Alright, this should be the shortest one the three parts of this story, so hopefully I can get this done without delay.
This definitely won't be as action-packed as the first story, or as emotionally important as the second (I don't think, anyway). But I hope you all still enjoy it.
Away we go!
/
Sometimes, Crona wondered what his life would be like if Maka was his only friend.
Of course, Maka would always be the most important person in his life, but he sometimes thought of what would happen if she was the only person. Even Ragnarok would somehow be gone in the scenarios that he had dreamt up.
At first, it seemed like a wonderful thing. Getting to spend even more time with Maka than he usually did sounded perfect. But she couldn't be with him all the time, which meant that he would be alone quite a bit. That definitely wasn't something that he wanted.
Not to mention, she would be the only person he could talk to. The only person he could tell his problems to. The upside to that was that he would be more open with her, which could easily be a good thing. But that also meant that she might not view him in the way he viewed her. Crona could probably accept something like that, but he definitely wouldn't like it.
Not only that, but he wasn't sure if he really could interact with anyone else if he only talked to Maka. If he would be so used to being with only her that he'd falter at being near anyone else. He wasn't entirely sure if he would mind such a thing, but realistically speaking, it wouldn't be a good thing.
In the end, Crona came to the same conclusion he had already figured out a while ago.
It was good to have friends.
"Crona, for the last time, you are flat out incorrect." Kim said, arms crossed. "Pinkie Pie is best pony. That's all there is to it."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's how you pronounce "Fluttershy"…" Crona replied.
"Now don't you get smart with me, pal. I know what I said."
"But what you meant to say was Fluttershy…"
"No, I didn't. I'm pretty sure I didn't mean to say that."
"You might not think you did, but that is what you meant…"
"OK, smartass. Why is Fluttershy the best pony?" Kim asked, turning to look at Crona.
"B-Because it's impossible for her not to be."
"…I don't follow."
"It's easy. You can't not like Fluttershy. It just can't be done."
"I'm not saying I don't like her. I'm just saying I like Pinkie Pie more."
"But that can't be done either. Fluttershy can't not be the best pony. It's just impossible."
"…Crona, you really need to work on this whole "arguing" thing."
Crona turned to look at Kim. "Were we arguing? I'm sorry…"
Kim rolled her eyes, before nudging Crona with her elbow. "Oh, look at you. Suddenly becoming Mr. Comedian. Didn't know you had it in you."
Crona blushed slightly, a small smile on his face.
"O-OK, why is Pinkie Pie the best?" he asked.
"Because she's hilarious! You never know what she's gonna do when she pops up on the screen! She's like the lost Looney Tune or something!"
"…I think that's overdoing it a bit."
"Oh shush, you know that's a perfectly accurate description."
"…actually, I was expecting you to say that you liked her because her hair was pink."
"What? That's just dumb, why would I-"
Kim stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing what Crona was getting at. Crona couldn't help but tense up, hoping that he hadn't gone too far.
He was relieved when a grin broke out on Kim's face.
"Oh ho ho! Someone's asking for it."
Crona quickly looked away. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah, suuuuuure you don't."
"…by the way, do you think Pinkie and Fluttershy could be related? I mean, they have the same hair colour-"
"Alright, that's it." Kim interrupted, getting out of her seat and pointing at Crona. "Your ass is grass."
Crona quickly jumped out of his seat just as Kim moved to grab him. He ran to the end of the desk, stopping in front of the stairs.
"N-Now, Kim…I w-was just trying to be funny, that's all…" Crona stuttered.
"Oh, I know. I can appreciate funny just fine." Kim replied, slowly moving closer. "Like, me giving you a good ass-whooping. I'd find that positively amusing."
Crona quickly dashed down the stairs just as Kim moved forward to grab him. He ran down and stopped in front of the classroom door, stopping to look at Kim.
"I-It was just a joke!"
"Oh, I know. And I'm not offended. I'm still gonna smack you around some."
"Th-That doesn't make any sense!"
"What's going on here?"
