"Oh." That's all he heard. After all her screaming and bawling, after him nearly losing it because of how scared and oddly she'd been acting, all that Crona had to say was a simple, 'Oh.'

It didn't sound like much of anything, merely a small noise of empty credence.

Then her tears slowed, her breathing calmed, and her panic ebbed away until she stood sniffling and rubbing her tears away. She smiled at him cautiously and giggled.

It actually sounded...placid.

Her eyes were bright and relieved like a storm that had been raging around them had finally passed. It then clicked in Kid's mind that she was okay. She wasn't crazy or freaked out, she wasn't confused or homicidal, this girl was the same one he'd met up with earlier to go see a movie, the same one who was typically so meek and self-conscious. Crona was...normal. She was herself and not the monster he expected to appear after all the noise she made.

"Kid...what...was that?"

"What was...what?"

"I-I felt like...like I was about to break...or float away, but...I'm still here." A hand gripped her arm apprehensively, eyes turning down, as she blushed in shame at all the freaking out she had done. "So...what was that feeling about?"

"My best guess would be that you had another panic attack. A minor one, I guess."

"Huh. O-okay. I-I guess all th-those weird feelings were j-just..." she shook her head like dismissing a thought and gave him a timidly curious glance, "s-so what do we do now? I-I mean, I d-don't want to g-go home...l-like I said before...things a-aren't too g-great right now. I-I know i-it'll p-probably make you m-mad, but..." biting her lower lip she looked away shyly, clasping her hands together in front of her to prevent them from shaking, and then she mumbled quietly, "can we p-please still get p-plum ice cream?"

"Uh...yes...of course we can..." Kid mumbled, still unable to fully grasp what had happened. He tried to piece it together, but still failed to make it make any sense. She began having headaches, started acting crazy, began to panic, and then reverted to being normal. What the hell was that about? The best Kid could deduct was that her headaches were apparently a sort of warning or something.

All he knew as a definite fact was that the day before he went to see her she'd had a really bad headache, which she took medication for, but then he went to her place and she was acting nuts. However, presently she'd claimed to have taken no medication for these headaches and still...she lost it...if only for a little while.

Something was certainly wrong with Crona, there was no question about that; however, he now had the suspicion that it wasn't medication, but then...if not that then what...what was wrong with her?

It made him feel sick out of concern for her. Who knew caring for another person could hurt so much? Although it made him also feel extremely pissed off because if there was one thing Kid hated it was being purposely misinformed by someone he trusted.

Obviously, Marie had been dishonest with him. After all, how can medication cause side effects when it had not been taken? That was what she had told him had caused Crona to turn crazy last time.

So yeah, she had lied to his face, but then that left him wondering why she would do such a thing?

The only answer he could deduct was that she was attempting to cover up something important. Whatever it was Kid was now set on figuring it out. He attempted to ask Crona about it, seeing as it was her own health that he was now concerned about, but she was apparently as in the dark as he was about whatever was going on because the best he got from her was a confused chain of mumbled words he couldn't fully understand.

Whatever the answer was Kid knew he probably wouldn't like it, so he tried to keep most of his thoughts and questions at bay, attempting to distract himself from all these bothersome thoughts through conversation. Crona seemed more than willing to speak to him about just about everything, and yet he noticed when she'd slip while they talked and say something by mistake. He ignored it as best he could, especially since she didn't seem to be aware of it herself.

It didn't take long for them to get back to the ice cream store. Kid figured they were fortunate no one from earlier had stuck around otherwise someone may have started trouble for them or caused Crona to relapse.

Once inside Kid let Crona wander off to stare at some goofy paintings that were on the far wall next to some tables. "I'll take a scoop of vaniella on a cone and just as a thought do you have, uh, plum as a flavor?" He kept his voice even and hoped to prevent letting any anxiety show. The guy behind the counter raised a brow at this, looking at him strangely.

"Yeah. Not too many people that come here eat it though."

"Good. I'll take that on a cone as well."

"Whatever you say. One or two scoops?"

"Two."

"The total comes to two dollars and eighteen cents."

Kid happily paid for his and Crona's ice cream, calling her over to leave once he had them; however, she seemed to be really fixated on a particular painting. He went to investigate and saw her staring at it like she were thinking over a hard math question. Kid looked as well finding it to be a painting of a cheerful circus scene with spectators staring at all sorts of exotic animals and performers. Crona looked to be taken aback by it.

"Do you like this painting?"

"It reminds me of the carnival. I went when I was a little girl."

"Have fun?"

"A little bit. It was kind of scary."

"I suppose it can be if you don't like all the big animals or if you hate clowns."

