Title: Tricks and Treats

Rating: PG-13 (swears)

Pairing: KidxCrona

Table: 3

Prompt: #19 "but you will be safe in my arms"

Summary: Haunted house time. You know what that means.

A/N: Happy SUPER belated Halloween. Yeah, lame, right? Anyway, Crona is a GIRL, just for the sake of convenience. I think that Crona wouldn't be easily frightened by silly Halloween stuff. She's more afraid of human contact…and Black Star.

(SE)

"Haunted house? Where?" Soul asked.

"Where else but…" Maka grinned, "Stein's lab."

Soul froze. "That's…not a haunted house, that's just a tomb."

"Exactly! If it's Dr. Stein's lab, it MUST be scary." Maka spoke excitedly, "Ah…Halloween, haunted houses, candy…!"

"You have some crazy tastes, Maka." Soul shivered. "I can't stand Halloween."

"You just don't want to get scared because it doesn't make you look cool." Maka teased.

"You've seen me scared shitless before." Soul rubbed his face with his hands, "I hate these types of stuff…I don't know how to deal with them."

"Heh, you sound like Crona."

"Really? Wonder if Crona's scared of that type of stuff, too."


"BOO!" Patty shouted, fingers wiggling in front of her face. "Wooo…I'm a ghost!" She wore a white sheet over her head, two holes cut for her eyes. "Scared?"

Crona merely stared at Patty, unfazed. "N-No…"

"Who would be scared over that?" Black Star laughed.

"Then what are you, Black Star?" Liz folded her arms.

"I only need to be myself for others to tremble in fear. Isn't that right? Aren't you scared of me, Crona?" Black Star came uncomfortably close to Crona.

Crona back away, "Urgh…" she mumbled, clasping her arms together in front of her chest. It wasn't that he was scary; it was more like his forced presence made her feel uneasy.

"Black Star, don't make Crona feel uncomfortable. Maka won't like it either." Tsubaki scolded Black Star. She wore a pure white kimono, her hair let down and covering her face. Only half of her face was shown.

"What are you supposed to be, Tsubaki?" Liz asked.

"It's a typical ghost from where I came from. An innocent girl is killed by the villagers and comes back from the dead for revenge." Tsubaki smiled sweetly.

"…I-I see…"

"What about you, Liz?"

Liz grinned, flipping her hair back. "A sexy devil." She wore a skintight red suit, a foam tail sticking out from her posterior, and plastic horns adorning the black headband she wore.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Tsubaki, let's go get some candy!"

"Why you little…"

Crona was dressed in her normal clothes, except this time she wore a light cotton sweater. At night, the city was fairly cold.

"Crona," Maka had run up to Crona, "Let's go to the haunted house! And you guys, too, Liz and Patty!"

"Haunted house? Did my ears hear haunted house!?" Black Star appeared out of nowhere, surprising Maka.

"Y-Yeah, it'll be fun."

"Let's GO!" Black Star pumped his fists in the air.

Crona pursed her lips, "Are haunted houses scary?"

"Really, scary." Maka emphasized on 'really', "But you'll be fine, I'll be here for you."

Crona smiled shyly. "By the way, Maka, what are you…?"

"Ah, this? I decided that Soul and I should switch clothes. Heh, doesn't really fit me, right?" Maka snorted with laughter, "But you should see Soul…" She looked back behind her where Soul was quickly approaching her.

"I. Hate. You." Soul quickly ran up behind Maka, "I…can't believe you got me into this."

"Why not? You look cute in a skirt." Maka laughed.

"THIS ISN'T COOL!"

Ragnarok appeared from behind. "HA, I knew something was fruity about ya!" He laughed loudly, "I'd say anyone would think you were a girl. Crona, I wouldn't flip that skirt if I were you."

"It was your fault last time, Ragnarok." Crona hissed between her teeth. She looked at the embarrassed Soul carefully. It was true, that if you got rid of the idea that he was originally a guy…he did have some nice legs…

"Even Crona thinks you look like a girl." Maka giggled.

Soul felt like crying, "I'll get you someday."

"Try it."


"Why did you drag me here?" Kid cried out.

"Quiet, you keep yourself cooped up in your room all day, every day. You gotta have some fun once in a while!" Liz dragged Kid along, latching onto one of his arms.

"You'll become a chicken, Kid, you don't want to push eggs out of your butt, right?" Patty laughed, dragging Kid along by latching onto his other arm.

Kid made sure his legs were perfectly in line with his arms, feet parallel to each other. "Where are you taking me anyway?" He was dropped, a grunt escaping him as his back hit the ground. Kid groaned, and flipped back up onto his feet. He turned, as he was facing the same path he had always saw, and gaped.

