Akire Rosales: BEHOLD! SIMPLE MORTALS!... wait… WAIT! DON'T KILL ME! Im still on-going with "Whispers" I swear! Actually ;_; expect an update soon, p-put that gun down dammit!
Cough, Alright… New fanfic everyone! But this one is specially special! This fic is not mine fully, I just got the idea and traced down the plan, but someone helped me to write it… she actually wrote half of this thing, one post at a time xD Yes, this is a four-hand written fanfic! And who is the second author?
I can answer that with another question!... are you related to "The Other Side"? :D
Yes! This fanfic is the love-child I had with Ludifer, the writer of The Other Side! With that said, yes ._. Im the reason why TOS gets delayed sometimes… p-put that gun down…
Anyway! Rambling here! This fanfic is anime-based and takes time after the kishin fight, of course. CroMa to the bone, Rated M because… seriously? Do I have to say it? Is a goddamn fanfic wrote by Ludifer and me! Enough said.
TO THE FIC!
Our Soul Resonance
Chapter 1
Beach time!
Sharings rooms!?
What was he doing there?
Oh yeah, vacations. They were supposed to be a good thing, right? They said something about having fun and relaxing, although he had no idea his friends were stressed out. Like... yeah school was hard, but he couldn't quite get why they would need to travel so far away just to relax. As far as the day had gone, Crona was pretty stressed out already. The trip to the airport, leaving the luggage in a weird moving floor, getting inside the plane was a whole travesty by itself. Lets not even talk about the little freak out he got when the plane lifted...
He could do nothing but sigh, looking at the huge living room of the hotel. This wasn't relaxing, this was horrible! He just wanted to go back to Shibusen and cuddle with Maka watching T.V... now THAT was relaxing for him.
"Ughhuu..." He sighed, carrying his light luggage tightly.
It was so nice to get away from everything, a change of pace. Maka took in a deep breath and puffed the air out of her lungs. That was better. She had been looking forward to this for weeks...
Normally she was too worried about missing work and valuable training to care about these vacations she often got dragged to because of Soul or...her papa. Maka inwardly cringed at the thought of her papa mentally tugging at her to hang around with him. She would often retire to her room and hide there.
But this time was different...
The whole group was for the moment inside a vast grand entrance hall. The hall of the hotel they were going to be staying at. It's décor was quite lavish, far higher in taste then anything Maka and her friends were used to. With the high ceilings and the quiet air of the other guests… the staff quickly going about their daily tasks with a certain amount of pride in their step. This was certainly an expensive hotel…
Maka looked back to Crona who was lifting his bag, he wasn't looking at her. Maka felt herself fidget, she had the sudden urge to talk to him, help him with his bags...after all, he was the reason she had looked forward to this so. As far as she knew he had never done anything like this... it was so new to him. The places she could take him ran through her mind. She shook her head.
Stop it...she didn't want to overwhelm him. But yet she couldn't stop herself from walking away from the others and closer to him.
"Hey Crona..." She spoke to him. Beaming a warm smile his way.
Maka's sweet warm voice made him yelp in surprise, jumping a bit before turning over to her, like a little soldier waiting for orders. She was staring at him with those gorgeous emerald green eyes, giving him that smile that was like the sun.
"Y-Yes? M-Maka?" He gulped, trying not to look that scared, failing miserably. He didn't want her to think that he wasn't enjoying the trip. Well... certainly so far he wasn't, except for that part in the plane when he fell asleep next to her... not like that was creepy... was it?
Crona seemed to snap to attention when she called his name. Was he daydreaming? Off in his own little world? Or maybe she just surprised him?
Never mind, Maka wanted to make sure he was ok. The others were all off chatting to each other and signing in. She stole a glance back to the rest of the group. Soul wasn't even paying attention to her, how nice of him...Maka made a mental note of that. He was too busy talking to Liz. That grin of his centred directly on her. Patty and Kid were deep in conversation...though Maka wasn't sure how good Patty was at that sort of thing. She had barely had any length of time with her.
For the moment Black Star was currently not present, Tsubaki was stood off from the others with both of their suitcases together. Maka didn't need to guess where he had gone though...his loud obnoxious voice shouting for the bathroom told her everything she needed and actually didn't want to know. Over by the counter to check in was her Papa. She almost refused to come because of him again. It was only the fact that she wanted to share this time with Crona that she convinced herself. Maka watched as her Papa fawned over the girl at the desk...great. No woman was safe. She rolled her eyes as she glared at him.
She quickly looked back at Crona. His small form was bent low as he hefted his own bag.
"Are you ok Crona? Do you want me to help you with your bag?" Normally Maka didn't offer to help people with their bags. If they wanted to bring that much they could carry it themselves…but there was just something about the small nervous Crona that just made her want to do something she considered so out of character for herself.
Crona blushed, his dark eyes fidgeting just to avoid her stare. He loved her eyes, yet they could get just too much for his poor nerves. There was something about them that was extremely alluring, so much that he had to remember himself just NOT to stare. He shook his head, smiling just a little bit, quite nervous.
"I-It's okay! I barely h-have things here..." And he was right. He barely had clothes in there, just a very basic suitcase for a few days in the beach. Maka managed to talk him out of his usual black robe, saying that he would cook to death wearing black in the beach.
Cooking to death? Yes, that was just an expression, but naive little Crona didn't get that. He just imagined himself cooking on the beach like a scrambled egg... nope, no, no, no, no he wouldn't get any of that. Instead of his robe, he was wearing a light cotton grey T-Shirt with Death's skull mask in the front, black shorts and a pair of black sneakers... he just was hoping he wasn't wearing that much black or he would melt...
A shudder. Alright, lets not think about that...
"I... I've never been in a hotel before... w-what are we supposed to do?" Crona asked, instinctively walking closer to her just to feel some comfort. Her soul wavelength always had a soothing effect on him.
Before any answer could be given, Kid came back to everyone around (except Black Star, he wouldn't even listen if he were there anyway) wearing a light smile and many keys in his fingers.
"Perfect! We have got the rooms already, although we'll need to share them in pairs, my father was a lot cheaper on us than I thought." Kid sighed, looking how his words didn't affect them as much as he thought, maybe because they all were used to sharing a room. Crona on the other hand felt a sudden fear gripping his heart... "Except for you Crona, you have a room all for yourself, I hope that's alright?"
