Well, this idea came to me as I was sitting in the bathtub at 2:00AM and playing with water balls in a shampoo bottle. Just as I was about to wash my hair, an awkward conversation between Crona and Medusa popped into my head. It was weird, so I dismissed it and didn't think too much of it. Then it began haunting me until I figured out a way I could turn it into a story. And now, I present to you, my lovely reader...

~*The Night The Viper Was Tamed *~

The snakelike woman walked into the door of her dreary home, her young son following closely behind, smothered from head to toe in blood, some his, some belonging to the tiger he just had to fight.

"Go clean yourself up and get to bed, Crona. I don't even want to see your pathetic face right now."

"B-But I k-killed it, didn't I? I did what you asked!"

"You fainted at the sight of its blood!" Medusa sighed and nodded her head, trying to avoid yelling too much, she already had a major headache, "You've killed a thousand animals before, Crona. Yet for some reason you blacked out on this one, you just didn't fight like you normally do. It was sickening to watch you fumbling around like a two year old, sickening and embarrassing. You're eleven years old now. You need to start fighting like a warrior and stop being a child around blood."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pass out…" The poor skinny boy's stomach began to growl intensely and he grabbed it in embarrassment, "I was just so hungry. It wasn't the blood, I swear. I won't screw up next time, I won't disappoint you again."

"You had better not. I expect you to be a ruthless killer the next time I have you practice. You will not fail me again, son, I will be sure of that." She walked towards a grey couch in the living room and picked up a red book that was sitting upon an oak coffee table. She sat down and began to read a page before noticing that Crona was standing around ten feet from her, holding his arm and looking to the side, as if expecting her to scold him again.

"What are you doing? I said for you to go wash up and go to bed, did I not make myself clear enough for you?"

"Um, I…" He fidgeted, his eyes dancing around the room like they usually do when he's nervous. Medusa became agitated at his ridicules behavior and for a moment forgot the fact that she had a splitting headache…

"Either spit it out if you have to tell me something, or go and do as I asked in the first place!" She yelled, the surprise causing Crona to jump backwards a bit, and yet it also gave him the courage to look her straight in the eyes.

"Will you wash my hair?"

"Come again?" Medusa asked with a confused look in her eyes.

'Did he just asked if I would wash his hair? What the hell is wrong with this child?'

"L-Like y-you u-used to when I w-was little."

"Crona, that was eight years ago. How on earth do you even remember that?"

"I-I liked it… If y-you do it, I-I swear I won't mess up n-next time you have me p-pra-practice…" He faced the wall and his slanted lilac eyes turned and looked straight at her, his fingernails dug deep into his arm as anxiety welled up within him. Medusa got up from her place on the couch and angrily grabbed his shoulder, her other hand upon his cheek as she forced him to look straight at her.

"Listen, you insolent brat… You shall not ever again try to bribe me with good performance in order for me to grant your sick little wishes." She pushed him away, almost knocking him down as she did so. Crona regained his pose and stood tall, his eyes looking straight at her as his forehead tilted downwards a bit.

"P-Please… all I want… No, you wouldn't understand…" Crona shook his head and ran to the bathroom, leaving Medusa, confused as ever, to watch as her son bolted away from her.

Yes, it was true that when he was younger she was the one to bathe him until he could do it on his own, but that was simply because she knew he'd probably end up drowning himself in the bathtub. When he turned four she had stopped, and would only supervise him to make sure he knew how to do it on his own and avoid dying. Once he was five, though, he was fully capable of doing it himself and she never even went in to check on him anymore, unless of course she heard a loud splash and wanted to tell him not to drench the floor or if he was taking too long.

But those moments where she held him softly and dipped his head back to wet his hair, and he'd actually giggle, and she'd tell him to be quiet but he kept doing it and for some reason it made her feel nice inside, did he really remember those moments? Does he think that it was a form of motherly love? Does he think for once Medusa may have cared for him?

In his early days, from infancy or so, she took very special care of her son to ensure he'd make an excellent test subject. She fed him well, and actually began to give him meats at an earlier age than most children because she wanted him to be strong. But one thing about him was that he was always such a smiley baby. From the day he was born he always seemed to sleep with a smile on his face. It was cute, Medusa would admit, but she couldn't, no, she wouldn't develop any motherly feelings for him, because as far as she was concerned, he was a lab rat, a test subject, an experiment, and that was all. And if her plans for him failed, if he failed to please her and failed to become an extraordinary warrior, she'd kill him. She'd have no use for him anymore. She told herself this from the day he was conceived that she'd never, ever, ever care for him the way a mother would for a child. Because then she'd get soft for him, and the way she treated him wouldn't be of a strict trainer or teacher, but of an actual mother, and no mother has ever raised the world's best warrior. Her son would have no feelings, no emotions, because life as a ruthless killer would be easier without them. He'd never fall in love nor would anyone love him, because he'd be too hard to love, too violent, too emotionless, too cold to the very touch. He'd surpass the greatest warriors of all time, and it would be then that she'd love him, it'd be then that she could call herself his mother, because the things he'd do and the thoughts he'd think would be pleasing to her and she'd feel overwhelmed with motherly affection because he was the perfect son.