"Wow, they really put effort into it."

"Look sis, a ghost, like me!" Patty giggled, waving her arms under her white sheet.

The lab had transformed. It was as if someone rebuilt the entire place. The whole lab was covered by a cardboard cut out of a crooked mansion, the trees decorated with Halloween ornaments and the entrance was lined up with smiling jack-o-lanterns.

"Ms. Marie must have really been excited." Liz's eyes traveled all around the area.

"Liz, Patty, Kid, over here!" Maka cried out, waving her arms to grab their attention. "Everyone else is already here, let's go!"


"We'll divide into teams of two. First one to reach the end gets the other teams to do their bidding."

"Wait, I never agreed to thi—"

"YAY!"

"Let's do it!"

"Seems like a lot of fun."

"Let's have fun, Crona."

"Y-Yeah."

"What are the teams?"

"Just get with whoever you want to. Only teams of two."

Soul and Maka linked arms (more like Soul hid behind Maka and Maka tried to hold onto his arm).

Black Star and Tsubaki became a pair. "No one can beat THIS godly team!"

Liz and Patty were a team. "Sis, I can't wait to see all the creepy stuff." Patty finished her sentence with a grim face.

Liz shivered, "Patty…you know your big sis can't handle these types of stuff…"

Crona looked around, hoping that someone would approach her.

Kid walked up to Crona, hands in his pockets. "Looks like we can't get out of this. Let's be partners." He held out a hand.

Crona looked at the hand for a moment, and nodded, shaking it.

"All of you kids ready?" Marie held a small flag in one hand. All that changed about her for Halloween was that she was wearing a headband with cat ears and some black make-up to create whiskers. "Get ready, steady…go!"

No one moved.

"You know…once you kind of look at it, it really sends a chill down your spine."

"It's Stein's lab, his lab, his damn lab, oh shit we're gonna die."

"…This haunted house is beneath me, yeah, that's it!"

"…Patty, your big sis is starting to have a mental breakdown."

"…Sis, I'm starting to have one, too."

"…It's…so asymmetrical…"

"All of you hurry up and go in! It's just for fun, none of you are going to die!"

Crona stared at her companions. She looked at the supposedly scary mansion. It didn't seem very scary at all; in fact it was almost laughable. It was obvious that it was all constructed in a crude manner, and hanging ghosts with cute pink blushes didn't help the scare factor. "I'll go in first, okay?" she pointed to the lab, Ragnarok resting on her head.

"It seems kinda boring." Ragnarok groaned. "Medusa sleeping is scarier than this."

"Eh, what? Don't go alone, Crona!"

"So…asymmetrical…" Kid felt like vomiting all over the ground.

"Come on, Kid, your partner's going!"


Crona ended up carrying Kid on her back, Ragnarok forced to slip back into his original state (not that he minded, he felt the whole event was a huge yawn).

She had her arms wrapped around both of his legs, his head resting on top of hers. His arms were slumped over her shoulders, obstructing her peripheral view, but it didn't matter too much. He was rather light, much lighter than she expected. His skull ornament was also digging a hole into the back of her head, but it didn't matter too much.

"What should I do?" Crona sighed, "I don't want to carry Kid the entire time. I don't know how to deal with this." She complained silently, in part conversing with Ragnarok, and in part consoling herself.

She received no response. He was probably off in his own world, whatever his disgusting thoughts were, the damn pervert.

Suddenly she snapped herself away from her thoughts and quickly stepped back.

A fake skeleton appeared from the ceiling and hung on a rope, a sign that the corpse committed suicide. Suddenly laughter emitted from the skeleton, its jaws clattering in sync to the recorded sound.

Crona blinked, and walked past it. "Wonder what happened to him?" She did not get the concept of Halloween at all.

Crona continued walking, occasionally hopping so that she could pull Kid up from falling off her back. "He's really out, isn't he?" She didn't really get why he fainted over the sight of…asymmetry.

"Ugh…Crona…you can let me down."

Crona shivered, shocked by his sudden voice. "A-Are you sure…?"

"Yes…I could always…destroy everything." Kid was let go. He jumped ungracefully onto the ground, landing on his knees and then on his hands. He covered his mouth with one hand. "All of this…how frightening…"

Crona bent down to his level, knees to her chin, sitting on her heels. "I…could carry you…again." How embarrassing, but she didn't really mind. It felt comforting, in some way, that he needed her to get through such an obstacle. A simple obstacle, but an obstacle nonetheless.

Kid looked up at Crona, staring at her for some time. "No, no need."

"But…you…will be safe…in my arms." Crona mumbled, looking away. It was so embarrassing, that her cheeks were burning hot red.

"…Okay."

Crona nodded, inwardly pleased. She then proceeded to carry Kid. Bridal style.