"No, the animals were okay. The clowns were just...appalling..." She shuddered slightly, nose wrinkling, and eyes dropping to the floor. Kid heard a hint of resentment, a spark of anger, which didn't need to be made into anything worse. Good thing he had ice cream. "You want your ice cream?" He handed her the cone and took the chance to lead her out of there, supposing they'd do best going back to his home, since she didn't wish to return to hers yet.

Kid finished his cone first, having taken bites rather than licks, resulting in a major brainfreeze that made him grimace. Thankfully, it subsided after a few minutes producing a sigh of relief from Kid, who then watched as Crona's small, pink tongue lapped at the pale magenta colored dairy product, appearing blank as she ate it. Kid noticed some dripped from the corner of her mouth. He attempted to wipe it away. Inauspiciously, the second his hand came close to her face she used her free hand to smack his away, but other than this she didn't show any signs of noticing he'd tried anything.

"Could you...um...please wipe your mouth?"

"Why?"

"It's a tad messy could you please wipe it?"

"I guess..." She mumbled wiping the melted ice cream from her mouth with her palm, then wiping it onto the side of her skirt. "I-is that okay?"

"Perfect."

Crona then went back to eating her ice cream, which seemed to be melting quicker than she could eat it. It dribbled down the sides of the cone and over her hand, dripping down the end, some he noticed had spattered her nice black shoes. By the time they were at his place she was a mess with ice cream all over her face, hands, and even some on her clothes. Kid restrained himself from having a fit, as he led her inside to the kitchen where he got her a drink, setting some multicolored straws on the table for her to use if she wished. Minutes later she was acting as a living doll who obediently sat down while he wetted some paper towels and began to clean her face and hands up. Kid wanted to clean her clothes, but didn't know if that'd make her uncomfortable or not. He supposed it wouldn't because in her current state she seemed to be very vulnerable, yet so submissive that he supposed anything could happen.

She was unpredictable.

"Crona, would you mind if I," he looked away awkwardly then, "cleaned your clothes for you?" He didn't expect her to give an answer so it wasn't too much of a surprise when Crona didn't say or do anything straight away. She seemed to be more out of it, actually it would have been more correct to say she seemed awfully depressed. She stared down at his kitchen floor and when she did turn her head up she looked blank.

Crona finally gave a small shake of her head after a few minutes of silent thought on the offer. Kid sighed, pushing back his urges like he'd been told to, ignoring the powerful need to restore her shirt's clean state, especially when those spots were so...unsymmetrical...

Thankfully, she was someone he cared about enough to restrain himself from giving into those horridly strong urges.

At the table she played with the straws he'd laid out before turning to him with a dark glint entering her eyes. It was so familiar, yet so strange that he took a step back in fear. He remembered that look from back when she'd practically molested him just before she got the idea to attempt killing him for pushing her away. It wasn't his fault back then because he hadn't known she'd do such a thing.

However, he did now and because of that knowledge he felt stiff in fear at what thoughts were possibly running through her head. As was stated beforehand, she was unpredictable. It was merely one of the factors about her that scared him when she was like this. The others being how wild, belligerent, insane, and homicidal she seemed to get.

"Oh, Kiiid!~" She called with a melodious tone.

It sent frosty chills down Kid's spine, almost like the boney finger of death were running up his back. He swallowed, tempted to start running for his life when the broad, crazed smile from earlier made a comeback.

Crona stood then, posture perfect, showing that she was actually taller than him by a full inch. Why he noticed such a thing then he had no idea, probably an attempt to keep his heart from exploding as he watched her movements that had become quite graceful and languid. Her smile changed then, becoming sickly sweet, as she then used a single hand to unbutton the top red button of her smokey gray blouse.

"I want to play." She said, dropping her sing-song voice, but keeping that sickly sweet smile intact the entire time. Her head turned then and her smile grew wider. A golden gaze followed her own to the knife that had been left on the counter, making him sorely regret ever allowing Liz and Patty to make their own breakfast. She turned back to look at him and their minds seemed to just click. The air of silence was broken when the two teenagers ran for the weapon in a mad dash. Crona almost had it, being the one closer at first, until Kid grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her back. He reached out for the knife brushing the handle with his fingertips before Crona grabbed a handful of his dark hair and gave it a brutal jerk.

Crying out through grit teeth he elbowed her in the ribs, as a result she kicked his shin. Gasping and hissing in pain Kid then pushed her away, Crona slapped at him, both struggled to get to the weapon first only succeeding in preventing either of them from obtaining what they desired to have.