Yes, this definitely would be stressful. Crona sighed, dropping his eyes into that known kicked-puppy face.
Maka inwardly frowned when Crona didn't accept her help. But she hid it behind a smile. She wasn't sure why she offered anyway, it just sort of came out. She only half listened to Kid when he strode up to them. But she caught the fact that they would be sharing rooms. Maka folded her arms to herself. Who would she share a room with?
Her immediate thought was that she was most likely expected to share a room with Soul...gah. Yes, she was close to him and yes they lived together. But what was wrong with wanting some time away from him? She wasn't glued to him via the hip...
Her eyes scanned to Crona next to her. A sudden idea sparked in her mind, to share a room with him. Her eyes widened as a small blush arose on her cheeks. Where did that come from? No, she can't share a room with him. Don't be so daft. He probably wanted his privacy...yeah. So who else was there? Maka scanned the candidates. Tsubaki was still staring off into space as she waited for Black Star. Yep. That would work.
Maka was looking forward to dropping her bags at her room, she was wearing a small pale blue backpack with a small goofy skull keychain. And next to her was a light red suitcase that was all ready to be wheeled to her room. Maka wondered if she should change yet. She was a bit sticky in her current gear. She wore a thin white t-shirt with a patterned design along the front and back. With beige shorts ending half way down her thigh, large pockets jutting down the sides. On her feet she wore simple laced white trainers, a small blue hat rested atop her head, completing her look. She let her hair hang long, foregoing her usual pigtailed look.
She was just about to go ask Tsubaki if she wanted to bunk wit her...but her feet wouldn't move, as if her body was reminding her brain that she had forgot to do something...eh?
Oh yeah. Maka snapped her gaze back to Crona.
"C'mon let's go check out your room and get you settled in, yeah?" She spoke warmly to him. She wanted to make sure he was perfectly ok before she even thought about sorting out herself. Kid blinked at her expectantly. Maka looked back up to him. "I'll sort my room out in a bit, Kid. Which one is Crona's?" Kid stared at her puzzled, but a small knowing grin appeared on his lips as he pulled one of the keys from the pile and handed it to her. Maka nodded her thanks and looked back to Crona. Feeling her smile soften, as if her own body knew what to do.
Meanwhile, Crona was frozen in place, having no clue of what to do. For some reason he thought they all would be together, or at least... he would be together with Maka. It wasn't like he was not used to being alone... actually he didn't want to be alone anymore. The very idea of being alone in a new unknown place terrified him... what if he got lost? What if something happened to Maka and he didn't know? But yet again... he couldn't ask Maka to be with him, right? That would be asking too much, he didn't want to overwhelm her. Anyway, how would she like to be with him when she had other roommates to choose? Like Soul, for example...
The same Soul that was walking to them with a toothed grin.
"Yo, Maka" Soul walked to them. He was wearing an orange and white coloured T-shirt, some comfortable brown shorts that reached right above his knees, and a pair of white nike shoes. Above his head was a headband, holding back his snowy white hair "Gotta check our room, though I warn you, I'll be getting the bed next to the window!"
Soul grinned, his red eyes, like pools of blood, glanced to Crona who just lowered his gaze. The little scrawny thing, always so shy, but Soul had little to no patience with him. Whatever was the matter, he better speak it out or stick it in, because he wouldn't wait there just to guess it like Maka always did.
Maka lost her smile. So Soul did indeed expect to bunk with her? Hmph. She turned her head as if to look away, but however kept her gaze locked with her weapon.
"I thought you'd want to stay with Black Star." Soul raised an eyebrow in her direction. Obviously caught off guard with her suggestion. "I'm sure he would be a lot more fun then me." She found herself hinting to him. "Besides aren't you sick of me already?" Maka smiled at him. "Not like we are connected at the hip. You can hang around with other people you know." At that Soul's gaze snapped to Crona and back to her. Why did he do that? Maka felt confused. No matter.
"Hmm... I dunno. Who are you sharing with then?" Soul spoke back. His voice bore an odd tenseness to it. As if he was holding back a comment. Maka didn't think anything of it. Most likely insulted by the fact that Maka was trying to get rid of him.
"Oh..." Maka shrugged at him. She knew who she wanted to say. But she didn't want to put Crona on the spot. "Um..." She found herself fiddling with the edge of her t-shirt. "Well…I was thinking about asking Tsubki. After all, if you stay with Black Star she can't stay with him can she? Besides it'll be better if the girl's all stay together." She happily chatted. Soul appeared to relax at her answer. As if he was worrying about her answer. Why would he be worried? Oh he was probably making sure her creepy papa wasn't trying to stay in the same room with her. Good old protective Soul.
Happy with the comment he nodded to Maka.
"See you soon ya?" Before walking off.
Maka turned to Crona once more. She flicked her head out indicating the stairs off to the side.
"C'mon, let's go."
Crona yelped again, too focused on the glance Soul gave him before he was literally being pushed by Maka to the stairs. Crona knew quite well that he and Soul didn't have the best of relationships. No, he didn't hate him, at all... he just was way too intimidating. The sparkly grin, the collected temper, his usual cool guy pose, his fame in the school... basically everything Crona would never be. He admired him as much as he felt intimidated by him... especially when he would walk off with Maka, leaving Soul with that look in his eyes.
He almost felt hated with that stare... but there was no way, right? They were friends. Crona's worry would soon evaporate when he noticed he was walking away with Maka, far away from the noisy hotel's lobby and straight to the elevator. He couldn't help but to glance at Maka, walking side by side with her. Surely Kid was thinking on shared rooms in a meister-weapon way, since they had been living together for years... but for Maka not wanting to be with Soul...
Then, why Tsubaki and not him? She said something about being connected to the hip... nope, certainly they were not connected... maybe that was a way of speaking? He never understood those, but maybe was like Ragnarok and himself... being together a lot? That would make more sense, so maybe Maka was tired of Soul... then, why Tsubaki? Why not him? Was Maka tired of him as well?
The idea of Maka being tired of him...
