A/N: This chapter is from Crona's point of view. It's kind of a transitional chapter to help move the plot along. The next chapter will return to Kid's POV so don't worry.

Trigger Warnings: animal cruelty, and child abuse

Chapter 6: Crona's Chapter

Ragnarok was a shadow. He didn't usually hold a concrete form and when he did it constantly changed. He would hover at the corner of Crona's vision and whisper (or sometimes shriek) in his ear.

Ragnarok had always been there since Crona could remember. As a child Ragnarok was the imaginary friend who kept him company but at some point he had turned into something dark. He became the embodiment of all of Crona's doubts and fears.

It was morning and the whole night before Ragnarok had hovered over him on the ceiling. Every time Crona had started to doze off Ragnarok would start shrieking, keeping him awake. He wondered how no one could hear the deafening screams.

The medications were supposed to keep Ragnarok away but Medusa had a nurse working for her changing out his meds with sugar pills. Eruka had the perfect job to do that, working with dispensing the patients' medications.

Eruka had talked to him the other day when he got his meds. She told him that Medusa knew about his excursion to the basement. Her expression had been unreadable and her tone neutral but as he turned to walk away she had winked at him.

It was eating him up wondering what Medusa would do or say to him when she visited later. Yet he was a little relieved that the escape plan hadn't worked because as sick as it was Medusa was still his mother and he had no idea what he would do out there, on his own without her was the scariest thought to him. She cared about him in her own twisted way and that had to be enough for him.

Crona sat up in bed staring at the wall, stomach churning with anticipation and anxiety. The clock sat high up on the wall where he couldn't reach it, its ticking loud in the silence of the early morning. He watched the hands slowly move across the clock face only dozing off twice.

Once it was a more reasonable hour he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." he called out knowing exactly who it was.

Maka entered and gave him a small smile. "Hey." She greeted.

Crone gave her his own crooked smile and replied. "Good morning, Maka."

"We're going to be late for breakfast if you don't get out of bed."

"Oh, sorry." Crona stumbled out of bed and rushed into the bathroom.

Crona got ready as quickly as he could with his limbs being clumsy from exhaustion. When he exited he saw Maka sitting on his bed waiting for him. She looked slightly impatient but she brightened when she saw him. "Ready?"

Crona enjoyed meal times. He enjoyed being surrounded by everyone talking and teasing each other. It was an unconventional and kind of depressing imitation of what he thought having a normal life, without Medusa, might be like.

Being put here was probably the best thing to ever happen to him. He knew this was all part of something Medusa was planning. He didn't know what it was but he was happy he was here. For the first time in his life he had friends, he was around people he thought actually cared about him. And most importantly he didn't have to see Medusa every day. Unfortunately, today was one of the day's he would have to see her.

At that thought he looked down at his food. Having lost his appetite, he pushed his meal away. Maka looked at him with concern. "I'm just not all that hungry." He said softly.

"Dude, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" Blackstar told him seriously.

Crona could feel himself shrink in on himself. He found Blackstar very intimidating.

Kid looked up from where he was still sorting his food. "For once he is right." He admitted.

Blackstar grinned. "Come on, Kid, I'm always right!" Kid and their newest addition to their table, Liz, rolled their eyes in unison at Blackstar's comment.

Crona met Maka's concerned gaze once more and shrugged. "I can't help it if I'm not hungry."

She nodded. "Okay." But she looked unconvinced.

The day passed too quickly. Maka tried to distract from the impending visit from his mother. They played cards, studied, watched television. It only worked for so long. When lunch came around he still couldn't eat.

Crona drew out his session with Dr. Stein as long as possible in hopes that it would run over into visiting hours. At a certain point Stein had to cut it off and promised that they could pick it up next time.

When he saw Maka after his therapy she shoved an apple into his hand. "You need to eat. I know what it's like when you feel like you can't eat but you have to."

He took a bite and Maka smiled at him. He liked it when she smiled, especially when it was directed at him. She led him outside and they walked in silence. For the first time all day Crona felt calm.

"She's going to punish us and it's all your fault." Crona was startled by the familiar voice. He should have known the calm wouldn't last. Ragnarok's inky black shadow could be seen out of the corner of his eye. "Why do you always have to drag me down with you? You're a pathetic waste of space. Always causing me trouble."

Ragnarok was right. All he did was cause pain for those around him. He only had to recall the memory of his pet rabbit to know that.

"Kick it!"

"No!" Crona sobbed. "I can't."

His mother towered over him. She looked disappointed and furious at the same time. Her eyes bored into him like laser beams. "You have to learn that in order to get anything in life you have to step on those weaker than you."

