A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I've just had so much work lately! Yeah, I'll try to update sooner, but I can't guarantee anything… Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Sunshine streamed through the now open curtains of the young death god's bedroom windows. He sat there a moment contemplating again, mostly about his new lavender-haired caretaker. Just now…what was that? Those indescribable urges…things that Kid had never experienced before; something instinctual and animalistic that had long since been buried from years of mannered living and good upbringing.

'How disgusting…' Kid thought as he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, 'to think such vial things…and about her nonetheless! …No, I will not succumb to those beastly cravings…and I will never harm her.' He vowed, thoughts of the young girl coming to mind. She was so innocent, so pure…just like an angel. She was so kind, gentle and caring. It was as if she was a completely different person from the girl he battled on Nidhogg. He felt ashamed to have ever thought of her in such a way. Well, no more! Just as he declared his resolve, he heard a soft knock at the door.

"Ah, Chrona-san?" he asked, "You can come in." Slowly, but surely, the large door creaked open to reveal a small girl with her eyes to the floor.

"I-I…I brought…the ice f-for your head." She muttered as she handed it to him.

"Thank you, Chrona-san." Kid replied, "Won't you sit down?" he offered gesturing to the empty chair at his bedside. She said nothing, only did as she was told, making sure she folded out her skirt as she sat. He in turn sat down on his bed. He wanted to talk with her, get to know her better, but now wasn't quite sure what to say.

"So, why is it I haven't seen your partner yet?" Kid asked, saying whatever was on his mind. Chrona's eyes darted to Kid, not expecting the question, before darting back to the floor.

"R-Ragnarok, he…" she mumbled sadly, "He's too weak to come out…and it's all my fault." Chrona hung her head at the memory of her mother stabbing her. She didn't regret saving Maka, but she wished that she could have done it without hurting Ragnarok. He was her only friend and support during the long, harsh days of Medusa. Even if he was cruel to her at times, he had always been there for her and they had always fought side-by-side, through thick and thin.

"What do you mean…? Chrona, are you alright?" a very concerned Kid asked as he placed a hand on the now crying girl's shoulder. "I'm sure it wasn't-"

"But it was!" Chrona sobbed, her heart aching as she tried to continue. She didn't know what as going on, suddenly all these emotions that she had desperately been trying to keep bottled up were now pouring out of her. "I-I wanted to settle…everything…with her. With Medusa …but, I-I couldn't do it…b-because she's my mother! Even though I didn't want to be sad anymore…even though I didn't want to betray my friends ever again…she's still my mother…I-I didn't want to hurt anyone anymore, but… now she's dead…and Ragnarok…"

It was true, no matter how absurd or impossible it may sound, Chrona did love her mother. And on some level, don't we all? One can't help but love their own parents, no matter how abusive or cruel they may be. Instead of blaming Medusa, Chrona had always blamed herself. Thinking that she wasn't good enough, that she was bad. That she deserved all the horrific abuse that Medusa inflicted upon her.

The world that she was raised in was a world of pure darkness. Never knowing happiness or love. Even so, she survived. By some miracle, she didn't completely fall apart. And even though the wounds of her past are still visible on her heart, the fact that she managed to overcome it all and still become the kind girl that she was, was simply amazing.

"I-I didn't want to be her tool anymore… I wanted…I wanted to stay…here, with everyone…b-but, I c-couldn't choose…and now…it's too late." Chrona cried through the hands she covered her face with. "She's gone…it's all my fault…I-I'm not-! I'm not a monster!"

"Chrona…" Kid whispered. "I know." He was shocked at the girl's sudden confession and tears, but what surprised him the most was her story. Just when did all this happen? And where was he? He felt a pang of fury at Medusa for making Chrona suffer like this. If only he could have prevented it…He would give anything now to make her tears go away.

He had both hands on her shoulders, trying to provide some sort of comfort, but felt that if he wasn't extremely gentle that the girl in front of him might shatter into pieces. What happened next wouldn't have surprised Kid more if she actually had fallen apart. For in that moment, Chrona flung herself into his chest. She cried into his shirt, clutching the ends of it in her hands, as if trying to bury herself away from the world. At first, Kid was so shocked that he couldn't believe what had just happened, but once he felt her tears through his shirt it became all too real. The young shinigami responded by hesitantly pulling the shaking girl into a soft embrace.

"Did she hurt you, Chrona?" he whispered once her sobs had quieted down to haggard breaths. She nodded against him and moved her hand on his chest.

"Right…here." she murmured, her hand over his heart. Exactly where he had also been stabbed. Yes, both of them had wounds deep within their hearts…but they would get through it, together.

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The days that followed were somewhat lighthearted. The two were both very much more comfortable and closer to each other than they had been before. Usually, Chrona felt too awkward around people to do or say much of anything, afraid that she wouldn't be good enough and that they'd abandon her. However, she felt that she could be herself with Kid and that he'd be able to accept her. Likewise, Kid had always kept himself at an arms-length from people, not wanting to get too involved with anyone, because he knew that if he did, he would only be hurting himself in the end. He was a shinigami after all, which meant that he would assuredly vastly outlive the lives of his friends and weapons, having to watch them age and die, while he stayed forever young. Yet, for some reason, he found himself opening up to Chrona.

Usually, one would think that the son of Shinigami and the black-blooded daughter of Medusa could heal quickly from any injury, but they had fought a legendary battle. Both teenagers had taken severe damage to their hearts, so much so that even Professor Stein was amazed that they both survived, especially Kid. Now, the two were healing steadily and enjoying each other's company.