Crona turned around to see that Ox had walked into the room, now staring at him in confusion.
"…would you mind explaining why you're running from Kim, Crona?" he asked.
Crona opened his mouth to speak, but Kim managed to speak first.
"Oh, Ox, honey?" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Would you be a dear and hold Crona still so I can kick his ass?"
Crona looked at Ox, who simply shrugged.
"Sorry, Crona."
Before Ox could move, Crona dashed past him and out the door.
"Sorry!" Crona called back. "I just remembered that I'm supposed to have lunch with Maka! See you later!"
With that, he ran down the hall just as Ox and Kim walked out of the classroom.
"…he can certainly run fast for someone in a dress." Ox commented.
"Robe."
"Whatever."
Kim frowned, looking up at Ox.
"…hey, you're not still mad at him or anything, are you?"
Ox gave a forced smile. "Mad? Who said I was mad at him? That whole event was just silly!"
"Uh-huh…" Kim replied, not believing him for a second.
"I mean, it was just a silly theory of his!" Ox continued, his voice slowly growing louder. "Really, there's nothing to prove that Harvar's gay! Because he's not. Definitely not. Completely straight. Absolutely. Not gay at all. Wouldn't even think of-MMPH!"
Ox was cut off by Kim suddenly grabbing his shirt and pressing her lips against his. She held him there for a few minutes, giving a slight "mmm" while doing so. She then pulled away, giving Ox a slight grin.
"Stop talking so much."
Ox blushed furiously, a wide smile on his face.
"Y-Yes ma'am…"
/
Crona skidded to a halt at the top of the steps, stopping to catch his breath. Maka looked up at him from her seat on the top step, eyebrow raised.
"Hey. I was starting to wonder where you were." she said.
Crona looked at her, giving a sheepish smile. "S-Sorry…I was just talking with Kim…"
"Oh. Alright."
Maka then patted the space beside her, and Crona quickly sat down, legs dangling over the steps. Maka then reached into her bag and pulled out two sandwiches wrapped in plastic, handing one to Crona.
"Here you go."
Crona took the sandwich, blushing slightly. "Y-You didn't have to make me lunch, Maka…"
"That's OK. I wanted to." she replied, smiling at him. "You like PB&J, right?"
Crona nodded, carefully unwrapping the sandwich. He took one of the halves and nibbled the corner. After a few quick chews and a swallow, he turned to Maka and smiled, which was all the indication that she needed that he liked it. She smiled back, and the two started eating.
The two sat in silence, enjoying their meals and the atmosphere around them. A number of students were wandering about the grounds, but Crona and Maka paid them no mind. The air was crisp and cool, yet only blew about gently. The sun was high in the sky, yet its rays mixing with the cool air resulted in a comfortable warmth spreading over the two of them.
"So…" Maka started. "You're friends with Kim now?"
Crona tensed, despite not really knowing why. "Y-Yes…"
"I'm actually kind of surprised." Maka continued. "I didn't think you two would get along that well."
"Sh-She's OK…she's a bit pushy, but she's still nice…"
"Heh, that does sound like her…"
Crona frowned, looking down at his feet. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd done something wrong. If making friends with Kim had somehow driven a ridge between him and Maka.
…she doesn't think I'd replace Kim with her, does she? Crona wondered. But I don't like Kim like that…but Maka doesn't know that I like HER like that, so she wouldn't know…oh no, I didn't make her upset AGAIN, did I-
Crona stopped when he felt Maka gently poke his arm. He looked back up at her, noticing her small smile.
"I'm glad you went and made a friend, Crona. Really, I am."
Crona blinked in surprise. How does she keep doing that? he wondered. He then pushed those thoughts aside, smiling back at Maka in relief.
The two then resumed eating, simply enjoying each other's company.
Crona couldn't help but feel at peace. His last few days had been a complete mess. The mission and its aftermath was still hanging around in the back of Crona's mind, and the incident when he was with the guys didn't help matters at all. More than anything, he needed something relaxing. Something mundane. Something normal. And what could be more relaxing than spending time with Maka?
