Crona nodded and walked into the room, seeing her sitting in the corner of the room, not too much unlike how he was when he was in the dungeon himself. "Ummm hello," he said, trying to get her attention.
What he didn't realize was she was asleep, her head buried in a pillow she'd been hugging but her head was turned from him. The hat sat on the bed across the room, asleep as well.
He smiled softly at the sight of her. When she was asleep like this, she wasn't as menacing as before. He didn't want to disturb her, but he needed to talk to her.
"HEY PANSY GET UP YOURE LITTLE BOYFRIEND IS HERE!" The hat yelled suddenly. The girl didn't move but it was obvious she was awake now by the excessive amount of blood bursting from her nose.
Crona turned red, she wasn't his girlfriend! What was this hat talking about?
She was too afraid to look at the boy now. Her face was bright red and her nose was bleeding profusely again as she tried to hide her face.
"H-Hi my name is Crona. I-I was told you wanted to see me," he stuttered out, nervous.
She blushed even harder, her eyes spiraling from embarrassment until she fell over to her side, still in the fetal position. "W-w-wha-w-a..."
"Are you okay?!" he asked, nervous. He knew he hurt this girl! They lied to him!
She got up onto her knees and hands and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "W-why are you here...?" She asked nervously. She was glad to see he was okay but she was still wary of his gender.
"T-they said that you wanted to see me," he whispered, eyes adverting to the ground.
"I-I wanted t-to see if you... Were okay." She said.
"YOU'RE SUCH A LIAR!" The hat screamed. She turned red again. "I know those little dreams and thoughts that go through your head." It teased her.
Crona was completely confused now. Dreams? About him? What was that hat even talking about?
"Stop it gurgle!" She yelled at it.
"Go ahead, show the little brat your dream journal!" It said and cackled wildly.
"W-what is that thing talking about?" he finally asked, looking at her.
"Nothing! It's nothing..." She tried to convince him, red in the face.
"O-okay," he muttered, not completely believing her. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"I-I didn't... I just..." She tried to find an excuse.
"SHE WANTS TO PLAY OUT HER FANTASIES ABOUT YOU!" The hat yelled. She took a rock from the floor and threw it at the hat.
"Stop it gurgle!" She yelled, obviously getting mat at the hat.
Crona blushed red, embarrassed from what the hat was implying. "W-well if you ever need to talk, I-I can help," he stuttered. It was then that Ragnarok decided to make an appearance.
"Loverboy! Quit your bumbling. It makes you look like a fool!" he yelled, appearing from his back.
Poor Lucia started panicking, so much so her nose burst in blood again and she fell backward, stunned and dazed on the floor as the hat and Ragnarok both spouted comments about the two of them back and forth.
Crona rushed to her side, worried that she passed out so suddenly.
He noticed a notebook fall from the bed that read "dream journal" on it. He could take advantage if he really wanted to... "Go ahead... Take a look. I bet you'll find something interesting on the last page!" The hat egged him on, cackling wildly.
Should he risk her privacy and read this journal like the hat suggested? No, he couldn't invade her personal life like that.
She'd come to as he was staring at the notebook, her face back to normal as she looked away in shame, knowing what was in that book.
"D-Don't worry! I didn't read it!" he yelled, feeling bad that he had been caught even looking at it.
"I wouldn't blame you if you did..." She said, refusing eye contact. "Can you let me go before I get a noise bleed again please..." she muttered as her face turned red again.
He quickly let go of her, afraid that he offended her. "Why do you get nosebleeds so often anyways?"
She wiped her nose with her sleeve again and sat up on the ground, looking to the floor. "I don't know what to do about boys... And when I get too nervous or stressed out, that's how my body reacts..." She said nervously and shamefully. It was a natural reaction for her, something she couldn't control.
He gave her a soft smile. "I know how you feel about not knowing what to do about people of the opposite gender."
"But you're a boy... I thought... I was always told boys don't think with their brains so they're never scared of girls..." she said, hugging her knees.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHH I KNEW IT! THIS PANSY IS A VIRGIN!" the hat cackled wildly.
Crona blushed red at the hat's comment, not knowing what to do. "G-girls scare me!" he yelled out.