"I can't! Lily didn't do anything!" At six years old his rabbit was everything to him, his whole world. The little brown bunny looked up at him curiously, probably wondering why he had tears and snot running down his face.

"If you won't kick it then you won't eat." Medusa picked Crona up by the back of his shirt and carried him out of his bedroom.

Crona started sobbing harder when he saw where they were headed. "Please, no! I'm sorry! I'll do better! I promise!" She opened the closet door and tossed him in unceremoniously before leaving and locking the door behind her. "I don't like the dark!" he called after her. "I can't see anything."

"Look what you've done, you idiot!"

"Ragnarok?"

"Not only do you have to get yourself punished but me too? Why didn't you ask me what I wanted to do? You should've kicked the crap out of the thing!"

"Ragnarok, why are you being so mean to me? I love Lily. I couldn't hurt her."

"It's just a stupid rabbit!"

Crona felt his face crumple as a fresh wave of tears ran down his already tear stained cheeks. "My tummy hurts."

"Well, it's gonna keep hurting til you do what she says."

Crona didn't know how long he was in there. His stomach stopped hurting after a while and he peed in the bucket in the corner twice before Medusa opened the door again.

"Are you ready to be a good boy and do as you're told?"

Crona walked over to the door squinting at the sudden light rushing into his dark little world. He bit his lip. He knew what he had to say and what he had to do to but he couldn't bring himself to agree to it. "I can't hurt Lily." He replied softly. She kicked him and he flew back into the closet, where he cried himself to sleep as Ragnarok admonished him.

It had to have been more than a day later that Medusa opened the door again longer than enough time to throw a couple of water bottles in to him. She stood holding the door open and Crona stepped out into the light once more.

"Are you ready to be a good boy and do as you're told?"

Crona nodded. Everything seemed surreal as he was led down the hallway and back to his bedroom. He was dreaming. Yeah, that's what was happening. It was all a dream. A giggle bubbled out of his mouth and he didn't know why.

Next thing he knew he was standing over a sleeping rabbit inside its tiny gated corral. It kind of looked like Lily. Another giggle that he couldn't control came out.

"Kill it." Medusa and Ragnarok spoke in unison. This made him laugh for some reason. He was laughing too hard to be able to stop. He kicked it and kept kicking, and kept laughing.

When he stopped Medusa left the room saying that she was going out to get them some dinner. Crona stared down at the little brown rabbit covered in red. This wasn't a dream. Reality was setting in.

"Good job! We're going to eat like kings tonight!"

Crona screamed.

Crona felt the half of the apple he had eaten coming back up. He turned away from Maka and doubled over as he heaved. Maka's hand rubbed circles in his back until he was done.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"No." He would never be okay.

"I'll go get a nurse."

Crona laid in bed his stomach still sore from throwing up. Maka had offered to stay with him but he had turned down her offer saying that he was probably just going to sleep. At least his getting sick got him out of Medusa's visit.

He rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. "My dear Crona." His eyes flew open. Medusa stood in the doorway smiling at him. His whole body began to shake in fear as she stepped farther into the room and closed the door behind her. "They told me you were ill so I assured the nurses that I would only stay for a few minutes."

Crona slowly sat up. "I- I'm sorry, Lady Medusa."

"Why are you apologizing, child? You found what I have been looking for. Well done."

He wasn't sure what that was in her voice. Maybe, pride? "You mean the secret basement we found?"

"We?"

"Maka, Soul, and Kid were with me." He was telling her too much. He begged himself to stop talking.

"Did they see anything?"

"No, we only heard screaming. Kid was really disturbed by the whole thing. Maka was just worried about me." Crona smiled when he spoke about Maka. "And Soul was annoyed, but he's always annoyed."

Medusa looked thoughtful. "Kid and Maka seem to be my biggest concerns right now. Their always coming in and out when we're… discussing matters. I might need to take care of them."

Crona was frantic. "No! I'm sure that they won't get in the way."

"Eruka already reported that Kid was trying to tell his father about the incident. We can't risk it. I should go. I told those busybody nurses I wouldn't stay long."

After Medusa left Crona sat motionless. He was overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions. He was worried about what Medusa would do to Maka and Kid. But he was also happy that Medusa was proud of him. He couldn't remember when if ever she had had a positive emotion directed toward him. And because of that he felt ashamed. He didn't know what Medusa's plan was but he knew nothing good could come of it.

"Well, at least you finally did something right." Crona cringed at Ragnarok's words.

It was all too much. He pushed it away. He pushed it all away until he wasn't there. He was watching it all from far away, worlds away, where none of this existed.