"W-Wait, Crona, I don't think you need to carry me like THIS."

"Why not? The Ragnarok could come out without bothering you."

"I-It's fine, really!"

"…But…you'll be safe in my arms."

"That line again…fine, fine, let's just hurry and finish. What was the penalty again?"

"Losers have to do whatever the winners want them to…I think."

"…Oh crap, Patty and Liz are going to make all my paintings crooked! And they'll tell me that I can't touch them for…WHO KNOWS HOW LONG!" Kid grabbed his head, "How could I have let myself be forced into such an atrocious situation! Crona!"

"Yes!" Crona squeaked, standing tall (she didn't know why, it felt appropriate).

Kid pointed towards the path in front of them. "Let's run our way to the exit!"

"R-Run…?" Oh geez.

"Yes, RUN!"

Crona felt like crying, "Why me…?"


Liz groaned, flopping onto a fake tree. A mixture of tears and sweat ran down her cheeks and formed a pond beneath her. "Patty…your big sis is dying…"

Patty giggled, "That was fun, wasn't it?"

"I'm so glad you scared off that zombie guy." Liz's words were slurred as she gripped the supposed tree as if it were the only thing that was connecting her to the world of sanity. "I…I can't deal with this…"

Suddenly they heard a sound.

Liz made a sound that mixed the muffled scream of a toddler and a dying chipmunk.

Patty just held a hand over her eyes, excited. "It sounds like…"

"Ffffffffffffffffff," it continued, "FFFFUUUCK!" Soul slammed right into the fake tree, the exact same one Liz was holding onto. His skirt slid up his thigh as he wrapped both his arms and legs around the tree. "FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, MOTHER FUCKING SHIT FUCK!"

"Wow, I haven't heard that much profanity in one sentence since Patty blew off this one guy's to—wait what am I saying, WHAT HAPPENED!?" Liz cried out.

"G-Ghost, real…ghost, can't…stand…this…" Soul's trembling caused the entire tree to shake.

"S-Stop shaking the tree! Y-You're freaking me out!"

"Soul, wait up!" Maka ran into the scene, pulling the headband out of her eyes. She bent down over her knees, panting. "You ran so fast…I couldn't catch up with you."

"W-What was he talking about? A ghost and…stuff…"

"It was just an image projected onto a sheet." Maka sighed, straightening her back. "He freaked out before I could tell him it was just an illusion and he ran off shouting out all these swears."

Patty patted Soul, "It's okay, Soul. My perspective of you may have completely changed…but you're still Soul!" she giggled.

Soul buried his face into the soft trunk of the tree. "Thanks, Patty…" he cried, until he realized that, "Wait…are trees this soft…?"

Liz pulled back, "N-No, never…"

Soul jumped away and hid behind Maka and Patty.

The tree moved.

Liz and Soul screamed.

Maka and Patty stared in amusement. "Hey, you can see his face!"

It reeled over, bending back and worth, its branches shaking. "Revenge…for all the paper you students use…revenge…!"

"Someone…help…"

"HEY, YOU! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING GATHERING ALL THAT ATTENTION! LOOK EVERYONE, YOUR SAVIOR HAS COME!" Black Star threw his head back and laughed for a long time. He stood at a height high above the rest of his companions, arms crossed. Tsubaki stood next to him, embarrassed.

"What is that…a monkey?" The tree commented.

"Almost." Maka sighed.

"Tsubaki," Black Star held out a hand. "Let's go!"

"…Black Star, it's only a man dressed as a tree."

"That's what he WANTS you to think!"

"No, I think that's what he really is."

"TSUBAKI, DON'T FALL FOR THE ILLUSION!"

Tsubaki sighed, "Black Star, I think you need to take a better look."

"…It is a monkey." The tree concluded. "Whatever," he turned to the Soul-Maka-Patty trio, "Revenge…revenge…hey, you're cute…"

Liz snapped from her fear. "Heh, it runs in the family." She rose from the ground, hands on her hips.

"Wanna go out? I know a few nice places around in Death City."

"Eh, really? I don't know…"

"…They're flirting."

"Go, sis, go!" Patty giggled.

"I'm not talking to you," he pointed to Soul, "That girl over there."

Maka snorted, and then covered her mouth.

Patty fell over in laughter, while Liz fell onto the ground, dejected by the fact that she was rejected.

Soul died. He knew the skirt was a bad idea.

"So, what do you say?"

Soul didn't respond. He was still in shock.


Crona felt like dying. She was exhausted. "It's…too much…"

"Just a little longer." Kid motivated her, "Keep going!"

"C-Can't you walk by yourself now?"

"I don't know, you're holding me symmetrically, I wouldn't want to ruin such a beautiful pose."