Crona couldn't think of much of anything that would've made him happier.
His good mood was suddenly diminished when he noticed something odd.
He wasn't sure why, but he had the strangest feeling that he was being watched.
He carefully turned his head to look behind him, wondering why he was suddenly feeling this way.
He saw a girl leaning against the wall of the school, glaring in his direction. She was wearing the standard school uniform, and had brown hair with a few blonde streaks running through it. Crona had absolutely no idea who this person was, or why she was glaring at the two of them.
Of course, there was the obvious answer to her hatred, that being Crona himself. Crona soon assumed that this was the explanation, and slowly turned his head back to its regular position.
"M-Maka…?" he whispered.
Maka blinked, looking at him. "What is it?"
"C-Can we…sit somewhere else…?"
"What? Why? What's the matter?"
"W-Well…"
Crona wasn't entirely sure he wanted to tell Maka about the girl, but she had already asked, so there was little point in not explaining.
"Th-There's this girl…back there…she's staring right at us…I-I can't deal with that…"
Maka blinked in surprise, then turned to look at the school. She then gave a low groan, turning back.
"Oh, wonderful."
Crona blinked, looking at Maka.
"Y-You know who that is…?"
"Yeah. Leiko Hamasaki. She's only been here about a year now, but she keeps strutting around here like she owns the place. Don't know where she gets it. From what I've heard, she's only got a handful of souls so far."
"…how do you know her?"
"Don't worry about it. Just ignore her and she'll go away."
Crona frowned, wondering why Maka didn't give an explanation. Still, he chose not to press it, and resumed eating quietly.
Neither of them made a sound, the air around them now growing tense. Crona hoped it would pass, but he had a feeling that, given how things had been going lately, that wasn't about to happen.
He soon heard footsteps moving towards them.
"M-M-Maka…" Crona whispered.
"I know." Maka whispered back. "Like I said, just ignore her."
Crona thought that running would've been the better option, but remained rooted where he was.
The footsteps soon came to a stop, the area around them growing quiet again. The tension had grown to the point that Crona could swear he could feel it pressing down on him.
"Hey. Albarn."
Just from hearing her voice, Crona could already tell he didn't like this Leiko person. She spoke with a commanding tone, as if she expected everyone to listen to her, yet it felt very forced. Her voice in general was gruff and confronting, but it didn't feel natural.
But what caught Crona's attention was that she was speaking to Maka, not to him.
"Hey! Albarn! I'm talking to you!"
Crona glanced over to see that Maka hadn't moved at all, and was still eating her sandwich.
"What? You too good to talk to me now?"
She definitely is… Crona thought. …wait, "now"?
He heard Leiko give a loud sigh, before she continued.
"How do you like that? The great Maka Albarn gets put into this special group called Spartoi, goes and makes a Death Scythe, and all of a sudden she thinks she's too big for everyone else."
Just who does this person think she is? Crona wondered.
"You're a real uppity bitch, aren't you?"
Crona had to force himself to not choke on the piece of sandwich in his mouth.
Wow, this one's got a mouth on her, doesn't she? Ragnarok remarked in Crona's head.
…Ragnarok, don't even suggest it.
What? Come on, you know it'd be easy! Hell, we could probably kill her without even getting up!
Ragnarok, this is completely different than before! It's not Dracula, it's not the punks, it's just another student! There's no way we can do that!
So, what, you're just going to sit here and take this shit?
Maka said to just ignore her and she'd leave. That's what we're going to do.
"Man, I don't know where you get your attitude." Leiko continued. "It's not like you're anybody special."
Crona tensed slightly, focusing on eating his sandwich.
"I mean, you're not fooling anyone. Everyone knows you're only a big deal because of Soul Eater."
Not even remotely close to true! Crona thought.
"He's the one with all the skill. All the talent. You're just some no-name who happened to get lucky with the right guy."
Crona noticed that his hand was starting to shake, and he had to force it to stop. Calm down. he ordered himself. This is not the time. Focus. Calm. You cannot snap. You cannot.