Crona growled when Kid managed to finally grab the handle of the weapon; however, she dropped her body into a low crouch and before Kid knew what happened his feet had been knocked from beneath him. Screaming in fright as the weapon he'd held moments before flew up high into the air only to flip and fall down towards his head. That was when Crona expertly caught the knife by the handle, mere centimeters from Kid's nose where the blade would have struck if it hadn't been stopped. Scrambling to get his wits back in order Kid shook as he got up to his feet, staring at Crona in amazement. She found his expression to be amusing, chuckling as she held the knife like a skilled surgeon raising it to where it was level with her chest.

"Why are you looking so surprised, Kid?"

"Y-you...I didn't know you could...how did you get to be like this?" There was definitely more than one thing he wanted to know about her now. He was stuck between astonishment and terror, fascinated by this girl of pink hair and madness. She offered a coy smile, whilst he gathered himself and realized a more important question, "Who taught you to do all this?"

"Do what?"

"'What'? Don't play ignorant! You just caught a knife in mid-air, you knocked me down with ease, not to mention how precise you are and how you handle that knife like a trained assassin! You can't act like you have no idea what I'm talking about!"

"I picked up some things." She said tersely, quickly switching that drab voice to a mirthful tone so it'd fit her sunny smile, "Now, let's play a fun game-"

"No, Crona," Kid boldly interrupted, "answer my question. Where and who did you pick this all up from?"

Crona sighed, voice becoming quiet as she lost all cheer and began to fiddle with the knife as she spoke, mostly looking at the blade that shone her reflection. The one she couldn't help but to despise. "People, mostly," She replied, monotone, "but most of them weren't people at all. You couldn't understand because she doesn't understand, they never got it either, but...I met someone..." Crona seemed lost in memory for a few brief seconds then she changed the course of the conversation. "I know the ones who taught me this weren't people. I'm just like them. I know what I am and what I am not, but what I am not is what I want to be; however, how can I be that when the thing I want most is impossible to have? It's useless...pointless...why bother trying?"

Dark eyes that were dim with hope and seeming lost turned up to meet Kid's confused stare, "Why am I like this, Kid? Why do I try being different? Who is there to impress? Earlier today I wasn't me, but then I was me, and then I wasn't, which really pisses me off because in the end I'm not too sure who I am after all is said and done. I kind of think...and wonder...if I'm even alive. Do I really exist? If I do then why the hell am I wasting my time talking when I could be doing something amusive? Why ask so many questions when I know there isn't a single fucking answer to be found? Why live when there's so much fucked up stuff, when there is so much unbearable pain and soul crushing disappointment tearing into your sanity every single day?"

Her voice was hard, eyes unbalanced, as she sought out Kid with an expectant look, "Tell me, Kid, why ask all these questions of yours? Am I just a joke to you? A fucking child's puzzle to be solved and broken apart in the end when you've completed with your sick game? Or am I a little bit of fun? Answer my questions. Why do you look so shaken and red? You ask me questions, questions, questions almost all the time. Is being with a girl no fun unless you interrogate her every five seconds?"

"That's not true!" Kid argued. "I don't and have never once thought about you like any of those things. You're important to me whether you realize it or not. Crona, I care about you. I love you and I just want to understand you. I want to know you, everything about you. Is that so wrong?"

"It is if it's none of your business." She practically snarled, huffing a moment later at how unyielding Kid stood, meeting her gaze and refusing to back down. She then scoffed, "Who in hell died and made you Dr. Phil...Phillip...Phileo...whatever his name is?!"

Crona's grip on the knife increased to the point her knuckles were white and her eyes shone in rage as she continued her lecture, "You're not a shrink, you're not a counselor, and you're not a detective no matter what you think." At this point her voice softened, unintentionally swaying Kid to ease up a little, "You're just my boyfriend, my best friend, you're my everything and nothing at the same time. If you ask what type of number or pie I like then fan-freaking-tastic, but when you start asking about mummy-dearest and her old flings then we have a problem."

"Yeah, okay." Kid sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes never left Crona nor that knife she wielded with such professionalism. "I agree with you there. Could you just, please, put the-"

That's when her deadened voice interjected, "What's the point in knowing anything?"

Kid blinked, deciding to match that with a simple answer he felt was something anyone would know, "To attain knowledge for safety, power, or future use."

"Knowledge is frightening." Crona said, nodding to herself like she agreed with her statement. "If you know too much it can scare you, drive you over the edge completely, but if you know too little you'll feel like an idiot and try to imagine the worst possible things. So, do you like being scared? I promise you, Kid, if you say yes I'll make you sorely regret it."

Kid didn't know what she meant. He didn't want to find out, but he refused to lose his cool because of what sounded like a subtle threat of ferocity and violence.

