Update time! Just a reminder, I will be posting new chapters every Thursday. I want to say thank you to all who review my story and thank you for your lovely comments and praise! I love writing and I love Crona, so I do my best :) Thanks again for reading, and as always, reviews and questions are always appreciated and accepted! Enjoy chapter 7!

Crona stared down at the capped bottle in his trembling hands. The little white pills bounced around inside the orange plastic, clattering together. How many had he taken that day? He couldn't remember. One more couldn't hurt, could it? His hands struggled to unscrew the top, but his palms were so sweaty it was impossible. His chest heaved, pushing against the anxious pressure that had forced itself upon his body. Breathing had become a chore, and his heart was pounding so hard against his ribcage that he could hear it.

"Hey, cut it out!" Ragnarok leaned down, knocking the bottle out of Crona's hands. "You can deal with this just fine, now quit being a nervous wreck over this!"

"I-I can't deal with it, I need one!" Crona cried as he fell to his knees, searching for the bottle in the dark. A sliver of light cracked through the doorway, and the pink haired boy froze.

"Oh demon boy~ Don't you want to play?" a voice sang as a pair of yellow eyes glinted through the darkness to stare at him. Blair stepped into the room, a seductive smile on her face as she bounced towards him.

Crona shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "Go away, I don't know how to deal with you like this!"

"Get outta here you crazy bitch!" Ragnarok waved a fist at the woman.

"Oh come on, I just wanna have some fun while the others are away," Blair hummed as she leaned down to them. Her hand rested on Crona's shoulder as her breasts pressed against his head. She stared at Ragnarok with a smirk. "Or would you rather fight me?"

"No, no, go away!" Crona squealed as he backed away from the cat witch's grasp. He curled himself up in a little ball, shivering and shaking.

"You're no fun," Blair pouted, placing her hands on her hips. "Not like scythe-boy…oh?" She paused as her foot tapped against something. "What's this?" She leaned down and picked up the bottle of pills, staring at them as if she had never seen such a thing before.

"Th-those are mine," Crona muttered, barely looking up. This was a bad idea, and he should have known it. Ragnarok's ideas were always bad… Why, Crona wondered, did he listen when Ragnarok urged him to skip school and go get ice cream? Sure, the ice cream was good, and it was nice to express some of his freedom…but he never expected to run into Blair when he came back to the apartment. Since then, he had spent the past few hours avoiding the cat witch as she pursued him, asking dozens of questions and touching him in ways that he couldn't deal with.

"Oh…," Blair flopped down on the ground, seemingly more calm now as she rolled the bottle around in her hands. Her ears twitched atop her head and her yellow eyes blinked up to Crona again. "I'm sorry." In a poof of smoke, the woman transformed into her cat self. Her little paws kicked the bottle, allowing it to roll over to Crona. "Blair didn't mean to scare you so much, demon boy," the cat purred as she rubbed up against his leg.

Crona froze, unsure of how he should feel about this. Somehow, Blair was easier to deal with in her cat form. After all, Crona did love animals, especially fluffy ones… He raised a trembling hand to pet Blair between her ears, eliciting another purr from the feline. "I…I think I like you better like this," Crona admitted with a mumble.

"Blair will stay like this for you then," she hummed as she hopped on his lap. "You're just so cute, I wanted to play with you."

Crona blushed, a small smile coming across his lips as he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud crash. His body went ridged as he looked up to the doorway where a furious Maka stood, dictionary in hand. "M-Ma-Maka?" he stammered, his hand frozen on top of Blair's head. Ragnarok let out a little yelp before retreating back inside Crona's body. Coward… Crona thought to the demon.

"Crona!" Maka stomped towards the two. "And you-! Blair, what did you do?"

"Nya~! Blair didn't do anything!" the cat curled up on Crona's lap, blinking her bright yellow eyes. "Just keeping demon boy some company since you left him all alone."