She paused and looked up at him finally. "Th-they do...?" She asked softly. Was he telling the truth? Was he really as terrified of her as she was of him?
"Y-yeah. I never know what to do around girls so I stutter and ramble on and on…"
She giggled and blushed. "Yeah me too..." Truthfully she thought a boy acting that way was adorable, but she'd never be confident enough to say it...
Crona heard her giggle and smiled. Maybe this is why Lord Death sent him on this mission, so he could help her become more like him and not be afraid of everyone.
"So... If they aren't going to kill me, then why am I here?" She asked, changing the subject. "They're going to dissect you! See what makes you tick!" The hat said teasingly, then cackled at its own joke. But she didn't think it was a joke, she became terrified.
"No worries! No dissection will be done to you!" Crona assured her, hoping that he was right. "Lord Death just wants to help you!"
"B-but why? Why help a witch? Doesn't this school hunt our souls?" she asked.
Crona pondered this for a moment. Why would they want to help? "Lord Death wants to attempt to make a treaty with witches."
"A... Treaty...?" She asked, still nervous.
"Yes a treaty," Stein said from outside the door. "He wants to create peace in the world, and what better way than to side with witches?"
"I see..." she thought. "But... What can I do from here...? I'm a prisoner who has people issues..."
"W-well I was the same when I first came here," Crona muttered, hoping he would make her feel better.
"But you're not a witch. You're not hated by everyone automatically because of what you were born as. I bet you're not hunted down daily by people that want your soul..."
"They don't want my soul, but I am hated by a lot of people because of what I was born as," he said with a sad smile.
She frowned, feeling bad for insulting him but her eyes dodged away and she held herself. "Besides..." She said as her pulls shrank. "... The doors only open inwards. Right? That's what you told me isn't it Crona..? It had nothing to do with the church doors did it..." She said, madness starting to fill the room. "The doors only open inward... Once the madness is in it never really leaves does it... You just suppress it... Isn't that right?" Her lips curled in a crooked smile.
Crona gulped, breathing heavily. He mustn't let the madness get to him again. He could feel Ragnarok stirring, wanting to be released, but he suppressed him.
"It's wonderful isn't it..?" She said as she tilted her head back and started touching her body; her arms, her chest, her neck, as if the madness was somewhat pleasurable. "...madness is the only absolute." She said before chuckling and continuing to run her hands over herself. It was like she was bathing in the madness, lathering herself in it, immersing herself in it.
Crona stumbled backward, back hitting the wall as he gasped. His reason slowly started to leave him as she continued her actions, a mad grin appearing on his face as he chuckled lightly. He forgot how good the madness felt when it overtook him.
"It's freedom... Free from thought, free from reason... The only absolute..." She said as she walked toward him. She took his hand in hers and placed it on her cheek, looking straight in his eyes. "Free from thought, free from reason, only absolute..." She repeated over and over as she took his hand and caressed her cheek with it.
"It's wonderful," he cackled, continuing to caress her soft skin. From outside the room, Stein doubled over in pain, the madness starting to seep into him as well.
"We can do this together... Let the madness in... The doors only open inward, don't they Crona?" She said as she stepped closer, sudden rush of confidence thanks to the madness. "Together..." She repeated and pressed her body close to his.
His hands moved on their own accord, pulling her to him. "Yes, together," he whispered, looking into her eyes.
Maka burst into the room, having been told by her panicking father that madness was spreading from here and knowing Crona was involved... The second Maka burst in, Lucia snapped back to reality and, seeing how close she was to Crona, burst into a nosebleed again and went limp.
"Crona! Are you okay? Get away from her!" Maka yelled, but her words were getting nowhere with him for he was too far gone in the madness.
"The doors only open inward Maka," he cackled, looking at the girl with madness in his expression.
Lucia sat up and wiped her nose with her sleeve. "What have I done...?" She mumbled to herself before getting up and wrapping her arms around him from behind. "I'm sorry! This is my fault, come back... I'm sorry..." She said before clenching her eyes shut and sending a shockwave of lightening through him like she had before, hoping to shock him back to reality.
Crona stiffened from the shock before collapsing in her arms, knocking unconscious. "What did you do to him?!" Maka yelled, pulling Crona away from her and glaring at the witch.