"M-Maka..." Crona whispered while the elevator raised to the floor the key said his room was, his soft voice trembling a bit due to fear. He really didn't want to know the answer, but the doubt was just too much for him... what if he had done something to make her angry? Or maybe she just was tired of being with him that much. He wanted to ask her... "... Why Tsubaki?"
Nope, that wasn't how he wanted to ask her. He fidgeted, cursing himself now that he had the blonde's full attention.
"I-I mean... what if she wants to be with Black Star? O-or... maybe with Liz? W-what I mean is... ah..." Dang it, why was so hard to say it? "Y-you could stay with me if you like."
Dear lord, he didn't mean to say that. He didn't... but Maka's face was the evidence that he had actually said that.
"N-Not like I'm asking for that! N-not at all! I was just o-offering options! Y-you can be with w-whoever you want!" He rushed to add, shaking his head vehemently.
Maka was a bit caught off guard. Her brow raised in surprise. Was Crona offering to share his room with her?
"Huh?" Was all she managed right away. Her brain still working out what he had said. She had thought that he would be uncomfortable sharing a room with someone. She was pretty sure they had all had the same thought. He lived alone, and having to be with someone, and share a space with them. And sleep in the same room with them...Maka wasn't sure if Crona quite understood what it entailed. She enjoyed visiting him. But this was different.
"Crona...Are you sure...? I mean..." She looked away, suddenly not quite sure what she wanted to say. This was a big step for him. Asking someone to stay with him. Hell, this whole trip took him out of his comfort zone. Maka didn't meet his eyes, she stared away and at the buttons on the elevator. She sighed. "I'm saying we all thought you might...prefer...to have your own room. Do you want to stay with someone? Like...if I stayed with you I wouldn't leave at the end of the day. I would stay there to sleep...are you ok with that?" She found her own heartbeat raise in her ears... why was that? Was she nervous? Or just worried.
Most likely just worrying about him. Yes, that was all it was.
Crona stared back at her, noticing how she wouldn't look at him. Just now he started to REALLY think about it... yes, he would love to have Maka next to him at the end of the day, and to see her right after he woke up, he would love to have her all day, every day and all night... but that wasn't right. He just had noticed what he had asked her to do, and now he felt the sudden urge to ram his head against something really sharp. Really, how could he have asked her that? Maybe his fear of solitude blinded him... or maybe it was madness coming back in a new form of stupidity. Yes, definitely something around that.
He had slept in Maka's apartment a lot of times, so much that she had arranged a little room for him, but this was different... it would be just the two of them. Of course Maka would feel weirded out, how could he be so stupid?
"I... I was just saying! Just in case Tsubaki was... b-but its alright!" Crona tried to fix his own words, giving Maka a nervous smile. Fortunately for him, the elevator ringed, opening its doors to one of the highest floors of the hotel. It seemed that Kid had arranged rooms on the same floor... Crona guessed that because they passed next to a door with the number "88" on it, and his own room was just 2 doors away.
Crona fidgeted with his suitcase, just noticing how Maka was carrying not only her backpack, but also her luggage. He wanted to offer her some help, but he knew Maka wouldn't accept it. She was proud like that.
"W-we should leave your things first, y-you are carrying them everywhere." He said, trying by all means to change the subject.
The pair began to walk down the hallway when Crona had blurted out. Maka glanced back at him, giving him a small smile.
"Hmm? Oh, don't worry about me. Besides I don't know who I am staying with. So I don't really have a room yet." Crona didn't say anything more as Maka studied the doors up ahead. Examining the spacious corridor for the right door.
"Ah...here." Maka trudged along to the correct door and unlocked it. The door giving a tell tale click as it released its hold. Maka pushed down and swung the door open wide. "Do you mind if I store my things in here for now? I can move them later...unless..." Maka caught herself just in time. She was about to say: unless I stay here. She clamped her mouth shut. She didn't want to assume. She loved spending time with him, in fact she would most likely be here with him most of the time anyway. But to share a space and sleep here? She wasn't sure if Crona was ok with that. And she just couldn't bring herself to ask.
"I.. I don't mind" He managed to say, feeling his throat quite dry all of the sudden. Unless? Unless what? Crona found himself completely clueless of what she almost had said.
Not giving it much thought, he walked inside completely with his black suitcase still tightly in his grip. His black eyes looked around, noticing a wide clean room. The floor was completely covered by a cream coloured carpet, white walls, fine wooden furniture, and... surprisingly there were two beds in the room. Hadn't Kid said he would sleep alone? Why there was another bed? If he had matched everyone in pairs... yes, Crona was alone since Ragnarok didn't count... unless...
The memory of a grown obnoxious red headed man made him shudder, getting suddenly pale. Nope, nope... nope. Certainly that was NOT it...
Trying to focus on something else just to not freak out, he noticed the rather huge window in the other side of the room... or more likely, a pair of huge glass doors leading to a balcony. Great, he liked that... he loved balconies. Especially a certain balcony in Shibusen where he would sit with his best friend in the whole world almost every day. Yes, he liked balconies, balconies were nice.
A sudden pain in his back made him jump, right before a black blob took shape on top of his head. Ragnarok yawned before looking around.
"Good shit! Finally some damn class for us!" He yelled, looking around just to glance at Maka "... Just for how long are you going to stay with us, flat-chest!? We are here to rest! AND I NEED SOME REST FROM YOU!"
"Ragnarok!" Crona growled to his weapon, staring at him quite angered.
Maka twitched, her teeth instantly gritted. She managed to bite back an insult. Barely... instead she went with the coy option.
"It's nice to see you too Ragnarok." Maka tried to ignore him as she popped down her bags. Why did that thing have to be connected to poor Crona. Sometimes she forget he was there...other times it was all she could think about. Sometimes she felt she couldn't really speak freely to Crona without that thing intruding and overhearing everything. Maka felt a ball of frustration rest in her chest...quickly followed by pity for the poor boy. It was not his choice...never his choice. She should never avoid him or treat him differently because of it.
She guessed that Ragnarok had at least been good at hiding himself for this long. Even if he seemed to want to make her into his new verbal punching bag...Hmph. Good luck with that.
"Hey! You have any food!? Where is the mini bar! Crona find it!" The vile little demon shouted at Crona. Maka unzipped her backpack as she looked inside to find her hairbrush.