Death City was also slowly recovering from the epic battle, which left some very concerned. For even though the downfall of the Kishin, Arachnophobia and Medusa was something to celebrate, that did not mean that there was no more evil in this world. Yes, soon there would be plenty of enemies ready to take Ashura's place and an attack on Death City while it as still in this state would be… Most did consider this, the crimson sky and the air around them that seeped with madness serving as their constant reminder. All they could do was try to recover the city and themselves as soon as possible. Besides, everything had been peaceful so far, so hopefully it would stay that way.

Normally, the little shinigami probably would have been worrying his head off over this, but it hadn't even crossed his mind. For some reason, whenever he was with her, all his anxieties seemed to disappear. He rarely had any nightmares or flashbacks anymore, but now was actually having fun. Most of the time, he was pretty uptight and serious about everything, but now he just felt so relaxed and…happy. Chrona was thoroughly enjoying herself as well. No one had ever made her feel this way before… It was one of the first times in her life she ever felt wanted. Truly and sincerely, wanted. Also, he made her heart flutter and her head spin. She really didn't now how to deal with so many strange, new feelings…but somehow, she kind of liked it.

The young, lavender-haired girl mulled over this as she made her way down the hall to her bedroom. She was wearing her new pajamas that Maka, Liz and Patty had gotten for her. It was a relatively simple, long pink dress. It was very frilly and pretty. And was slightly poofy on the chest with a small bow in the top center of a row of ruffles that was held up by lacy, darker pink straps. Just below the bust, the dress tightened before flowing away until it ended with a row of ruffles.

Suddenly, she heard the doorbell ring. Who could it be? They weren't expecting any visitors… She heard it again. Well, she had to mind her manners…Maka and Kid taught her that they were important. She shuffled her way to the massive front door and leaned against it.

"U-um, yes? W-who is it?" Chrona tried to say loudly.

"Chrona? It's me, Maka." A cheery voice replied.

"Heeey," another voice grumbled.

"Oh, and Soul." The blonde giggled.

"Maka!" Chrona exclaimed happily as she swung the door open for them.

"Can we come in?" her friend asked politely.

"O-oh, of course."

"Oh! Chrona! You look so nice in those! I just knew you would!" Maka squealed upon noticing her friend's attire. This earned her a blush from the little pinkette. Which was so adorable it only made Maka want to coo over her more, but she stopped herself, wanting to save her friend from further embarrassment. "Sorry, Chrona. I guess we should have come at a better time."

"It's not that late. It's only- oooff!" Soul grunted as his technician elbowed him for being rude.

"We came to visit you and Kid. Can we see him?" Chrona nodded and turned to lead them to his room. Once they were there, she knocked on the door, and then slowly opened it for them to come inside. Kid was surprised at first to see them, but immediately brightened up while setting his book aside. They all chatted about various things like; how repairs were going, what Black Star did or said yesterday, how they were all healing, etc.

But at one point or another, Chrona seemed to drift off into her own little world. She had been worrying and wondering a lot lately over a certain little shinigami. He was affecting her, changing her even…but why? How? She thought about it, she closed her eyes and tried to visualize these emotions. The feelings that she received from Kid were unlike anything she had experienced before. Friendship. The warm light that was first offered to her by Maka, but also something else-many other things. Just what were all these feelings welling up inside of her? She felt like she was going to burst…and yet, it felt good. But, just how was that possible…to feel so bad, but so good at the same time? She had to know, she just couldn't deal with this anymore!

"Chrona?" Maka asked softly, "Are you alright?"

"Maka…actually," the timid girl began, "n-no…I think I'm…sick. D-do you think I…c-could talk to you?" The fellow technician only smiled as she patted her shoulder. Agreeing, the blonde girl led them out of the room, excusing them both for a bit in an attempt to find more privacy. They went to Chrona's room to talk and once Maka egged Chrona on enough, she told her everything about how she felt; about the butterflies in her stomach and the warmth in her chest she felt when she was with him and about the emptiness she felt when they were apart. At first, Maka was silent, as if she was soaking up everything her friend said like a sponge. Her silence made Chrona nervous, making her wonder if she had done something wrong. Then, she just smiled her all-knowing smile.

"Chrona…" she began slowly, "I think you're in love."

"…L-love?" she whispered, her friend only nodding in reply. "B-but…I…that can't be. …I've never…no one has ever…" she began to cry as tears blurred her vision. "…It can't be…can it?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, I think it can."

Chrona only hiccupped as she continued to cry. Maka slowly making her way over to the shaking girl, rubbing her back as she gave her a hug. Chrona had once said, "I've never cried this much before. …I-I don't know how to deal with the tears!" But now, both girls thought that perhaps she had spoken too soon.

'I'm going to need some backup on this one…'

A couple hours later they left, which felt all too soon, but it was getting rather late. They all said their goodbyes at the door, promising to see each other again soon. Though it still made Chrona's heart feel heavy when she closed the front door behind them. She sighed; she still had so many questions.

"Don't worry, you'll see them again soon." Kid reassured her with a gentle smile, as if reading her mind. "Come, I'll walk you to your room." The girl nodded and turned to follow him.

'Wow, she's so…cute.' Kid thought to himself as he glanced over to the girl before turning around to start heading towards the rooms. 'W-what? No! I'm a shinigami, I can't be thinking of those types of things…' he sighed, 'It would only end in heartbreak.'

"W-well…good night then." the sword technician murmured.

"Ah, yes. Good night." he answered as she stepped into her own room a ways from his. He then turned around and entered his own room with a frown.