"…W-What?"

"Let's go!"

"Ujyuu…" Crona cried, tears dripping down her cheeks.


"Am I getting too old? How can that be, I'm still sexy and beautiful and bright…I have a killer body, and even if my breasts ARE smaller than Patty's I'm still a bomb shell. I've always gotten guys to fall for me so what's the difference now…?"

"Don't worry, sis, like they say, there's always plenty of giraffes in the sea!"

"NO ONE CAN BEAT ME! TSUBAKI, WE MUST FIGHT THAT TREE!"

"You're voice is too loud, Black Star."

"Say, how about dinner tomorrow? Sounds good?"

Maka stared at Soul, an amused grin on her face. "Ah…he broke." She spoke under her breath. She sighed and looked both ways. She wasn't sure which way they had come from. Then something caught her eye, "What's that?"

Liz and Soul jumped and ran behind the man-tree. "Save us!"

Patty giggled, "Gee, sis, you're such a scaredy cat!"

"If it's another zombie, let me at 'im!" Black Star punched the air.

"Please don't, Black Star." Tsubaki sighed.


"I see someone," Kid squinted his eyes.

Crona was just about to die, "Huh? Someone, something?"

"Yeah, let's get a little closer."


"It looks like…someone's holding someone else."


"It kinda looks like Maka."

Crona perked up.


"It kinda looks like…Crona?"

"Well, they are far behind."

"That's true."


Crona would smile if she weren't so damn tired. She stared to sway a little.

"Ah, Crona, be careful of that—" Kid's head slammed head on into some metal. He was knocked out cold.

"AH! Kid…!" Now he was even heavier.


"Wait…I'm not sure, it's swaying…"

Crona came up closer, her face overshadowed by her hair and the dark lighting. "Maka…" she droned, "Maka…"

"W-Wait, this is pretty damn scary." Liz gripped the man-tree's costume tightly.

"Doesn't look like Crona."

"Is it another zombie?" Maka grinned.

"Maka…!" Crona threw her head back, her eyes slightly deranged and fatigued. For that moment, it was as if she reverted back to her crazy self.

"Oh shi—" the man-tree turned, abandoning them, and tried running the opposite way.

"Coward," Maka sighed, "It's only Crona, she looks so tired."

"…And scary."

"Really scary."

"Like…really, REALLY scary."

"Only Crona?" Black Star sighed, "And here I thought it was a zombie…" he froze, sensing a sinister presence.

"HOLY SHIT!" The man-tree ran back and hid behind another fake tree.

"What's…" Maka stared at the figure whose glasses were glistening under a flashlight's light. Her eyes widened, as her heart decided it was the perfect time to stop beating.

Screams emitted all around.


Marie looked in the mirror, fixing her cat ears and making sure her makeup wasn't smudging. "I wonder if Stein found them? They were gone for so long, I was worried they got lost." She smiled, "He's probably frightened them to death. I should've forced him to become a part of the haunted house."


Crona flopped onto the ground and looked up at the sinister moon. "I'm…alive." And first.

Kid walked up next to her, "Good job, Crona, you won."

Crona just pressed her forehead on the pavement. "I feel so tired."

Kid looked down on her head and smiled. "It's my turn to pay you back." He walked in front of her and bent down, "Get on, I'll carry you back to your room."

Crona lifted her head, "R-Really?"

"Yes."

She was moved, and nervous. So nervous that she was blushing. "O-Okay…" she slowly lifted herself to her feet and bent down to wrap her arms around Kid's neck.

It was a bit awkward, as he was shorter and smaller than her, and her strange dress did not aid the situation as she did not enjoy seeing it slip up her thigh.

But eventually, Kid was carrying the fatigued girl on his back, arms wrapped around her pale legs, her head resting on his, her arms crossed lazily on his chest.

He was warm, and soft, and comforting. She enjoyed this moment greatly. So much that she hoped that it would take forever to get back to her room.

Crona pressed her forehead on the back of his head, blushing. She closed her eyes tightly, and relaxed with a sigh. Her stomach was doing flip-flops and her heart was beating a hundred miles per second. Yet at the same time she felt calm. She wasn't trembling and she didn't feel terribly uncomfortable with him.

He was really warm. So warm that she wanted to pressed her cheek against his neck.

But…no.

Not yet.

(SE)

Okay, I need to stop here for length. It's already at over nine pages, and if I keep going it'll get REALLY long.

I don't want to do two part-ers, because they're such a burden, but…well…I guess I need to. Again.

I need more variety in this pairing (laughs). But this idea came to mind and I rather enjoy it. Also I needed to make a moment where Crona feels for Kid first. After that, I can play with it. Love triangles and all (YES).