"They aren't free you know..." Maka spoke off hand, as she pulled the hairbrush out.
"I know that! Gimmie!" Ragnarok continued to shout. Maka had to tighten the grip on her brush as she tore off the hat she was wearing, lest she chuck the brush right at him.
Crona could do nothing but sigh, ignoring his partner's demands just to take his suitcase to the nearest bed, imitating Maka's actions. He quickly guessed that the first thing to do would be to take everything out of his suitcase... the huge closet was there for a reason, right? He glanced at the clothing in his luggage, just to sigh again. Maybe he should leave them there for a moment...
"CRONAAAA! If you don't find something to eat for me I'll keep you awake all damn night!" Ragnarok roared, giving a hard nudge on Crona's skull. The pink-haired meister winced, just to feel another pull on his hair "Why are you still standing!? FOOD! I want some of those stupid cocktails! I want shrimp! GIVE ME A DAMN LOBSTER!"
"R-Ragnarok! We are n-not here to eat!" Crona tried to explain, raising his hands just to keep the demon away from him, trying to stop all the bullying.
"You imbecile! This is a vacation! All you have to do is sleep, eat and fuck! And since I'm stuck to you, all I have is damn food! SO FEED ME!" Ragnarok yelled once again, nudging Crona's head and pulling his ears.
Maka's eye twitched... that was it.
Without any warning to the impudent creature Maka suddenly sprung into action. Pulling out her infamous book. Ragnarok just managed to turn her way as she slammed the book across his face. The harsh crash enough to make anyone flinch. Oh that felt good...too good. She let the book drop to her side. Even as Ragnarok slumped over his meister's head, in apparent defeat.
"You can eat later!" Maka yelled at him. "Besides there is more to life then eating, sleeping and...fucking!" The weapon didn't answer her. He seemed to be out for the count.
Crona could only stare above his head as Ragnarok seemed to melt back inside his body, dragging his dented head with him. Having Maka around was always good, especially in those moments when Ragnarok got out of control. Sighing, he tried to fix his hair with his slender fingers, knowing how much his weapon could annoy Maka.
"I-I'm sorry Maka." He apologized for his partner, knowing he didn't have to... but he always feared that one day Maka would push herself away of him just because of his weapon. Like, he saw how Maka preferred just to be as far away from Black Star as possible, and certainly Ragnarok was a lot worse than Black Star... he didn't want her to step away from him too. "I-I'll make it up to you, I promise."
The female meister blinked in surprise at his words. Crona always did think he was responsible for the rude weapon. Even when he really wasn't. He really was connected to his weapon. In the worst possible way. Maka tossed the book over near her backpack. She couldn't help but imagine Soul being with her twenty four seven...that would drive her insane. No Crona needed someone else around with him as much as possible.
She shook her head at the poor boy.
"No, no don't worry Crona. No need to do anything. He is just a prick is all." Maka sighed out. She glanced over the room. It sure was roomy in here. She couldn't help a smile broaden her lips as she thought about sharing the room with him. That would be so fun...plus she could stop that annoying little twit of a weapon from bullying on Crona. Oh she was so tempted now. Ah...if only she could.
Maka fidgeted as her mind actually wanted to ask if she could stay here after all...something really wanted to ask. But she clenched her hand and struggled against the bizarre urge. No, she didn't want to take advantage of him. It was selfish of her. She might as well throw herself at him. No there was plenty of time to see him over the holiday. Loads of opportunities.
Maka made her way over and placed her hat back on her head, fixing it just right in place.
It was weird for Crona to see Maka with something beside her pigtails. Yet it wasn't a bad kind of weird... it would never be that kind of weird with Maka. Oh no, with her golden hair falling down her back and that cute hat on top... she looked beautiful. Actually, everything suited Maka just nicely, and the poor swordsman could do nothing but stare at her. She was an angel, his angel, even if she didn't know...
It was only when his eyes met hers, that he noticed just how much he was staring. Yelping in surprise, he blushed madly before dodging her stare, looking at everywhere except her. Well, that was awkward of him, but that wasn't news... he knew he was awkward. Just standing there, doing nothing, staring at his best friend fixing her hat...
"U-uh... a-and what are you s-supposed to do in a beach? I mean... w-what now?" He asked, having no clue of what to do. The plan was getting a room, and next? He had absolutely no clue at all of what to do or where to go. It was kind of funny if you think about it, since his soul was actually a little island in an endless sea.
Maka looked back at him, then up to the ceiling as she thought on his question. A finger resting on her chin.
"Hmmm...well once I have my room sorted..." Maka trailed off. Her eyes snapped back down to his. "Then we get changed into our swim wear and head to the beach." She felt silly explaining that little detail. But she wanted to make sure he understood. "... there you can do whatever you want to do. You can sunbathe, or swim in the water, or play volleyball or build a sandcastle..." Maka listed off the activities she had done on a beach. Each one she sounded out she tapped a different finger.
"What do you want to do Crona?" Maka smiled at him, moving her arms behind her back and entwining her fingers together.
Did she really need to ask? What he wanted to do was plain obvious... well not actually, at least not to her, and Crona was glad about that. Yet, would it be weird just to say it? Probably.
He thought about the option, but in reality it was like trying to answer a very hard question from an exam you didn't study for. He just had no idea of what to choose, because he had never done any of that! Sunbathe? How can you bath in the sun? Is that even possible? The sun probably wouldn't be happy about that, and his smile was a little to frightening to even think about swimming around it. Swim? He knew how to swim, yet it was not his favourite thing to do... he was kind of afraid of drowning. Sandcastle? Why would they need to make a sandcastle? Was that possible? Did they even have time for that? How could they build a castle in just a week? Every single thing sounded way too hard for him, and soon enough he sighed in defeat.
"I... I just want to spend some time with you." Was his most sincere answer, lowering his gaze almost in a shameful way, the words barely whispered in the air. He didn't want to bother Maka, much less ruin her time in the beach... but she had always said to him that honesty was always the best answer.
Maka felt a bit taken back by his words. She felt a rush of nerves and a slight awkward feeling. It wasn't like she was his only friend in the world. There was the others. He must want to spend time with them all...and not just her...no he didn't mean just her. She was reading him wrong. She must be...
