Hey guys!
So, big, HUGE apology to those who have been waiting (and asking, too!) but I had a mega case of writers block with this prompt. I wanted to give up several times, and as a foreword, I doubt this one's going to be very good, especially since I'm itching to get to later chapters!
Special thanks to those who reviewed, as well as chasezx3 and Maniac Tenshi Makenshi for messaging me and getting my butt motivated. Serious love and apologies, you guys. ^_^
Anyways, on with it!
Enjoy!
65. Horror
"H-halloween?" Crona asked a tad naively, looking up from her comfortable spot on her bed at the two sisters who had barged into her room. Aside from the hasty pushiness Liz and Patty had adopted, Crona also noted the layers of colored fabrics lying over Liz's arms.
"Yes," Liz groaned. A little smile pierced her exasperated face. "We're going out tonight, Crona."
"W-we?" the pinkette stuttered.
"Uh-huh!" Patty giggled. "You and me and Liz and Kid!"
"O-out where?"
Liz plopped down on the end of the witch's bed, grinning impishly. "It's Halloween in New York City, Crona, and I'll be damned if I'm going to miss a party tonight."
Crona frowned, hugging the pillow tighter to her chest, using it as a protective feathery shield keeping the hungry-looking weapon at bay. "I-I don't understand. What's so special about-?"
"Party! Hee hee!" Patty squealed, her eyes twinkling.
Liz scooted closer, setting a hand on Crona's shoulder. "Crona, Halloween is...important to Patty and I," the older girl explained gently. "It's our first time being back in our hometown and it was something that we used to look forward to when we were little. I used to take Patty to see the parades and people in costumes when it was just us. Remember, sis?"
Patty laughed in the doorway. "Something like that, yeah!"
Liz was, unbeknownst to poor little Crona, playing a very wicked card. The sympathy card. While she had taken Patty along with her down to the throngs of drunk and horny Halloween prowlers, it wasn't to distract from their bleak lives. No, it was to pickpocket the wasted and steal from the gaudily-dressed.
"W-well, if it's important to y-you, I...I guess s-so." Crona managed a tiny, nervous smile.
Liz beamed. "Great." She threw down the piles of fabrics between her and the witch. "That means Patty and I get to dress you up."
"B-b-b-but! I-I don't know! I changed my mind!"
"Nonsense," Liz waved, hovering over the girl. "Patty, shut the door."
"Yes, sir!" the blonde giggled.
-interruption-
No, no, no, Croan thought nervously as she attempted to press herself further into the wall, to no avail. Geez, this is embarrassing...
Liz, who had ditched the young witch long ago in pursuit of some "tail"- though Crona had no idea what that meant; she figured it was some costume?- had finagled the eternally-nervous witch into a costume parodying her entire culture.
Crona tugged at the obscene witch costume, silently gripping about the short and impractical hem that fell right above her knees, leaving them exposed. Much to her annoyance, the top of the dress was just as revealing, practically strapless and all black, with one of those silly pointy hats on her pink head. Thankfully, Crona had been able to shrug a black cloak over her bare shoulders before the Thompsons, herself, and Kid departed.
Speaking of Kid...
where is he? she wondered, eyes trying to pick apart the crowd. She sighed. The place was too crowded.
"And everyone's in costume," she groaned to herself. "I wish Maka were here..."
Ragnarok materialized, knocking the hat off in the process. "Geez, Crona, why the hell 're you being such a little puss?! It's a party! Go have fun! Or better yet, go get me some food!"
"I'm not in a partying mood now, Ragnarok," she sighed, gripping her right arm with her left hand.
"Ugh, maybe that stupid perverted Shinigami would make things more interesting..." Ragnarok sighed, boring out of his little mind.
"Huh?" Crona asked, cheeks heating. "K-kid?"
"D-d-d-d-duh!" he spat, making fun of her stutter. "You've been fawning over the little maggot like a damn school girl!"
"I..." Crona clamped her mouth shut, embarrassment swelling in her chest. Had it been so obvious? She was only vaguely aware that Kid had some confounding effect on her, and the four-letter word she picked apart in the library was still swimming around in her jumbled, maddening mind. She stole her nerves against her weapon anyhow. "I am not fawning."
Ragnarok snorted. "Whatever, brat. Let me know when you plan on walking your puny ass over to the food table."
He receded into the confines of her costume, leaving the girl alone once more, engrossed in her thoughts.
W-was it obvious that I've been spending time with Kid? But it isn't like I l-love him. He's my friend. I should be able t-to spend time with a f-friend, shouldn't I? Yeah. Heh heh, what's wrong with that? N-nothing. But what if it looks like I'm fawning over him. What does that even mean? Whatever it is, I don't like the sound of iiiiiiiiiit...
"Excuse me?" a voice interrupted.
Crona's eyes, which had been screwed shut in frustration, snapped open, cheeks erupting in fire. "K-kid?" she asked, tilting her head to try and take a peek under the mask. "Is that you?"
He lifted the skeleton mask, revealing his familiar face. "Yes," he smiled.
"You...you're wearing the G-grim Reaper c-costume?" she stammered.
He sighed. "Unfortunately, it was the only thing I could convince Liz to let me wear tonight. She nearly threatened to kill me if I didn't dress up for the occasion."
"The occasion..." Crona drew. "All Hallows Eve."
"Yes," he nodded, leaning against the wall beside her. The young shinigami frowned at the people that groped at one another, grinding to the beat of some rather unsavory music. "Not exactly how I would celebrate it, but..." He shrugged. "To each his own, I suppose."