She daydreamed about those days, thought about how he'd slice the neck of even a young girl without even thinking, how his eyes would glow with a fiery rim of destruction. No more would he fidget and fumble over his words because he'd be brimming with confidence and strength. Oh how she hoped those days would come sooner. How she longed to be the mother of a warrior, how she desired for all the other witches to be jealous because she created this monster, the monster named Crona, and he'd be almost anything but human.

'Have I been doing something wrong? His mannerisms are so distinctively different from the way he should be. I've never given him any love, so he shouldn't be expecting it, and yet it seems as though he longs for it. Perhaps my approach is off; maybe if I show him a little kindness, he'd be more willing to please me…' Medusa walked towards the bathroom where her son was, and opened the door to reveal him cornered in the water filled tub, crying into his own arms.

Medusa closed the door behind her and walked over to him. Crona, becoming aware of her presence in the room, forced himself to stop crying and shivering so that she wouldn't hurt him.

"My son, you haven't even wet down your hair yet." She placed a hand upon his head and dragged her fingers through the strands of pink hair, she knelt down so that she could better reach him.

"I… I…"

"Shhh…" Medusa placed a finger to his lips and gently dragged it down to his chest where she pushed him slightly so that he'd slide into the water. The timid, confused boy closed his eyes and relaxed into the feeling as each of the perfect strands upon his head were coated in water.

She gently pulled him back up and reached for the shampoo, squirting a bit into her hands before rubbing them together and then softly running her fingers through his hair, the suds turning his pink, straight strands into a white and fluffy mess. He felt a smile creep up onto his face and he laughed because it tickled when the suds fell down onto his shoulders and neck. She almost felt like hushing him, but then she realized that he was being joyous, that he was happy. She wanted this reaction from him when he was in battle; she wanted him to laugh as the blood from his enemy splashed upon his neck. She wanted him to smile when he plunged his sword into his victim's body, and take joy in the crimson liquid that poured from it. Why didn't he laugh and giggle like this in battle? Why wasn't his body relaxed and calm like this when he fought? He'd be a far more effective fighter if only she could get these emotions that he was feeling now and somehow make them resurface when he's out killing. Only then could he be a warrior, a true, cold blooded warrior.

Once she was finished with his hair, she ran her fingers down to meet his neck, and then his shoulders. She rubbed them and felt him give a relaxed sigh, like he was lost in the moment. She placed her head close to his ear and whispered…
"Now why don't you act like this during practice, Crona?"

"I… I don't know…"

"What is it that you feel here, what am I doing that makes you feel like this?"

"Y-you're… b-being nice… to me." He responded in a breaking voice. Medusa reflected upon his words, being nice? Her being nice was what made him so relaxed and calm?

She had to find out a way to make this same reaction occur when he was fighting, she was so desperate to do it, but how?

She dunked his head again and washed all the soap away. The answer to her question was still buzzing around in her head, and she had to find it, she had to.

Perhaps the answer will come tomorrow when he fights his next victim…

Crona was close, the bear was losing a ton of blood, but it still wasn't dead. In fact, although Crona had managed to pluck out it's eyeball and slice off its tail, it was still coming full force at the timid boy, and he wasn't sure of how to deal with this.

Medusa had had enough, this was taking far too long and she wanted to get home soon, so she decided to activate her son's secret weapon and see if it worked.

She cast a vector arrow on the ground and sent the bear flying away from Crona, giving her just enough time to walk over to the boy and hold him in her arms.

She placed a hand upon his head and lightly parted the strands with her fingers, allowing him to melt into her embrace. She leaned her head upon his and caressed his cheek with her hand, lovingly giving him affection to try and make that feeling come back to him.

He sighed and then smiled, realizing how good it felt to be held, to be touched, to be loved. The feeling overwhelmed him and he began to giggle as her hands tapped his neck gently. She let go of him and the timid boy became a brave fighter, laughing manically as the bear came rushing back at him. He swung his sword back and thrust it into the bears neck, holding it upwards so that the blood dripped down around him like rain.

He continued to laugh and giggle, a feeling of sereneness trickled throughout his body, tickling his innards as he looked over to his mother, waiting for her approval.

"Look, M-Medusa! Blood! Isn't it pretty? Like you, just like you! It's pretty like you!" He continued to laugh as he reached a hand out to catch some of the falling liquid, and he played with it in his hands as he allowed the body to drop to the side, a giant thud coming from it as dust flew up from the ground.

"Well done, my son!" Medusa clapped her hands, impressed with the boy's elegant, uncaring nature. Crona turned to the body and laughed yet again, a wild, evil grin on his face as he leaned down and whispered into the bear's ear…

"Hey, did you know… My blood is black."

It's so haunting to me when he says that. I don't know, it's just creepy. Here I imagine him saying it in a whispery voice and a ginormous, mental grin on his face.

Well, yeah, that was my strange, weird, random oneshot that I never in a million years would have pictured myself writing. In fact, if you took this story and went back in time to when I first began watching Soul Eater and then showed it to me, I'd be so freaking confused. Whats more, if you told me that I WROTE this story, I'd probably go hide in the corner and hope I never meet my future self...

Hmm, I bet I could scare the crap out of my past self... Heheheh, I'm so evil...

Anyhow, reviews are love! And cookies! I love cookies, but we ran out of them last night, so I got brownies instead! Brownies for all the reviewers!

-The Symmetricalist