"He's alone because he skipped class," Maka's gaze turned to the pink haired boy. Crona flinched, his eyes wondering around the room to look anywhere except at her. He spotted Soul in the doorway, crossing his arms.

"Leave them alone, Maka," Soul sighed. "You're not Crona's mother. Quit freaking out."

Maka turned to face the scythe, placing her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Soul rolled his eyes. "Crona can do whatever she wants to, stop trying to act like a guardian or a parent or something. It's really obnoxious…especially since Crona came here to escape her tyrant mother. Don't you think you're being a little hypocritical?"

Maka blinked in disbelief of her partner. "S…Soul…," she breathed, her arms falling to her sides. She turned to look at Crona who was still trembling, holding on to Blair for comfort.

"I…I just wanted to get ice cream…," Crona muttered. "Ragnarok said it would be okay…I came right back here after…"

"Crona," Maka sighed, patting over to him. "I'm sorry….I shouldn't be so angry. Soul is right, I can't tell you what to do… But, please, at least be careful."

Crona glanced up to her and nodded. "I'm always careful, Maka…at least I try to be…," he mumbled, looking back down at the cat in his lap. "But, um…"

"Okay, okay, maybe I scared him a little," Blair perked up, blinking her yellow eyes at Maka. "But I said I was sowwie~" She let out a soft purr, rubbing against Crona's stomach.

"Mhmm," Crona nodded, suppressing a giggle as Blair tickled him. "I-it's okay, really."

"Well…I guess," Maka sighed as she knelt down beside her friend. She glanced down, noticing the little orange bottle on the floor beside them, and she reached to pick it up. Her expression twisted into a frown as she read the label. "Crona…where did you get these?"

Crona snatched the bottle back, shoving it into his sweatshirt pocket. "P-professor Stein gave them to me," he stammered quickly, then gazed back down as he continued to pet Blair. "I used to have them when I was younger, but Lady Medusa took them away…I need them, though."

Crona rose to his feet, holding Blair carefully in his arms as he walked past Soul and out the doorway. He sat on the couch in the living room, flipping on the television and staring mindlessly as he continued to pet the feline in his lap. Crona let out a sigh, feeling more relaxed now that he and Blair were on good terms. The pills were doing their job for him, too, making him less anxious, making him able to speak his mind easier.

Maka, on the other hand, wasn't too pleased with this. Later that night, after Crona had retreated to his room, she stood in the kitchen with Soul as he cleaned up after dinner. "I'm going to have a word with professor Stein about this," Maka huffed as she crossed her arms, leaning against the table.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Soul shrugged as he dropped an armful of dishes into the sink. "If Stein thinks Crona needs them, she probably needs them…I mean, you know how nervous Crona always is."

"But…that doesn't mean he needs to pop pills to be normal…whatever that is," Maka rolled her eyes. "I don't want him to get all dependant on them! He'll turn into a druggie or something!"

"They're prescription pills…prescribed to Crona," Soul turned, giving a dumbfound look to the meister. "Do you realize how crazy you sound? Maybe you need some anti-anxiety pills."

"Soul! I'm being serious!" Maka balled up her fists as she stepped towards him. "I'm worried about Crona…since he's been back, it seems like everything is going wrong. First that incident with those punks beating him up, then people spreading rumors about him…the whole thing with these pills, and what just happened with Blair…"

"Hey…so does that mean Crona is a guy? I mean, since Blair was trying to-" Soul began before Maka interrupted.

"That's not the point!" she shouted.

"Maka?" Crona spoke in a quiet voice as he appeared behind her. Soul quickly turned back to washing the dishes, hoping that the pink haired swordsman hadn't heard much of that conversation. Maka looked to Crona, her anger melting away into concern as she blinked to him.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, taking a step towards him.

"Yes, I'm fine," Crona nodded, a small smile painting his face. "I'm just…going to go for a walk. I'll be back later…I have my key, so don't worry about waiting up for me." The smile on his lips grew as he was proud of himself for not stuttering, as well as actually looking into the girl's eyes as he spoke. He wasn't even grabbing his arm as he spoke; his hands were shoved in the pockets of his black sweatshirt, clasping the apartment key.