"I had to! It's the only way to pull him back to reality..." She explained nervously, backing away for the two toward the corner and curling into a ball.
"I meant before that. What did you do to him to make him like that!" she growled, setting Crona on the floor before cornering her.
"I-I'm sorry! I can't control it!" She said nervously, back first her into the corner, unable to look her in the eyes. "I-I can't help it..."
Maka grabbed her by the collar, pulling her up. "You ever hurt my friend again and your Soul will be mine, got that?"
She gasped a little and kept her mouth shut. She quickly nodded and closed her eyes, afraid she was about to get punched or something.
She unceremoniously dropped the girl to the ground before walking over to Crona's side, lifting him up. "Remember what I said," she called over her shoulder before taking Crona out of the room.
She curled in the fetal position and cried to herself now that she was alone. She was ashamed of herself... That girl was right... She needed to control herself, suppress the madness like Crona had... Or she'd only hurt him more...
Crona came to in Maka's arms, confused about what had happened. "M-Maka? What are you doing here? Where's the witch girl?"
"Locked in her cell where she should be." Maka said, anger coloring her voice. "I can't believe after all the work we've done to help you be more confident and fend off the madness and you let some little witch get to you." She muttered to herself.
"Don't talk about her like that!" Crona yelled, trying to move out of Maka's hold. The girl wasn't bad! She was just misunderstood, like him.
Maka paused and let go of him to look at him in the eye, concerned. "What are you talking about? We HUNT witches, Crona. It's our job!" She said, placing her hands on her hips. "That witch shouldn't even be kept alive!"
"Yes she should!" he yelled, not knowing where this emotion came from. "She's just misunderstood! And Lord Death wants to make a treaty! We can't do that if we keep killing witches!"
"A treaty...? No matter... You've gone mad twice because of her after all the hard work we've done to try and stop it..." She said, disappointed. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go near her if it's so easy for her to manipulate you like that."
"She doesn't manipulate me! I lapse back into it on my own accord!" he yelled, not wanting to admit that the trigger was Maka herself.
"Your own accord? So you WANT to go mad again? You want to hurt people and be alone like you used to?" She asked, her voice raising.
"That's not what I'm saying Maka!" he yelled, grabbing the girl's shoulders as he shook her. "The church, it brought back memories of when we first met. When I hurt you and Soul. The second time, it was because she asked about something I said when we were fighting, and it reminded me of what I said to you. Does it make sense now? My madness, it's triggered by memories of you and what I did to hurt you!"
Maka paused and her eyes widened, her body freezing in his hands. "...so you're saying... It's my fault..?" She asked, eyes saddening a bit.
Crona immediately regretted his words at the hurt look in her face. "N-no. I'm just saying that I care about you so much and when I think of what I did to you, it triggers my madness. It's my guilt, not the witch," he whispered, pulling her into a hug.
She slowly returned the hug. "... Why did you agree to this...?" She asked in a whisper, trying not to cry. "... You know the risks... They could lock you back up, you could lose everything... I just worry about you..." She said as she buried her face in his shoulder.
"I know Maka," he whispered into her hair. "I, I just want to be useful. If me helping allows Lord Death to reach his goal, then I will do everything in my power to have it be true."
"I understand... Just be careful..." She said. Then she backed up but kept her hands on his shoulders. "I know I'm dating Soul now, but you can always come to me for anything okay? Nothing is too inappropriate to ask me or Soul..." She told him, using a stern voice to express her seriousness. "We're all here for you."
He gave her a soft smile, heart breaking slightly at the admittance of her being with Soul. "I know Maka. Thank you," he whispered.
She kissed him softly on the cheek and left him to go back to her apartment and let him think to himself.
He stood in a daze, trying to figure out what to do. Without even consciously telling himself to do so, he turned and headed back to the cell where the witch was. He was determined to know her name and help her.
When he returned, doctors, nurses, and staff were gathered around the place frantic. A dark aura and moaning came out if the cell. Stein stood outside lighting a cigarette.
"What's wrong?" he asked, heart dropping at the sight. He ran to Stein, frantic. He wanted to make sure she was okay.