"But I can see why you'd hide behind him. After all, you keep trying to take after your mom."
Crona froze.
WHAT did she just say?
"I mean, Kami Albarn was one of the most powerful meisters to ever come through the academy. Everyone knew who she was. Everyone wanted to be just like her."
Now Crona was getting confused. He already knew that Maka idolized her mother. So why was this person trying to make that sound like a bad thing?
"Yeah, she was great and all…until she shacked up with Death Scythe, anyway."
Crona's eyes widened. She isn't…she's not about to go there…
"Just goes to show what people can really be like when things get too bad, huh? I mean, no one's seen her at all since she and Death Scythe split up. What's up with that, anyway?"
Crona, calm down…she needs to shut her mouth, but you need to CALM DOWN. Crona ordered himself.
"God knows what the marriage must've been like. This is why people who aren't in love just shouldn't get together."
Shut up shut up shut up shut up kept running through Crona's head, despite his best efforts to control himself.
"But I guess that's why it's so important that you try to be better than her, huh? Want to prove to everyone that you're not an accident, right?"
To say that that was the final straw would be like saying vampires hate sunlight.
Before Crona could stop himself, he was already on his feet and had spun around, glaring directly into Leiko's eyes.
Maka quickly got to her feet as well, grabbing Crona's arm and trying to pull him away.
"Crona, don't. Just forget about it. C'mon, let's just go."
Crona didn't budge, continuing to glare at Leiko. Leiko raised an eyebrow, a smug look on her face.
"What? You got something to say to me?"
Crona could only barely tell that his hands were shaking again, his head flooding with nothing but pure anger. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do right then. He wished he could've focused his anger into something solid to use on her, just to accurately depict how absolutely furious he was.
All it would take was one word. One word from him and Ragnarok would be in his hands, and he'd already be swinging. One quick swing would be enough to end her. Or he could have him harden the black blood and then just go after her himself. That would be so much more satisfying. Or he could just have Ragnarok scream his head off. From this range, he could probably make her permanently deaf, or do even worse damage to her head.
It would be so, so easy. She was nothing. She was nobody. No one would miss her. She was just talking too much, trying as hard as possible to prove herself…
It was then that something clicked in Crona's mind. Her actions, her demeanor, her words…it suddenly became incredibly clear to Crona. All the pieces fell into place.
"Well?" she said. "Do you?"
Crona's hands stopped shaking, and he suddenly found himself abnormally calm. But, in a way, it made sense. He had already won. It was so obvious to him that he had to force himself to not start smiling in victory.
"…actually…" he replied. "I do."
He felt Maka pulling harder on his arm.
"Crona, stop it." she said, trying to walk away while holding his arm. "It isn't worth it. Just stop this and let's-"
"I sympathize with you."
Maka stopped, blinking in disbelief. She definitely hadn't expected those words to come out of Crona's mouth. She turned back to look, and saw that Leiko's expression was the same as hers, staring at Crona in surprise.
"…wait, what?" Leiko asked.
"I sympathize with you. Honestly, I do. I get where you're coming from."
Maka slowly walked up beside Crona, letting go of his arm and keeping her eyes on his face. Just what is he doing…? she wondered.
They were both surprised when Crona's expression suddenly softened, changing to one of what appeared to be pity.
"It's no fun being weak, is it?"
Leiko's expression changed from confusion to anger faster than a traffic light.
"Excuse me? Just what are you-"
"You are. It's obvious." Crona interrupted. "The way you talk, the way you act…you're trying to hide how weak you are. You're trying so hard that it's only coming through even stronger."
Leiko blinked in surprise, not really getting what Crona was driving at.
"See…I think I get what you're going through." Crona continued. "You're starting to realize that, no matter how hard you try, people keep appearing who are stronger than you. Who are better than you. And no matter what you do, no matter how strong you get, they keep appearing.
Crona's expression changed to an intense glare. "It's an important lesson: No matter what, there will always be someone better than you. It's just a fact of life."
Leiko didn't respond, still staring at Crona in disbelief and shock.
