crona didn't know why but at that moment, he felt his chest begin to hurt. It pained him in a different way. One that he had never felt before…
"I-I see…" Maka held out a hand and he grabbed it before she pulled him into a hug. He gasped as her familiar warmth enveloped him again. He didn't know exactly what had just happened but he felt sad and lonely.
"I'm still here as your friend, Crona. Don't be afraid to talk to me." She gave him a smile and stood up, before waving a goodbye. "I have to go home now! Soul is waiting for me."
Crona watched her departing form sadly, and wondered what would happen next. How would he act around her now? Would the weird sensations go away? However, it didn't matter.
"Crona," the voice whispered again. The darkness was building, the light was fading out. Soon, the abyss would swallow him again. The snakes would come for him. The darkness would consume him.
All done! Short and sweet. Hope you liked it. One-sided love sucks, yeah? Review!