"She's upset. She's calling the spirits of darkness, it's basically a witch's form of a tantrum." He told him, not seeming alarmed like everyone else. Crona could see twisted shadows creep out of the cell door.
"Could I see her?" he asked, thinking that maybe he could calm her down enough.
"If you think you can calm her down, be my guest." He told the boy, taking a puff from the cigarette. When Crona looked into the room he could see twisted shadows swirling about on the walls and floor and Lucia sitting in the corner in the fetal position crying, her eyes wide and her flesh oozing what looked like purple gooey liquid that soaked her clothes and puddles around her.
He walked quietly into the room, as not to frighten her. "Hey, it's me. No need to be sad. I'm here and okay."
She scrunched further into the position, putting her hands on her head. "Get away..." She told him in a scared tone, but not seeming to be afraid of him.
He got down on his knees beside her, placing an arm on her shoulder. "Shhh it's okay. I'm here to help."
"You said that but I made you suffer... I make everyone suffer... It's best you leave me alone..." She said in a frantic tone, purple ooze coating Crona's arm from her flesh.
"You didn't make me suffer. I promise. It's okay," he said, pulling her in for a hug, ignoring the purple ooze.
She gasped a bit at his sudden hug but relaxed a little after a moment. The shadows started to dissipate and the moaning stopped.
"It's all okay," he whispered into her hair. "Everything is fine and you haven't hurt anyone."
She closed her eyes slowly and returns his hug, gently and slowly but firmly.
He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, a small smile on her face. "Let's start over. My name is Crona. What is yours?"
"L-Lucy..." She said nervously blushing. She looked between him and the floor, back and forth.
"Nice to meet you Lucy," he smiled.
"N-nice to meet you too..." She said, not sure if she meant it considering what she'd done to him twice before...
"I have a feeling that we will become good friends," he smiled lightly at her.
"F-friends..." She repeated, blushing then giving a light smile.
"Yes, friends," he smiled. "Now, tell me a bit about yourself."
She frowned again. "I... I don't know anything about myself..." She told him, looking to the floor. "I lost my memory not too long ago. I don't remember anything from before I woke up in Italy..."
Crona felt bad for asking from the sad look she had on her face.
"So it's just been me and gurgle the last couple months. Just trying to survive a best we can."
"What is Gurgle exactly?" he asked, curious as to why that hat was so important to her.
"He's my familiar. An imp in the form of a hat... Every witch need a familiar." She said, blushing and looking at Gurgle. "He's all I have..."
He nodded, understanding because of his good-for-nothing-mother. "Well now you have others who care about you," he smiled, placing a hand on hers.
She blushed and looked at him. Could she really rely on him...? She moved her hand to place it on top of his and smiled a little. "I'm glad."
"Me too." They lapsed into a comfortable silence, both enjoying the other's company. It felt good that Crona was able to help someone for once.
"So uhm... How long do I have to stay here...? In the cell I mean..." She said, feeling a little more confident.
"I'm not sure. I think it has to do with how well Lord Death thinks you are doing. As long as you don't attack anyone, I think you will be out soon."
She sighed and looked to the floor. "And then what...? Where will I go...?" She asked, trying to make a plan in her head.
"I think the plan is to enroll you here at the academy to begin the truce with witches."
"Yeah but... Where will I stay...? DO I have to stay in the cell...?" She asked, worried.
"No, Lord Death would never keep you in a cell!" he exclaimed. "He will probably have you move in with someone or give you your own apartment," he mused.
"I-I see..." She said, blushing and curling into a ball again. "My tummy hurts..." She said, used to the feeling but she felt like telling him...
"I'm sorry your stomach hurts. Is there anything I can do?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
"I could use something to eat..." She said, prepared to eat rocks or bugs as she had before to survive. "Or you know... I could just feast on some of your blood again…" She said teasingly, blushing and touching his neck lightly.
He giggled nervously. "I-I don't think that's a good idea. It didn't end too well last time."
"Maybe if you don't harden it, and I lick until it's dry..." She said, almost teasingly as she leaned in closer to his neck, moving his hair aside, inches from his flesh. "Truthfully, I just want to be close... To... Something... Warm..." She whispered, her lips touching his flesh.