"But, all the people I know have already learned this." Crona went on. "And do you know what they did? They made themselves stronger. They forced themselves to get better. They pushed themselves so that they would surpass those better than them, and when the next one came along, they did it again. …but that's not what you're doing."
Crona's eyes narrowed, hate and contempt covering his words. "No, instead, you're trying to make everyone else weaker. You're trying to drag everyone else down to your level, so you can feel better about yourself without having to put forth any actual effort. So you make the people around you feel bad about their accomplishments so you can lord yourself above them, even though you've done nothing to deserve their attention."
Maka stared at Crona in surprise, wondering where all of this was coming from. She definitely wasn't expecting him to start to calmly deconstruct everything about this person.
"And you see, there's the problem." Crona continued, his glare still focused on Leiko. "Because what you're trying to do now is impossible. You can't drag Maka down to your level. It can't be done. She would need to unlearn everything she knows, undo everything she's ever accomplished…she would need to be a completely different person just to be within reaching distance for you. She doesn't pay any attention to you because you're simply not worth her time. That's all there is to it."
Leiko was now shaking, glaring back at Crona, her teeth grit.
"Just who do you think you are?" she hissed. "Who are you to-"
"Who am I?" Crona interrupted. "That's easy. I'm someone who's also weak."
Leiko blinked, simultaneously confused and surprised at the sudden admission.
"It's true. I am weak. Not as weak as you, but still very weak in general." Crona explained. "And that's why I'm even talking to you. Because I can lower myself to your level, and I can do it very easily. Just by acknowledging that someone like you even exists, I've already lowered myself quite a bit. I could do exactly what you've done. I could belittle the accomplishments of everyone around me, and try to make myself sound better…but I won't."
He gave a small exhale, before continuing. "Like I said, I get where you're coming from. It's scary being weak. Believe me, I get that. You'd be willing to do anything to make that fear go away. It's scary to force yourself to improve. You're terrified of failing to do that, time and again, and being the same way you are forever."
Leiko started to shake again, still staring at Crona in shock.
"…I'm still very weak. I'm still not strong enough to force myself to get better." Crona admitted. "…but, I am stronger than you. And I am strong enough to understand that what you're doing is wrong. …not that I needed to be to realize that. Something else made it obvious."
Crona then leaned forward, glaring directly into Leiko's eyes, anger flashing across his face.
"I don't like what you said to my friend."
Leiko's eyes widened, now shaking with fear. Maka tensed up, waiting to see what Crona would do next.
"…so…" Crona whispered. "You can do one of two things. One, you can take what I've said to heart, and make yourself improve. You can get better. …or, you can ignore me, and keep doing what you're doing. You can keep trying to bring Maka down to your level, all while keeping the knowledge in the back of your mind that, the truth is, you're just wasting your time. That what you're doing is completely pointless."
Leiko was then very surprised to find a small smile come onto Crona's face.
"But, personally? I hope you pick the second one. It's no less than what you deserve."
With that, Crona marched past Leiko and back into the academy, leaving two very shocked girls behind him.
/
Maka stopped in the middle of the hall, pausing to catch her breath.
Where is he? she wondered, looking up and around at the hallway.
She had been searching all over the place for Crona, after getting over the initial shock of what he'd said. Somehow, as he had a knack for doing, he'd managed to disappear in that slot of time.
She sighed, stopping and leaning against the wall. Class had already started up again, and she knew people would start asking questions as soon as they both walked into the room. She couldn't help but be annoyed at her current situation.
Why did he go and do that? she wondered. I asked him not to say anything…why didn't he listen to me…?
She sighed, wiping some sweat off of her forehead. Oh, who am I kidding? He thought that what she was saying was bothering me…but he has to know I wouldn't let something like that phase me!
She stopped, realizing what she had just thought. She shook her head, getting off of the wall and preparing to start looking again.
"Well that was a complete waste of fucking time, wasn't it?"
Maka stopped, recognizing the voice.
Ragnarok?
She looked beside her and realized that she was beside the door to the boy's bathroom. She quietly leaned back against the wall, trying her best to listen.