"Oh...err... well...hmmm..." She fumbled with her words. Suddenly she had an idea. She clapped her hands together as her eyes lit up. "I know! How about we just have a nice quiet drink at the hotel bar? Most of the people will be out at the beach already. I think the others will be rushing over there too...we can catch up." Maka felt like patting herself on the back. Yes, he needed to adjust slowly. And being in a nice quiet area, at least at first would be good for him. Even if it was only the two of them.
Though that was a good thing, he was often so quiet in the group he got left behind in the conversations. She loved to engage him and just…talk.
"How about that?"
Crona raised his head, looking at her with his deep dark eyes. She meant... alone? He liked that, a lot. Not like he didn't like the others, absolutely not... But sometimes they were just too much. Kid was too esoteric and Crona didn't know him well, if not at all, but Liz and Patty were alright. He liked Tsubaki, yet again he knew little to nothing about her, Black Star was plain scary to him... And Soul...
Maka on the other hand, was... Perfect. She was perfect, there was no other word he could use to describe her. She understood him, he could understand her, she was the calm his own soul needed the most. So, you would understand if, above all his so called friends, the one he truly wanted to be with, would be Maka.
The mere thought of being with her the whole day was... so perfect! Crona couldn't help but smile, giving Maka one of his most sincere warm and authentic smiles. That little smile that only she could provoke on him.
"T-that sounds good." He said to her, still wearing that small smile, feeling his face a little too hot. He always felt like that around Maka.
Maka smiled at him, his face lit up at her question. It wasn't quite the sun, but like the grinning moon had finally risen into the darkness. Something small and often overlooked, but when the time came. She was glad to see it. Good, she was pleased. She had meant to have some alone time with just him and her. She had planned to do that all along. Though she had to admit...not quite just yet. She thought he would want to spend time with them all together, and then he might want to have some time with just a few of them. Like Liz and Patty had a lot of fun with him the other day.
However Maka couldn't help but admit to herself that she was excited. She had been secretly looking forward to spending some personal time with the swordsman. Though that just made her feel bad...she loved hanging out with her other friends still of course. She guessed it was just the fact that they were on holiday...and she wanted to watch over Crona. Yeah...that was it.
"Right ok then! It's a date!" Woops... Maka flinched. Why did she just say that? Now she sounded like some creep pushing a date onto him. She didn't mean to say that...it just came out. "I-I mean...um." Maka giggled uncomfortably. Screw it...maybe if she just pretended she didn't slip up Crona wouldn't notice. "Right...anyway. I'll just be going to sort out my room, 'kay?"
Maka turned and headed for the door, back down to the lobby where she hoped to find the others. Just as she reached out for the door handle she turned to him once more. To find his eyes watching her.
"I'll be back soon, you settle in here. I won't be long." And with that she disappeared beyond the barrier. Closing the door with a small click.
Crona meanwhile just stood there, frozen in place, pale like paper and just staring at the door. He didn't say anything, not because he didn't have anything to say, but because... He was out of words. Date?... Did she just say "Date"? Like... Date, date? That kind of date? No! Of course not, she would never…
Would she?
Secretly he started having a very small panic attack, feeling the room crushing on him. Date!? But.. But.. Really!? No, it cant be, maybe was some other kind of date! Like... Friends date! Yes, those were called dates too, right? Yes, silly him, of course. Yet he couldn't help but blush madly at the thought. A date with Maka... That's what heaven surely looked like. Of course, just like heaven, that was unreachable to him.
He sighed, a long deep sigh, thinking about his best friend in the world. He just was being greedy, he should be happy just by having Maka in his life. A whole week at the beach with Maka...
And the others! Yes, of course, don't forget the others. With a defeated sigh, he started unpacking.
In the corridor, Soul and the others were walking with their luggage, searching for their rooms. Crona was right, they all had rooms in the same floor, and Kid was quite happy for having the room 88.
"Eighty eight Kid? Seriously? You know that is the kind of number where a murder happened in the movies, right?" Soul grinned, trying to piss off the perfectionist shinigami.
"I wont hear any of it." Kid just said, walking elegantly through the corridor with his hands in his black shorts, with symmetrical white stripes at both sides. His white cotton shirt moving slightly thanks to the air conditioner in the corridor. Patty laughed behind him, already wearing her Giraffe shaped wheel on her waist.
"Lets just drop all these things and run to the beach! I'll conquer all those waves! I'll show the sea god who is the biggest man here!" Black Star yelled, laughing loudly.
"You mean Prometheus?" Tsubaki wondered, looking at Black Star just stomping the red carpet on his walk.
"That is if you don't drown first." Liz said, feeling like the only sane person in the whole place... "Ey, where's Maka?"
"Probably giving a tour to Crona." Kid said with a knowing smile.
"How uncool, leaving us like that." Soul muttered, but yet again that WAS Maka, he should have expected that. Just as he was lifting his head, he noticed Maka walking down the corridor "Speaking of which! Ey!"
Soul called her, grinning.
"We are going to the beach, come join us, I'll rent a water motorcycle!" He said with an excited grin "If you are nice, I'll give you a ride!"
Maka heard her name being called, she was musing in her own little world. Thinking on the drink at the bar she would be having with Crona. Having just the two of them there. She felt a bit light just thinking about it, her heart fluttered at the thought. Wait...was that normal?
But she didn't have the chance to think more on it. As she perked her head up to see the whole group before her. They wore smiles on their lips, but Maka swore their eyes bore accusing stares. Maka grimaced slightly. But she pretended there was nothing wrong. After all. Why would there be anything wrong? She hadn't done anything out of the ordinary...right?
"Hey Soul. Guys." Maka nodded to them. Their faces softened when she spoke. Or did she imagine that?
"Hey Maka. How is Crona?" Tsubaki spoke to her, her soft smiling face full of warmth. Maka turned to her, she was still holding her bags. Good, Maka would be able to ask her if she could share a room with her in a bit. Tsubaki wore simple wear just like the rest of them. Small shorts with a thin almost see through pale shirt. Her hair was still tied up as it always was. Maka's eyes panned to Soul for a second. She didn't really want to ask her with him here. She didn't want to bring up the whole room thing again. She wasn't in the mood.