He moaned quietly, shocked that she was being this bold.
She nuzzled his neck before kissing it lightly, her pupils shrinking as her teeth scraped again his tender skin.
He gasped out as he tried pushing her away lightly so she wouldn't go insane again from his blood.
She allowed him to push her back, but only a little. The confidence her madness gave her allowed her to want to be closer to the boy. She slowly undid the buttons of his collar and touched his skin, breathing heavily as she examined his flesh. She couldn't get this close to anyone before... She was fascinated.
"L-Lucy, this isn't a good idea," he stuttered out. He needed to stop this before she got any farther.
"J-just... A little more..." She begged, laying her head on his chest gently and listening to his heartbeat. "S-sorry..." She said as she laid against his chest, trying to reel back into reality but not wanting to leave his presence just yet.
"I-it's okay," he panted. He had no idea why his body was reacting like this to her. He liked Maka for crying out loud!
She nuzzled his chest a little bit, closing her eyes. "Your heart is beating faster now..." She said as she pressed closer to listen.
He blushed brighter than before, both from embarrassment and her closeness.
"And faster... And faster. Crona is something wrong?" She asked as she sat back up to look at him, confused.
He shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling himself. He didn't want to worry her and he wanted to try to figure his emotions out himself first.
"Maybe... You should get some rest... Being around me... Well I suppose it can be stressful..." She said, trying to understand.
"It has been a long day, hasn't it?" he said with a small grin, heartbeat returning to normal.
"Yeah... I suppose it has." She said curling back into a ball in the corner. "You can go home..."
"I'd rather stay here to make sure you are okay."
"Ss-stay here...?" She asked. "Like... OVERNIGHT...?" She blushed a dark red as she stared at him.
"W-well as long as you would want me to be here," he murmured, looking down at the floor.
She thought it over. She wanted him to but she was afraid. She'd never had a sleepover before and had never been close to a boy before so it was a bit overwhelming. But she decided she wanted to try. "Uhm... Yeah that's okay..." She said, blushing.
"Alright," he said, giving her a soft smile. He wanted to make sure she would be okay through the night.
"I'll uh... Put my pajamas on..." She said getting up and putting on the clothes they'd left her. She slipped off her big sweater and slipped on the new shirt as quickly as she could, which was still too big for her like the sweater was so it hung the same. She curled back into her corner with a pillow and got comfortable so to speak.
He curled into the corner opposite of her, trying to take up as little space as possible as to not intrude. "I hope you sleep well."
"You can have the bed, I don't want it..." She said, blushing as she watched him.
"N-no it's fine!" he exclaimed. "I am fine over here. I promise!"
She started to think that maybe they were more alike than she'd previously thought... She got up and squeezed in next to him in the corner and laid her head on his shoulder. "Then I'll keep you warm..."
His blush got even more pronounced. "Y-you don't have to do that," he murmured, even though he was enjoying her body heat.
"I'm cold... Is this not okay?" she asked, looking at him cocking her head.
"I-I guess it's okay," he murmured. He didn't quite understand why he was feeling the way he was, but he was too tired to figure it out.
She closed her eyes and leaned on him again, but she stayed awake all night. She was too afraid to sleep. Too afraid she'd lose control and hurt him...
The next morning Crona woke to her passed out on his lap and he smiled.
She was sleeping soundly, breathing lightly in his lap with a hand clenched over the cloth of his clothes.
He didn't want to interrupt her but he needed to get up. "Lucy?" he whispered, nudging her lightly.
She groaned and opened her eyes. "Crona... You're still here..." She said tiredly but she hadn't the energy to get up.
"Yeah, I told you I wasn't going to leave. Now, I need to get up and use the restroom," he admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
Her lips dropped open a little and her eyes drooped. "Can you... Carry me?"
"Sure," he smiled, lifting her and placing her on the bed.
She curled in a shivering ball, absent of his heat. Her lavender hair fell in a mess and she was dirty from spending so much time on the floor.
He tried to be quick so she wouldn't have to wait on him. He felt an odd connection to the girl. He wasn't sure what it was, but he wanted to get to know her better.