She heard the sound of running water, as well as what sounded like splashing.
"Hey. Would you quit trying to drown yourself and answer me?"
Maka heard the water turn off, followed by a few seconds of silence.
"What was the point of that?" Ragnarok demanded. "You tell her off and then you just walk away? The fuck did that accomplish?"
"…I shouldn't have said anything…" Crona replied. "Maka's going to be mad at me now…"
"That's not actually answering the question, numbnuts."
"…it's still not any better, Ragnarok. It's getting so hard to control…"
Control? Maka wondered. What's he talking about…? …wait, does this have to do with…
"Man, just about anything will set you off now, won't it?" Ragnarok remarked. "Fuck's sake, it was just some stupid bitch shooting her mouth off. It's not like she tried to tear Maka's throat out or anything."
Maka winced. I knew it…it's just like what happened with Dracula and those punks…
"So why was this time so different?" Ragnarok continued. "Why didn't you try to kill her?"
"…Maka would-"
"Oh for fuck's sake, enough already!" Ragnarok interrupted. "Maka this, Maka that, all Maka, every day, same Maka time, same Maka channel! Dear God, you have no free will of your own at all! All you ever talk about is what she wants, what makes her happy!"
Maka felt a few pangs of guilt, and she swallowed the lump that was building in her throat instinctively. She didn't like the idea that Crona would focus everything on her and not worry at all about himself.
"Just…just do this, alright?" Ragnarok asked. "Stop thinking about what she wants for a second, and think about what you want. Think about what you wanted to do to that girl."
Maka tensed up, carefully listening.
"Just admit it." Ragnarok continued. "You wanted to kill her. You wanted to stab her through the throat, or cut her head off, or punch her in the face so hard her skull came out the other side. You can't fool me. That's what you wanted. Just admit to that much."
Maka's teeth grit. That can't be true. Crona doesn't want to kill. He's never wanted to kill. I don't know where he's getting this from, but he's wrong!
"…you're right." Crona answered.
Maka froze. …no…
"I…I did want to kill her. I wanted to kill her so badly…I just wanted to make her shut that fat, stupid mouth of hers…"
Maka leaned back against the wall, eyes wide in shock. That had been the last thing that she wanted to hear come from him. For him to actually say that he wanted to do what he had been trying to avoid for so long.
She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so helpless.
"But…" Crona continued. "I wanted to make Maka happy more."
Maka tensed again, not expecting Crona to continue. And she certainly wasn't expecting him to say that.
"…are you serious?" Ragnarok asked.
"Yes…the only time I'm really happy is when Maka is happy. That's what I want. And I tried so hard to make her happy, and not say anything…but I just couldn't let any of that go…"
Maka quickly raised a hand to her face and started wiping at her eyes, the tears already starting to come.
No no not now please for the love of God not now… she begged silently.
"…you really fucking amaze me at times, you know that?" Ragnarok remarked. "So, what, are you actually going to stop fighting?"
"…I want to. …but I know I can't." Crona answered. "I have to keep doing this…because I have to protect her…but I can't keep acting like I'm going to fly off the handle at a moment's notice. I'll just get her hurt if I do that…"
"…so, what's the plan?"
"…I don't know…but I'll think of something. Not just for her, though. …for me too."
There were a few seconds of silence, before Maka heard a familiar gurgling sound, indicating that Ragnarok had gone back into Crona's body. She quickly got off of the wall, wiping at her eyes one more time, just as Crona walked out of the bathroom.
Crona turned to look at Maka, eyes widening in shock.
"M-M-Maka?"
Maka simply stared at Crona, not showing any sort of expression on her face.
"…Maka, listen, I'm really-" Crona started, only to be cut off by Maka suddenly grabbing hold of his hand.
He looked at her in surprise, noticing the smile suddenly appearing on her face.
"C'mon. Let's go for a walk." she said.
"…b-but…class has started."
"Screw class."
Crona looked at Maka as though she had just suggested that the Holocaust was an elaborate hoax.