"He's ok. He has a room to himself. Hopefully he'll settle in quickly." Maka caught a sudden movement, of Black Star nudging Soul on the arm. They grinned at each other. What was that for? "Anyway are you all on this floor then?"
The group all nodded to her. Liz piped up next.
"Hey Maka who are you staying with? Soul said he and Black Star are together." She asked her, a small smile peaking at her lips. Her hands leaning on her hips. She wore the tiniest shorts Maka had ever seen, they might as well have been a belt. Accompanied with a tiny material which Maka guessed was a shirt that showed off her flat stomach. Patty of course wore the same outfit, they both wore fashionable sunglasses atop their heads.
Maka acknowledged her and threw up her own hand, splaying the fingers as she talked.
"I thought it would be nice for him and Black Star to share a room. It would give me a bit of peace at least." Black Star seemed to take that sentence a bit wrong, as he suddenly grabbed Soul around the waist and hefted him into the air.
"Yay Soul! Aren't you looking forward to spending time with the mighty Black Star!?" Soul only cringed as he was lifted into the air, trying to wriggle free of the assassin's grip.
"Hey! Dude get off!" Maka ignored the pair.
"Anyway...hey Tsubaki as Black Star is with Soul now do you want to group up?" She asked of her. Giving her an inviting grin. But Tsubaki blinked in confusion at her, losing her own smile.
"Oh...I'm sorry Maka." She voiced, the sound wavering as she prepared to admit something. "Liz asked me downstairs to share with her. After all they both can't stay with Kid. Sorry Maka..." She sighed, forcing a small smile back to her features. "Though, your papa was looking for you. I think he wants to share a room with you." Maka cringed, biting into her lip at the mention of her Papa. Images of having to spend time with the man crept into her mind. Between him fawning over her and bringing girls back to their room...urgh. Maka pinched the bridge of her nose as she stood there. No way. Not even if he was the last person in the world.
"Not a chance." Maka's voice darkened. Curtly replying to Tsubaki. Soul had by now managed to untangle himself from Black Star and stood slight hunched over with his hands on his knees panting.
"So what are you gonna do then Maka? I can still stay with you." Soul spoke, perhaps a little too quickly. Maka's gaze panned back to him. She shook her head, her hands also coming up as she waved them negatively.
"Oh no, that would just mess everyone up. Don't worry...I'll sort something out." Maka looked back the way she came. Back down the corridor. "I think...I'll just go see Crona about something..." Maka turned and began to walk back to Crona's room.
"Maka!" Soul's voice yelled out to her. Maka stopped and turned back to him. "What about the beach? You in?" He grinned at her, that famous sharp grin of his. Maka couldn't meet his gaze, a small lump of guilt formed in her gut. She did promise to come...but she had already made plans with Crona. There was no way she could bail on him. That was just cruel.
"Oh sorry...you guys go have fun. I'll catch up with you later!" Maka waved them off and carried on down the corridor. Why didn't she admit that she was seeing Crona? She felt dirty and sleazy...as if she was doing something wrong...but she wasn't...was she? Maka shook her head as she leant a hand against her forehead.
She missed Soul's fist clench at her words.
Inside Crona's room, the pinkette finished moving his clothes to the wardrobe, not because he was fast but because he brought close to no clothes at all. Liz had said to him that he should buy clothes in the beach stores... He didn't like that idea, he wasn't too good at buying things. Staring at the drawer in front of him, he decided that he should change clothes. He would have dinner with Maka, right? He should wear something nice.
He still felt giddy with the thought of spending time with Maka. Maybe they could eat ice-cream together... while walking on the beach. Probably at night? He wasn't too fond of walking around in almost no clothes with so many people in close to no clothes. The beach was scary... But maybe at night it would be better, when everyone left.
Thinking deeply about that, he took off his grey T-shirt, staring down at his skinny body. How was he supposed to walk around showing off his disgusting body? He frowned, gently rubbing his stone-hard chest, down to his ribs, just to caress the only thing that could make him smile. There, in the middle of his stomach, was an angry black scar. It looked painful, and the black scar tissue had a few black veins around it, almost like a tattoo. He knew there was another scar on his back, matching the one on his belly. He kept on smiling, looking down at the proof that he could be useful, he could do what had to be done, he could be brave... the proof he protected Maka.
He stood there in his shorts, gently scratching his scar while holding a new fresh white shirt in his free hand.
Maka walked briskly back to Crona's room. It was down the way and a little distance away from the group. For some reason she wanted to get out of the corridor, she didn't feel right. Something felt very off...and being out in this corridor she was struggling to breathe. Almost as if she was having her own small panic attack. But she didn't understand...why? She felt like a child being interrogated by her mother. Asking whether she had her hand in the cookie jar. When it was quite clearly obvious she had. She just didn't want to admit it.
Maka stopped before Crona's door. She peeked round and down the corridor, she could make out the far forms of her friends. Maka hoped Crona would open the door quickly. She didn't want to be out here anymore. Her heart began to pound in her ears...it was all she could hear. Was it hot in this corridor? Well...more then it was a few minutes ago. Maka puffed out a gush of air from her lips, the air brushed across her face and blew her fringe away from her face for a second. However the action was futile as the hair immediately fell back to its original position.
Maka readied herself and steadied her hand, what was she doing? This was just Crona... it was just like knocking on the door of Tsubaki or Liz. It was just the same. Or so her mind told her. Yet in her heart...it was not. The shy swordsman she had pulled from the jaws of madness. The one person who understood her soul even better then Soul did. The one person she had not hesitated to wrap up with her wavelength, to soothe and calm him. She wasn't the type of person to do that...but with him, it was like an automatic reaction. She just...did it. Almost without thinking...
Crona was different from anyone she knew. Maka was in the process of raising her hand...when she froze at that thought. Her heart jumped into her throat. She didn't understand this. She had never experienced something like this. It made no sense to her. It wasn't something she could explain away.
She shook her head. No, he was just a friend. Maybe even best friends...a cute term. And nothing more. She didn't want to be some girl looking for a flirt and a relationship. She cringed at herself. She wasn't like that at all. And the thought of doing such a thing with Crona...made her almost hate herself. What would he think of her? Maka felt embarrassed. No...don't even put him in such a position. It was too cruel. With a hardened heart Maka knocked on the wooden door.