"Oh, um…where are you going?" Maka hummed, her voice lined with concern.

Soul paused his dishwashing to turn back to Maka. He placed his still wet hands on the meister's shoulders and spun her around, away from Crona. "You go have fun, Crona," Soul smirked. "Come back whenever you feel like it." He pulled Maka away. "Come on now, Maka, don't you have some homework to do or something?"

"O-okay," Crona waved a hand at the two as he stepped through the door. "Bye!"

After a few minutes of walking through the darkening streets of Death City, Ragnarok emerged, curious of what the meister was planning on doing out so late. The demon leaned on Crona's head, staring down at him as he tugged his hair. "Hey, nutso, where we going?" he asked.

"Oh, I thought you were asleep," Crona glanced up at the weapon. "I just wanted to go for a walk…it's so nice out at night."

"Don't you remember the last time you went out for a walk, you moron?" Ragnarok poked the side of the boy's head. "You got your ass kicked and had to be saved by little miss pigtails! You want that to happen again? What are you, a masochist?" The demon punched the side of Crona's face. "I can beat you up all you want!"

"No, and stop that!" Crona grabbed the demon's fist and shoved it away. "Anyway, I really just wanted to go for a walk." He paused, gazing up at the grinning moon as it cackled in the sky. A small smile graced Crona's lips. "There's no blood tonight…that's a good sign."

"You're so stupid," Ragnarok flopped down in the boy's messed pink hair. "The moon doesn't bleed because something bad is about to happen, it bleeds because something bad is already happening!"

"I know that," Crona hummed, still walking with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Still, it's a good sign."

A silence hung between the two as Crona enjoyed the beautiful night, and Ragnarok endured the ride along the way. The demon would never admit it, but he actually did like being able to see the night sky. In a way, Crona found it peaceful. A soft wind blew pink strands of hair away from his eyes as he glanced across the street, where something a little less peaceful was going on…

"Let's go inside!" Ragnarok urged, tugging on his meister's hair. "I bet there's beer, let's get wasted!"

"I-I don't know," Crona rubbed his arm, feeling nervous for the first time since earlier. The house was blaring loud, unintelligible music, and the sounds of yelling and laughter could be heard from outside. The door was open, allowing guests of the house party to flow in and out as they pleased. A small group of people stood outside, each of them smoking a cigarette. The girls wore revealing clothing, and Crona had to look away to hide the embarrassed blush on his cheeks. This was definitely not the kind of place for him to be. And yet, as always, Ragnarok was just so convincing…

"Come on, damn it, enjoy your freedom!" the little demon yelped. "Who's gonna care?! Just go have fun! Come on, look at all the hot chicks! Maybe you could even get laid~"

"I-I don't want that!" Crona blushed, glancing up frighteningly at the weapon. "I-I mean…I don't know. I've never had to deal with a place like this before. I'm not sure how to act."

Ragnarok shrunk down to rest on Crona's shoulder, looking a bit less conspicuous as he blended in to the boys baggy black sweatshirt. "Just go inside and grab a drink," he whispered into the meister's ear. "You don't have to talk to anyone. Go on! I bet there's food too."

"Well…I guess it might be okay…," Crona hummed, taking a step forward. Ragnarok continued to push him along with encouraging words until he was finally inside. The music was much louder inside of the house, and there seemed to be food and drink everywhere. The largest room was dark, only illuminated by a blacklight and several flashing colored lights set up around the tables. Crona picked up a bottle and took a sip, his lips puckering at the sourness.

"It tastes like lemonade," he whispered to Ragnarok, then handed the bottle over to the demon, who sucked it down instantly. The alcohol went directly to Crona's blood stream as a result, and the boy suddenly felt dizzy.

