Hi! So, here we go, no lengthy introduction. ^_^

Enjoy!


83. Heal

A week had passed since the shower incident.

Neither Kid nor Crona had brought up the issue, but the refusal of confronting one another had sort of...gotten in the way. When they passed each another in the hallway, it became a stand-off, both getting jumbled and afraid, until Crona eventually squealed an apology and set herself against the wall until he left. They never spoke to one another at dinner or breakfast, or remained in the same room alone, and, Death forbid, reach for the remote at the same time. Hell, they wouldn't even look at each other.

And, quite frankly, it was annoying the crap out of Liz.

She could handle the timidness- in fact, she expected it from Crona, but from Kid? Never- and she could handle stammering, but what she could absolutely not handle was Kid's new behavior whenever the pinkette was in the room. Which was nearly always.

Liz's eye twitched at the thought. "Hey, Patti?"

"Yeah, big sis?" the blonde asked, looking up from her colorings.

"Have you noticed Kid's been acting kind of strange lately...well, stranger than usual?"

Patti laughed childishly. "Kid's been acting like Crona!"

Liz sighed, adding the last stroke on her fingertip as she finished her manicure. "Yeah, I've noticed... why do you think that is?"

"I don't know, big sis," Patti singsonged.

"The tension's been killing me!" the older sister griped. "Ugh, I need to get them out together..." A mischievous smile peeled across her face. "Say, Patti? Know what I'm in the mood for?"

"Mm-mm," the younger girl shook her head.

"Some world famous Pizza."

Patti nodded her head, clapping happily at her sister's plan.

"Please, Kid?"

"Elizabeth, no."

"Kid?"

"No."

"Ki-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-!"

"Fine!" the young shinigami huffed. "Where is this pizza place?"

"The address is right here," Liz grinned, handing him a slip of paper. "All you have to do is pick it up."

"But..." He frowned at the sheet, which Liz had taken special care to print symmetrically, so he had absolutely nothing to nit-pick at. "Don't they have pizza delivery boys for a reason?"

"Kid, you need to get out of the house," Liz deadpanned, turning him by his shoulders and nudging him towards the door. Almost as if it were an afterthought, she added, "And take Crona with you."

Kid's stomach nearly collapsed. "W-w-why do I-I have-?"

"You've both been cooped up in this apartment for days," the weapon reasons. "You both need some air and exercise. Crona!"

The pinkette poked her head out of her room. "Y-yeah, Liz?"

"Go with Kid to pick up the pizza?" Liz asked, noting the fierce red blush that enflamed the witch's cheeks.

"I don't, uh, K-Kid doesn't need help, does he?"

"Of course he does?" Liz laughed, clapping a visibly shaken Kid on the shoulder. She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "We ordered a lot of pizza."

"W-well, if you n-need help, Kid..." Crona began, inching out of her bedroom.

Stop being nervous! Oh, god, I'm nothing but garbage. I should've knocked. This is terrible, terrible, terrible...

He cleared his throat. "I-if you don't mind, Crona."

She nodded her head. "Okay."

As soon as they were cleared of the threshold, Liz threw the door shut and bolted it behind them, grinning maliciously to herself.

Kid dug his hands into his pockets, beginning his trek down the staircase. Crona stared nervously at the door, wondering if it was too late to beg Liz to let her back in.

"Coming?" his voice echoed as he stood on the bottom stair, his eyes avoiding her own.

"Oh, y-yeah," she nodded, running to catch up with him.

The pair walked in silence, taking each block with the expectancy of some apology and ending it with the realization that they were both to chicken to do anything.

Crona felt a little drip on her nose, then her shoulders and hands. She looked up into the overcast sky, eyebrows arched in worry. "It's raining..." she murmured.

"We'd better hurry then," Kid said, a tiny smile on his face. He'd always liked the way she looked at little things with awe. Not even their previous debacle could change that.

As the heavens truly opened and a downpour unleashed itself unto New York City, the two sprinted for the pizza parlor, cramming themselves into the already jam-packed building.

"Why're there s-so many p-eople?"

"Must be the dinner rush?" he suggested, shrugging.

Crona fidgeted as she stood beside Kid, waiting for their turn at the counter. She wondered rather worriedly what he thought of her after their little encounter. Or if he was mad at her for letting Ragnarok call him names. Or if he was considering kicking her out of the apartment. Or...or...

"'Scuse me," a stray voice apologized as they accidentally knocked a very deep-in-thought Crona, who lost her balance and crashed against the shinigami.

"K-k-k-kid! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't-!"

His voice caught in his throat as he braced them both against the frosty soda refrigerator, the cool air not doing much to help the heat in his face. She clung to his jacket trying to keep herself on her feet, looking up at him apologetically, her cheeks painted with a pink that only accompanied embarrassment and face dotted with rain that had clung to her face and hair. To put it plainly, Kid found her undeniably adorable.

He cleared his throat, nodding his head and helping them both to stand up straight. "It's quite alright, Crona."

She retreated into herself as they separated. "You...you're not mad?"

"Not at all," he assured her.

She visibly relaxed, mirroring the shy smile on his own face.

Still, something nagged at Kid: the necessity to get around what had, er, occurred between them. He stole his nerves-for goodness sake, he fought evil kishins and withces!-and uttered the name he'd been afraid of for the past week.

"Crona?" he asked shakily.

"Yes?"

The second her eyes fell on him, he wanted to run. "I, um, I just...wanted to apologize for walking in on you...uh, while you were showering..."

She looked at him rather pitifully. "So...does that mean...you're not going to kick me out?"

"Why would I kick you out?" he sweat-dropped.

"For not using the...the sign?"

"Oh," he recalled, shaking his head. "No, no, of course not." He let fly a little laugh. "Crona, you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. I was just hoping you'd forgive me for invading your privacy like that."

"It's alright," she told him quietly. "I just wish Ragnarok hadn't been so rude."

Sensing his name, the black-blooded fiend spewed from her back, startling several on-lookers.

"I'm not the rude one! He busted in right after you took off your clothes! Got a good look at you, too!"

"Ragnarok, quiet down!" Crona commanded weakly. "People are staring at us."

"Let 'em stare at us all they want!" the bulbous beast shouted, swinging his tiny fist as Kid. "I'll be quiet when this little punk apologizes."

"He already apologized!" Crona argued.

"And what are you looking at?!" Ragnarok shouted, looking at a nearby bystander.

Crona didn't know how to deal with being in the center of such attention, so she pretended she was elsewhere, covering her face to hide from the eyes that were staring at her.

"Hey," Kid's voice called, his eyes set on Ragnarok.

"What?" he crooned.

"If you go away until we get to the apartment, I will personally cook you something delicious," Kid bribed.

"Uh-uh!" the little thing swatted. "You're cooking's no good! I'd rather chew on some of Crona's socks for a meal!"

The shinigami sighed. "Fine, then, I will convince Liz to cook you something delicious when we get home."

"Deal!" Ragnarok squawked, laughing in victory and returning to his host's body.

Satisfaction finally his he leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of Crona's face through her hands. "Are you alright?" he asked, noting the pink spreading into her ears.

"Oh!" she gasped, uncovering herself. "Y-yes. Now that Ragnarok's gone inside."

"Good."

As they waited in line, an airy feeling replaced the heavy terror that had burdened each of them.

Crona peered at Kid out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to ask him, So...this means we're friends again, right?

Quickly she looked away, grinning to herself.

She wasn't that brave.


I can't wait to actually develop their relationship further. -_- Until then...

Well, I hope it's soon. XD

Peace, L.