Crona bit her lip before the words tumbled out. "I-It's my l-least favorite holiday," she admitted, surprising the boy beside her. "But, then again, it's the only holiday I kn-know..."
"Really?" he asked, genuinely curious.
Her cheeks red, she looked up at the reaper. "Y-yeah," she confirmed. "Because it w-was Lady Med-medusa's favorite day."
Kid noticed a look of horror in the girl's blue eyes, and instantly regretted prying in any way. He could only imagine how tumultuous Crona and Medusa's household would be on such a night, with the history as dark as it was for witches. For him, it was simply a busy night for the adults he knew to be running about and stopping vicious souls from returning to Earth.
As the pinkette watched the party rage in front of them, Kid stared at her, a habit that had grown in the past month. He had grown rather protective of her as well, even venturing to put his arm around her more than once ever since the night he 'saved' her from the man at the bar. And, to his frustration, he had awoken in a sweat to dreams of the young witch in, shall we say, compromising situations.
But aside from his hormones, he took note of how Crona acted. And he knew that look on her face. The uncomfortable look on her face...
"Crona?" he asked, politely. She jumped at her name, even when it was nearly drowned out by music. "Would you like to go somewhere a little quieter?"
A small smile crossed her face, thankful, as she nodded.
The costumed reaper and witch snuck outside, reveling in the less-crowded (though still as loud) October streets.
Crona breathed a sigh of relief. "A-are you sure you d-don't want to stay in?" she stuttered, clutching her cloak around her shoulders.
Kid shook his head. "Not at all," he grinned, golden eyes sweeping over the web of gorgeous lights that illuminated the windows overhead. "I'd much rather be out here."
The two stood together at the edge of the sidewalk, admiring the city lights together. The scene was so unlike the one they were accustomed to in Death City. Their heads were angled towards the heavens, the lights making for impromptu stars that danced in their eyes. The city was colored by its people, who brushed by the silent couple without a care in the world, their escapades not even close to over, despite the hour. Crona and Kid were content in admiring. Both were watchers, he for symmetry, she our of curiosity. It was a perf-
Ggggrrrrlgggg!
Crona pressed her hand to her stomach, cheeks reddening. Kid couldn't help but laugh at her flushing face, the way she looked up at him apologetically, fearing she had ruined a nice moment.
"Crona," he proposed. "Would you like to get something to eat?"
-interruption-
"How are you feeling?" Kid asked, unbuttoning the thick shinigami cloak and letting it fall onto his seat.
Crona nodded, setting the white cup down on the table. "Th-thank you," she nodded. "Better."
Kid grinned, happy that she was comfortable. To be honest, he was rather glad about the change of scenery as well. The two resided in a booth in a much quieter shop, one that held a much smaller population and the music was tasteful.
The two sat in silence, listening to music and the dull chatter of people seeking solace from the insanity of Halloween, Kid's eyes watching as Crona's fingers tiptoed along the table in tune with the low music.
It was an old tune, from before he was born, but familiar. Perhaps he had heard it on a radio long ago, in the background of some place that was far more engaging. He smiled, setting the cup down. "Crona?"
She jumped, her fingers ceasing their imaginary symphony.
"Would you like to dance?"
"B-b-but..." The pinkette froze, fidgeting as she pushed her pointer fingers together. "K-kid, I don't r-really..."
"Please?" he pushed a little further, holding his hand out across the table. She stared at it questioningly. "I rather like this song..."
"O-oh..." Crona nodded, tentatively resting her fingers in the shinigami's palm. The two stood, moving towards the center of the shop, though they drew no real attention; the others who littered the shop were too engrossed with their own trivialities.
Carefully, Kid set his hand on Crona's hips, feather light as to not invade too much of her space.
"I-I've never..." She held her hands up, voice quivering in embarrassment. "I'm n-not sure h-how..."
Ah, Kid sighed in his head, a knowing smile etching itself onto his face. She's never danced before.
"It's simple," he eased in a hushed tone. Crona shivered as his breath skittered across her cheek. He took one of her hands and set it on his shoulder, holding the other in his own. "We just sway back and forth."
"O-okay," she whispered, her voice barely cracking into audibility.
And they did so, waving in sync, the old song lulling their souls. Crona kept her mouth shut, but inside of her body, she could feel it: his soul reverberating off of hers, their wavelengths falling into harmonization. Her head lowered, pink bangs doing an excellent job at hiding the content smile and rosy cheeks as she listened, as she felt. All of it in time, all of it together.
Tonight was so opposite what she had encountered on every other Halloween. THe horrid laughter of her mother was drowned out by guitars and chatter, the terrified faces of the victims she would slay were replaced by smiling masks and outlandish theatricality, and the chilling grip Medusa held on her heart and mind were thawed by the warm hands of the shinigami.
Crona sighed, a little sound that did not go unnoticed by a smiling Death the Kid, as the unlikely pair rocked slowly on into the night.
Sigh. BOY THAT WAS RIDICULOUS.
PLEASE NOTE! The song I was thinking of them dancing to was 'Knights in White Satin.'
I can't remember who it is by, but you should definitley look it up! SO AMAZING. It's the intro song from the 'Dark Shadows' movie and for some reason, it reminds me of Kid and Crona, so...!
Thanks for reading! ^_^ Until next time (which will be much sooner)!
Peace, L.