"Hey there," a voice called, leaving hot breath on his ear. Crona flinched back, turning to see the source of the voice. It was one of those girls he saw outside before, dressed in minimal clothing. She smelt like alcohol and smoke, but surprisingly, her face was nice to look at. She had long brown hair and bright blue eyes, a light pink smile painting her thin lips.

"H-hi," Crona stammered, his hand unconsciously reaching for another bottle of the alcohol infused lemonade.

"I haven't seen you around here before," the girl continued, leaning closer to him. "You're kind of cute."

"Uh, th-thanks," he answered, glancing away as he nursed the drink in his hand. He was right, this place was definitely not for him. Despite the alcohol in his system and the pills he was on, Crona was still feeling nervous in this situation.

"You've got pretty hair, too," she smiled, brushing a few of the longer locks of hair away from Crona's face.

"Thank you," Crona responded, blushing as he glanced away. This whole situation was strange…

"You wanna get out of here, huh?" the girl leaned back. "You don't look too comfortable."

Crona flinched, glancing back to look into the girl's eyes. "I-I guess…this isn't something I normally do…," he admitted. "I don't really know how to deal with something like this."

"Well, you're certainly not dressed for a party," the girl ran her hand down his chest, feeling at the fabric of his baggy black sweatshirt. "Boys won't notice you like that." She pointed a finger at herself, at her tight top and short shorts. "You've gotta wear something like this."

"Wh-why would I- I-I mean, why would you want boys to notice you?" Crona blinked, clearly confused.

"Well, you know…," she trailed off, as if the answer was obvious.

"No…I don't know," he shook his head. Ragnarok was laughing in his ear, but he did his best to ignore it and focus on the girl.

"Well…so that boys will like you," she rolled her eyes. "So they'll want you."

Crona's cheeks flushed a dark pink as he finally understood what the girl meant. He glanced away, clutching the bottle with both hands. "Oh, I, uh…I'm not interested in that," he muttered. "A-anyway, I'm not a girl…" Sort of…

"Oh," she blinked in surprise. "Sorry to mistake you for one. Well I guess your clothes are alright then." She relaxed, leaning back. "Anyway, I guess I'm not so interested in boys noticing me either. I've had enough of guys, you know? They're all the same." Crona stayed silent, sipping his drink as he listened.

"They all want the same thing, and once they get it, they're done with you," she rolled her eyes again, then let out a heavy sigh. "At least we have some power over them. I can dress like this and make them realize what they're missing…" She glanced over at Crona again, a small smile painting her lips. "You seem different, though."

"I-I guess you could say that," Crona muttered, looking away from her stare.

The girl turned to him, eyes half lidded. "You wanna get out of here?" she whispered, her hand grasping his. Crona didn't get the chance to answer before the girl pulled him outside and stumbled down the sidewalk. Finally, she stopped beneath a streetlight, turning to stare at him. "Hm…you're nice looking in the light, too," she commented.

Crona blushed, glancing away. He wouldn't admit it, but the girl was actually surprisingly pretty as well. He gripped his arm and let out a shaky breath.

"Um…you okay, kid?" the girl asked, hands pressed to her hips.

"I-I just feel kind of dizzy," he admitted, crossing his arms around himself.

"You're really not used to drinking, are you?" she laughed, stepping closer to him. "You seem so sweet, you know…a guy like you shouldn't be going around to random parties. You could get yourself into trouble."

A small smirk grew on Crona's lips. "Trouble," he huffed. "You have no idea…"

"You should go home," the girl laughed. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against Crona's cheek. "Good night." She turned and walked away, her heels clacking against the concrete.

Crona stared in shock after her, his face blushing a deep shade of scarlet. His fingertips touched the place on his cheek where the girl had kissed him. Physical contact…

"Hey, moron!" Ragnarok tugged at the boy's hair. "What the hell was that?"

"That was…this is life, isn't it?" Crona whispered into the cool air. Ragnarok leaned back, listening to his meister. "This is normal…this is what it feels like." He gazed up at the sky, the moon grinning chuckling. A small smile tugged at the corners of Crona's lips. "I feel alive."