"No, of course not." He replied calmly. "Listen, I got lost half way through that rambling of yours, but I know one thing for sure, Crona, and that's that you're real, just as I'm real. We're both alive and maybe you'd like to give me the knife so things can stay that way?"

Crona sighed, leaning her body back so far that her pink strands almost touched the floor. Kid's eyes widened at this display, feeling that what Crona was capable of in this state defied every known law of the human body. There was no way she could be comfortable like that! Kid recovered himself quickly moving to where he was a safe distance from her but could see her face clearly. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be giving it some silent thought.

Her grip on the knife looked loose, tempting Kid to just reach out and take it. He restrained himself from doing so, however.

Secretly he feared she would attack him if he tried anything so he waited until she finally stopped thinking, pulling herself up, but her body fell forwards. Kid could hear the quiet snaps of her spinal cord due to the strain. Crona didn't look to be in pain as she stood back up straight, mad smile gracing her face, as she raised the knife up to chest level again. Kid swallowed, already knowing what she would say before the words ever had a chance to pass her fair pink lips.

"Nah," she chuckled, "I think I'll keep it handy for our game. It's gonna be so much fun!"

That dark glint in her eyes grew brighter than before. She took a small, shuffling step forward brandishing the knife, as though she were ready to attack. Kid didn't think then, mind blanked out, as he turned and ran for his life. Crona watched with a smug smirk, silently considering their game to now be officially underway.

Kid ran as swiftly as his legs would carry him, unthinking as he darted past the front door and into the living room. He paused on the stairs where he turned to see her standing in the doorway of the livingroom. She walked in a manner most calm, giving him a smug smirk. The fingers of her free hand twitched and her grip on the knife tightening, as she stared at him with her eyes softening. Kid felt frozen where he stood, watching as Crona lifted the knife and threw it with acute precision. It flew through the air heading straight for him.

Nicking his earlobe as he flew past the weapon then lodged itself in the wall behind his head. Raising his hand to touch the cut, streaking crimson across the center of his palm. "Oh, that looks painful." a soft voice cooed. The feeling of warm breath tickled over his cut ear and golden hues widened when a wet appendage ran over the lightly bleeding nick in the lobe of his ear. "Poor baby, let me kiss it better."

Kid turned and shouted, finding his face to be only centimeters from that of Crona's. Her smirk remained, as she reached up and pulled the knife from the wall without turning away from him. He stood frozen by terror as the weapon rose above his head then came down at a blinding speed. He jumped backwards yelping, watching in horror as the weapon stabbed the air where his head had been moments before. "Aww, I missed!" she sighed in genuine frustration, now frowning at Kid who continued to look at her in terror. "Stay still so I can fix your pretty face!"

In your dreams! Kid thought scoffing.

He then turned to finish the climb up the stairs in an attempt to escape without attaining any severe injuries. Crona was on him in an instant, attempting to slash him again only to fail and tear the back of his jacket. Growling she managed to grab hold of his jacket collar jerking hard enough that he choked and almost fell backwards until he grabbed the banister of the stairs to help hold himself up. His feet were on the edge of the current step he occupied, using all his composure available he used his free hand to remove his arm from his jacket then using it to grasp the banister while he released his other arm from the jacket.

Crona gave a shocked gasp when she fell backwards, tumbling halfway down the stairs before she took hold of the banister to steady herself as Kid had beforehand. He would have continued running if not for the sick cracking sound reached his ears. He turned to stare at the crazy girl who lay at the middle of stairs on her knees. Soft hands covered her face Crona then threw it away where it landed at the bottom of the stairs. She turned to grab for him again only to find he'd made it up the stairs and was staring down at her in concern.

The glare she gave him was so heated it could have melted ice.

Rage flared in those dark eyes not drowned by the building tears as she stared at him. Kid knew without a doubt her intentions to kill him were cemented. Keeping this in mind he turned heading down the hall where he ran and slammed his bedroom door behind him, locking it as he scanned the room for an escape route. The window was his only option, but he knew the fall would likely be fatal.

Sighing he collapsed onto his bed, covering his eyes with an arm. A strident thump signaled Crona was at his door, attempting to bust it down. Groaning he knew that meant he was trapped like a rat in his room. When he thought of it he only went there out of habit. He knew he should have went to the girls' room because he knew they actually had weapons on hand. Kid didn't want to hurt Crona but supposed that if he had a weapon as well then maybe she'd buy his bluff...if not...well...he didn't want to think about it.