Maka expected the door to open almost instantly...she was surprised when it didn't. She waited there...and waited...Maka stole another glance down the hallway. Her friends were still there. They had not looked up at her yet. She didn't want them to, she wanted to escape their stares. She prayed for the door to open...what was taking so long? C'mon...
Suddenly the door was pulled open a crack, not enough for her to enter. And a flash of pink was at the crack. The door visibly shook as if the holder of the handle was unsure and nervous as to how to do something as simple as greet a guest. Maka beamed a smile to him. As if to try and comfort him without words.
"Hi Crona." She spoke. Once again without thinking. She always seemed to just react around him, and never think on her words. Why did she do that? The shaking of the door immediately ceased. The door pulled open wider, Crona was always ready to let her in. To his room, his space... But Maka didn't enter just yet. She leaned in a bit closer so no one else would hear. "Sorry…but I don't have a room to go to now..." Maka lost eye contact with him, but forced herself to once again look him in the eye. "…Is it ok...if I stay here?"
Crona's white shirt looked messy, like hastily shoved into his head, complementing the always messy look of his hair. His dark eyes scanned Maka, as if he was trying to figure out if she was real or just an illusion of his crazy mind. It certainly was an illusion, haha, how funny... Hallucinating about Maka asking him to stay with him...
Yet, the so called hallucination still stood there, unmoving, waiting. Crona stepped back, allowing Maka to get inside the hotel room. As soon as she got inside and closed the door, the demon swordsman noticed reality... It wasn't an illusion. Stiff as a board, the nervous meister felt heat raising in his face.
Just what did she mean? Ah, stupid him! Of course he knew what she meant! She wanted to share the room with him, that meant... Sleeping together. Oh god, he shouldn't have thought that. He felt faint, his mind making thousands of scenarios of how things could go wrong right there and then. And... Was that even right? Didn't Maka say something about girls being with girls?
"Ah... Ah..." He babbled, unable to answer to her question. YES, was what he wanted to say, but a more primitive fear, deep inside of him, was telling him that it wasn't a good idea. Yet, she said she had run out of options... Which meant he was her last option.
For some reason, that thought hurt. And yet, that meant if he said no (not like he wanted to, anyway) she would have no room to stay.
"Ah... Y-yes! S-sure M-Maka, yes..." Damn stutter, it made him sound stupid, and he hated it. Yet he couldn't help it, he always felt nervous next to Maka. "I-is it ok? I mean... I can leave the room to you... Ah... I d-don't want to m-make you feel u-uncomfortable... I-I can try to s-share with s-someone else!"
And he meant it, he would damn sleep in the corridor just for her, even if there were two beds in the room. If he was her last option, he would try to make it up to her.
Maka felt a shiver run across the back of her neck, followed by a flutter once more of her heart. She quickly turned to alleviate his fears.
"Don't be silly Crona. I want you to stay here with me. It'll be fun." Yes. It would be fun. And uncomfortable for her. Not because of him…no far from it. He was doing nothing wrong. The perfect gentleman. It was her...her own crummy feelings. Feelings getting in the way and making her feel slimy. God...she needed to stop it. She tried to act as if everything was fine. Nothing was wrong.
"In fact I'm glad I'm here with you Crona." Oh god that didn't sound right. God why can't she think before she opens her damn mouth. No...maybe it did sound right. Maybe she was thinking about this too much. How did it look to him? Was this wrong? Was she wrong...argh. Maka felt a blush rise to her cheeks as her mind span in circles. Stop thinking, stop it now.
This wasn't like how she was with Soul and the other guys. But they were so different to Crona. Crona was unsure, nervous, the way he looked at her. She just wanted to hold him. No...no she didn't. She meant help him...yeah. She felt her face continue to redden. She was being so stupid with her inner war with herself. Crona must think she was being weird now...
"I'm sorry...I'm just gonna go to the bathroom..." Maka quickly dashed off and plunged into the door to escape. The bathroom inside was a standard affair, pristine white ceramic adorning the room. Fluffy white towels, the tiny bottles of liquid that claimed to do everything. Maka huffed to herself as she stood over the sink. She leaned over it and stared at her face in the mirror. She was bright red. How embarrassing. If that was any other guy she would never hear the end of it. But not with Crona, never with Crona. Oh god...maybe this was a mistake. She shouldn't be here...what if she said something wrong? She just wanted to spend time with him. This is all it was.
Why was something trying to sabotage her? It had started a few days ago. She began to watch him. See him in a different light. Her mind and heart showing her bizarre images she had to hide. No one could know.
No one could know the obsession that began to plague her thoughts. She was being disgusting. She gritted her teeth. She was NOT her papa. That scumbag.
Maka quickly turned the tap on, watching the water gush from the pipe. She threw her hands under it and splashed the water onto her face. Hoping that would help. In fact it did...she sighed as she decided to try again and leave the room.
Crona could hear the tap water flowing, leaning his head slightly. Maybe she was hot, indeed the room was way too warm, he could feel it in his own cheeks. A little shy smile crept on his face, just the thought of Maka actually enjoying being with him managed to make him feel... well... Happy. Happiness was such an alien feeling for him, yet he was getting used to such feeling. He felt... alive, filled, complete... and it only happened around Maka.
Yes, his other friends could made him happy too, but there was this weird overwhelming happiness that only happened around Maka. Only Maka could made him feel that way... so complete. And now, now he would be able to stay with her not only during the day, but also during the night. That last detail was a little scary...
A little? Really? It was bloody terrifying! What if he said something wrong? What if he talked in his sleep? What if he snored too loudly? Oh god, he couldn't deal with that! He didn't want to bother Maka!
"You'll worry about that later, idiot! This may be your chance to get your cherry popped!" The sly voice of Ragnarok sounded in a whisper, making Crona fidget in the middle of the room.
"W-what cherry, Ragnarok? I have no food with me." The swordsman answered, quite confused.
"You bloody idiot! You are so stupid you don't know how stupid you are! I mean your..." Ragnarok couldn't end his sentence, hearing Maka about to leave the bathroom, keeping quiet in an instant.
Crona frowned, not understanding his words at all. But... Maybe he was right, he would worry about that later... Right now they had a whole day in the beach... Just the two of them.