She shivered in a ball, but had fallen quickly to sleep. It seemed his presence helped clear away the nightmares and darkness... The parts of her mind that weren't so clear before, the things she'd forgotten, were starting to come into focus, slowly, but surely.
He saw her shaking on the bed when he came back, and he immediately ran to her side. "Wake up Lucy!" he called, beginning to panic.
She curled tighter into her ball, trying to warm herself but when she felt his heat she turned over and scrunched closer to where he was.
"It will be okay," he murmured, trying to reassure both her and himself. He was worried about her.
"She's cold, freak show!" The hat yelled from the chair beside to bed. "Why don't you climb in there and give her what she really wants! And tell those idiots outside the cell if they gag me again I'll devour the whole city!"
"Shut up, Gurgle..." Lucia groaned out tiredly in a soft tone but it was the first time she'd truly stood up to him and it caught the hat by surprise.
Crona was taken aback by both the comments that the hat made and how she stood up to it. She hadn't done that before.
"Whatever..." The hat said after a long period of silence. "Hey freak, if you're curious about what she wants from you, that journal is under the mattress." The hat teased and bent, popping back up and using this movement to bounce across to the other side of the room.
Crona was interested in what the hat had to say, but at the same time, his main focus was to see if Lucy was alright.
With his warmth nearby, she was feeling a little better and curled around him, hanging halfway off the bed.
He moved her back onto the bed and sat with her, afraid to leave her side.
The hat watched them from afar, scoffing at the behavior but he was a little glad for Lucia. She was always afraid of people for as long as he could remember, hell he encouraged it! But now he felt some sort of relief from watching her with him, dependent on him. Lucia groaned a little as she opened her still tired eyes, happy to see he was still there with her but she couldn't help but blush. He was so close...
"Feeling okay?" he asked, making sure that she truly was okay. He was worried that there was something wrong with her.
"R...r-restroom..." She managed to choke out tiredly. But she didn't know where it was...
"I'll take you there," he whispered, helping her up. He led her out of the cell to the restroom.
She reached out and gripped onto his hand, rubbing her eyes with the free hand tiredly. She was like a little scared child...
"Here you go," he said, letting go of her hand so he could let her go in privacy.
She peered in, her eyes widening. "It's... Huge..." She whispered worriedly. She slowly inched her way inside and, after checking each stall for people and finding it empty, she picked a stall and slipped her panties down to her ankles. She lifted herself up onto the toilet and swung her feet like a child since she was so short.
Crona whistled lightly as he waited for her. He continued thinking about her, wondering what made her so interesting to him.
When she was done she flushed and jumped down, coming back out to meet him after washing her hands. "Is it really okay to be out of my cell like this...?"
"I wouldn't see why not. Besides, you are with me," he smiled, leading her back through the twisting halls.
"We'll then... Do I have to go back...?" She asked with a pout. "I mean... Can't we go somewhere...? Maybe somewhere... I can see the sun...?"
"I'll have to check with Lord Death first, but I don't think that that would be a problem," he said with a smile.
She blushed at his smile a bit but looked to the floor with a frown. She was sure he'd say no, she wasn't sure why she felt like that but she just knew it.
Instead of leading her back to the cell, Crona led her to the Death Room so they could both talk to Lord Death about her rooming arrangements.
She followed quietly but kept looking to the floor. She twiddled her fingers in front of her awkwardly.
They entered the Death Room and Lord Death looked at them. "Hello Crona!"
As the reaper spoke it scared poor Lucy and she ran for the nearest hiding spot and peeked around, shaking.
Lord Death gave them a quizzical look then brushed it off. "What can I do for you two today?"
She peeked around, hiding everytime he spoke a work. What was this... Thing...? Why was it talking to them?
"I was wondering if Lucy here would be cleared to explore Death City with me," Crona asked hopefully.
"Explore Death City?" He thought for a moment. "I don't see why not! Just keep a close eye on her," he warned in a more serious tone. Lucy hid again and curled into a ball.
"Thank you Lord Death! And don't worry, I will!" he exclaimed before helping Lucy up and leading her out of the DWMA and into the city to explore.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed lovelies! Don't worry, the romance will pick up soon! As for now, Read and Review my lovelies!