Kid knew he'd made a mistake. Then again, he supposed it wasn't too late to make up for it. He tried to think of what to do now that he was trapped, weighing his options. Sadly, Kid knew his only options were to wait Crona out or take a leap out the window and risk serious injury or death. Two things he was presently attempting to avoid. He-

That was when Kid bolted upright at the stillness that had settled in the air. All was silent. He gave a sigh of relief, supposing Crona had given up already. It was a nice thought that helped him relax, staring silently at the door. Perhaps, just perhaps, it was all over. Maybe she snapped back to sanity...maybe she had a change in mood...maybe she just decided he wasn't worth such a hassle. Whatever the reason Kid couldn't help himself from feeling a bit more at ease...then he heard something that made his heart drop...his room dropped several degrees and he shivered as he stared wide-eyed at the door.

The soft click that shattered his relief was followed by the turning of the knob.

It felt like an eternity of him staring at the knob turn, but eventually the door opened. Crona stepped in looking more miffed than she had on the stairs frightening Kid all the more. He stared at her with a silent apprehension replacing his brief relief that was brutally murdered by fate, which had so conveniently allowed Crona to possess a key that unlocked his door. It seemed he was destined to die that day.

Kid was prepared to say his last prayers when suddenly Crona looked around the room. She seemed to realize just where they were after a moment and soon all her anger seemed to just drain away. Her scowl was replaced by that smug smirk she'd held earlier. Her eyes changed from being so heated to sparkling with a shady sort of roguishness due to the hidden mischief, which her intentions surely held in some sick form or fashion.

Crona smiled at him, as she undid the buttons, it was not a smirk, but a smile that held some strong feeling. It was an...odd look...that actually looked close to being...affectionate. Kid felt his face heat up slightly despite the earlier chill he'd experience. He turned his head to the side to let his gaze shift elsewhere, refusing to watch this display of hers. He refused to give her the satisfaction.

Kid's attention didn't go back to her until she practically tackled him down to the bed, knocking the air out of him from the forceful impact. He was winded for several moments before he caught his breath. He then realized that Crona was straddling his waist and smiling down at him with that odd look of hers. Kid also realized that she hadn't finished with her unbuttons, having left the last four buttons untouched. Nonetheless, her outfit was unbuttoned enough to allow Kid a look at her smooth, pale flesh as well as the lacy pink bra that covered her chest. He could feel his flush deepen a bit, ready to shove her off him when the feeling of cool steel at his throat made him think otherwise.

"We're gonna play a new game," Crona quietly explained, leaving her tone undecipherable, "it's easy. All you have to do, Kid, is make me happy and you won't get hurt. Don't think of resisting or arguing," the blade pressed down into his throat lightly as if to emphasize her threat, "otherwise you'll regret it."

"I-I understand." he swallowed, uncertain what he was going to do. He certainly wasn't prepared to do as she said. She was freaking nuts off her rocker! Kid didn't want to hurt or take advantage of Crona while she was out of her mind, but at the same time Kid really didn't want to die. Thus leading him to a dilemma where he wasn't certain of what to really do. Either way he went both he and Crona lost in one way or another.

While Kid was thinking this through Crona took the time to finish with those pesky scarlet buttons, shrugging her blouse off she let it fall to the floor by the bed. It caught Kid's attention making his mind a blank as he stared at the girl on top of him whose mid-section was now only covered by her pink bra. She leaned her head back, sighing like it were a huge relief for her to have finally removed the blouse from her being.

"I was burning up," he heard her mumble, "oh, the things women do for you men."

"You didn't have to wear it-"

"Oh, yes," she argued with a monotone, "yes I did have to. It makes you happy to see me wear things such as this." Kid felt her take a shuddering intake of air through her nose before she gave him a look that was rather timid as she hugged herself like she were ashamed. "I-I just...want you to be happy...K-Kid..."

Again, he dared to hope she were back to being herself, but sadly a few moments later she blinked and was back to the crazy chick who had him pinned down to his bed and wanted to do only god knew what to him.

"Weird..." she mumbled, turning her gaze back down to Kid then and getting that odd smile again, "oh well...let's have some fun."

Sorry to leave it off here! I know it sucks and I hate to stop the chapter here, but sadly due to a severe computer error that occurred earlier today I lost the rest of this chapter so I'll have to throw the rest of this in with the next chapter. Yea...so anywho...I suppose I lied about the dark stuff. There's not much if any, but certainly next chapter will be something I'm sure you won't want to miss!

I'm currently working on it, trying to think of how far to let this go since I'm having to redo all this now. I hope to get it done sometime tomorrow, but dunno if I will or not since I have to help my sister move into her college dorm. I'll certainly give it a try.

I hope to hear something from you beautiful readers, plz!

Well, guess that's all til next time!