"M-Maka?" Crona called her, worry showing in his eyes. Maybe she was feeling ill after the airplane travel "A-Are you alright? W-we can go f-for some ice-cream if you f-feel ill."
That was the only thing he could think about. Every time he was feeling down, Maka would take him out to eat ice cream with her. That always made him feel a lot better, always.
As soon as Maka exited the bathroom she looked up to what Crona had said. Ice cream? Maka sighed happily.
"That sounds like a great idea." She eagerly replied. She hoped the redness had gone from her face. She had started to feel better in the bathroom...but now that she was out and with him in this room again. She felt that embarrassment come back tenfold. She inwardly cursed herself. She blinked to try and force her mind on another issue, her eyes wandered, from his face and down his body. She wondered what he looked like under those clothes, granted his usual robe didn't leave much to the imagination on his shape...but...she wasn't sure. The way he stood and hid, she wanted to see him.
Wait.
What was she doing? She snapped her head back up to him. She needed to get out of this room. She needed fresh air. She had to stop herself from fleeing back into the bathroom.
The swordsman actually puffed his chest with pride, happy of knowing he had a good idea. Remembering what Kid had said to him about what he should always carry with him, he quickly grabbed the key to the bedroom and a black wallet with Lord Death's mask in it. Kid's gift, of course, as everything else he now had in his new life. Barely getting used to it all, Crona still struggled with doing everyday things that other people would consider easy.
Just a year ago, the only thing he knew how to do was killing. No one who looked at him for the first time would ever guess he used to be a serial killer, a demon. But not anymore, he didn't want to even think about that, he wanted to enjoy his new life, a life Maka had gave to him.
That same beautiful girl who now stood in front of him. She made his stomach flutter, his cheeks go red and his knees to feel weak. He wanted to walk at her side, to hear her wonderful laugh, to listen to her fears and dreams. He wanted to hold her hand, and feel her hugs...
Wait, that wasn't creepy... Was it?
"M-maybe there's ice cream in the hotel b-bar?" He wondered, trying to think where could they go. The whole place was beautiful, but he wanted a not so crowded place, just something nice and quiet where they could be alone... He didn't like people staring at them, like it used to happen in Death City. Holding his right arm with his left hand, he took a deep sigh.
Why they should go out in the first place, anyway? He still felt like this wasn't "relaxing" at all. Relaxing for him meant a movie night in Maka's house, sitting close to her, or reading books together... Well, maybe it would change at the end of the day? He hoped so.
He just wanted to be close to her and drown in the calm that Maka's soul wavelength always give him.
"Let's go look then." Maka grinned at him. Happy that he had suggested something for a change. That in itself was actually quite bizarre. In fact her little heart skipped a beat when he had spoken up. She usually had to push and poke him into making a decision. Some sort of input, he would often get pulled away in conversations and just watch from the sidelines.
In fact Soul had told her on more then one occasion to stop getting him to join in, he would join in when ready and not before. But Maka just huffed at such comments. She wasn't bullying him. Not at all. She was only trying to help. And this proved it. He had just voiced his opinion. Without any prompt from her. He was making such progress. She was proud of him. Soul was wrong for a change, well he was often wrong. But not when it came to people.
Maka watched as Crona grabbed the key to the room. She had no spare for herself. Something she would have to maybe sort out later. But for now it was fine. She checked her own pockets. Purse and phone. Done. She glanced at her bags, now that she was staying here she would need to sort them out later. Maka was just about to head out the door and ask him to follow...but she suddenly wanted to see how far this new impulsive opinionated streak would go.
She stood back and waited for him to make his move.
Crona stood there, ready to go out and start his day with Maka, so deep into his own little world that he didn't notice his own actions. Even if the beach was a scary... somewhat disturbing... place, he would be with Maka! And Maka had been so excited about that place for the last week, that Crona actually wanted to really know what all the fuss was about. Yes, he was scared, but... Maka had such an effect on him, that he felt like he could face pretty much everything as long as she were with him. The whole thing was stressful and scary, but his blonde angel had said it would be fun... he trusted Maka.
Stepping out of the room, he looked around just to see no one in the corridor. Weird, he could have sworn he heard the guys just a moment ago. Fixing his messy white shirt, he still had trouble matching the damn buttons. Clothes were hard and confusing! Buttons, zippers, belts, laces... that's why he preferred his robe. While fighting with one of his buttons, he looked back just to see Maka still in the room, just staring at him.
"M-Maka?" He called for her, staring back with his big dark eyes, looking at her like a loyal puppy ready to follow her command.
That Crona standing in the door frame, was almost a completely different person from the mad man she met almost a year ago. Still shy, still hunched, still scared of pretty much everything... because everything was new for him. And yet, the ocean of his soul was no longer dry. Inside of him waves of life sounded just as strong as the ones just outside the window.
It was this new life, a life Maka gave to him, what made him wait for her like a humble servant. The Black Dragon, The Demon Swordsman, standing on the doorframe waiting for her with hopeful eyes and a little almost shy smile.
"Alright alright I'm coming." Maka sighed out, shrugging her shoulders as if in response to a complaint. Of course she knew he wasn't complaining. She was just poking fun. It was nice to see him leading the way. Even if he did look back at her with that weak little look. As if begging to take him away from the lead role. She stepped forward and gave him a gentle push out of the doorway. Stepping out and into the corridor. She shut the door behind her and pushed it just to check it was locked. The door rocked but held.
Maka checked down the hallway, the others had vanished. Maybe still in their rooms...or hopefully already gone to the beach.
"C'mon Crona." Maka smiled at him and turned to face him. She reached out and grabbed his hand in her own before briskly walking off toward the elevator.
Akire Rosales: did you like it? We hope so! Remember to drop reviews to me and Ludifer! You can always review her story The Other Side if you want to give her a special review from this story! She'll love it!
Keep a watchful eye! This story will have a sister fanfic that will have all the side-stories!.. and the first one is M-rated CroMa! *pervy grin* But it wont be in this account, it will be on Ludifer's. While you wait for the next update, are you still hungry for more CroMa? Why don't you go read The Other Side meanwhile? Or even my other story "Whispers"? We'll be waiting!
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