"…I-I'm sorry…what did you say?"
Maka's smile turned into a sardonic grin.
"I'm pretty sure I just said "screw class"."
…I think I've finally lost my mind. Crona thought.
/
Maka and Crona casually walked down the street, hand-in-hand, not having any particular destination in mind. Not that Crona could've thought of a destination, as he was far too busy wondering just what was going on.
He had expected Maka to be upset with him, or to give some sort of reaction to what he'd done. And instead, she decided to skip class with him. It was one thing when she had to to avoid anyone seeing her after Blair's spell, but now she was willingly getting into trouble.
It made Crona wonder if everything had gone completely backwards in the short time he was in the bathroom.
"Crona?"
Crona blinked, looking at Maka. "Y-Yes…?"
Maka turned to look at Crona, smiling.
"I'm not mad at you."
Crona blinked in surprise. "Y-You're not…?"
"No. I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't listen to me…but it turned out for the best, I think."
"What do you mean…?"
"Well, let's face it, she needed to be taken down a peg or two…and it's not like you punched her lights out or anything. Not that I would've blamed you if you did…"
Now Crona was even more confused than before. Maka was glad that Crona had told her off? He had actually done the right thing?
"B-But…w-why did you ask me to just ignore her…?"
Maka sighed. "I guess I just figured that she'd get bored and go away…like I said, it worked out in the end anyway, so it doesn't matter."
Crona simply stared at Maka, completely lost. Maka had been acting very strange the past few minutes. He had no idea what had brought this on. She was treating the incident that took place all of a few minutes ago with a general lack of care, and it confused him like nothing else.
Thinking about it again suddenly brought back something that Crona had noticed earlier. Before he realized what was going on, a question had formed in his mind and was already flying out of his mouth.
"Maka?"
"Hm?" Maka answered.
"…you dealt with her before…didn't you?"
Maka came to a stop, Crona quickly doing the same. She stared straight ahead for a moment, before giving a small sigh.
She turned around and faced Crona, gently taking both of his hands in her own.
"Crona…" she started, looking directly at him. "I want you to understand that nothing that she said affected me. I promise you, she didn't bother me at all."
"But…she still talked to you…didn't she?" Crona whispered.
"…yeah, she did."
Crona slowly lowered his head, his hair obscuring his face.
"Crona, it was obvious that she was just trying to get a rise out of me." Maka continued. "I knew that, and I didn't let anything she said bother me. Really, Crona, I'm fine. I promise."
"…I just don't understand." Crona murmured. "Why would anyone treat you like that…?"
Maka sighed. "Not everyone's going to like me, Crona. Obviously someone's going to have a problem with me, because they might not agree with me or might not like something I do or a part of who I am. After all, I'm not perfect-"
"I know…" Crona interrupted. "I know you're not…"
Maka blinked. She wasn't expecting him to admit to knowing that.
"But…" he continued. "If you're not perfect, I don't want to know what perfect is supposed to be."
Maka blushed brightly. She definitely wasn't expecting such a compliment.
She felt Crona move his hands away and retake them, gently squeezing them.
"I know I put you on a pedestal, Maka…" he whispered. "But that's because you deserve to be on one…you deserve to have everyone admire you and look up to you…just like I do."
Maka could feel her face getting hotter and hotter, and was thankful that Crona was still looking down at his feet. She knew that Crona looked up to her to some degree, but to hear him actually admit to that, especially after what she'd heard earlier…
It was then that a very strange urge came over her.
They weren't that far apart. She could easily move close enough to close the gap in a few seconds. She could easily get her face close enough to his…
She forced those thoughts out of her mind. There was no way she could do that.
Instead, she moved her hands away from his and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. She felt Crona soon return the gesture, resting his head on her shoulder.
Though his words meant so much to her, Maka couldn't help but feel a little hurt at the implications. She knew that he viewed her as this incredibly strong person, when there was so much lingering on her mind that could destroy her if she let it. And that he viewed himself as this weak, scared child, when there was so much more to him than that.
She knew she had to do something.
"Crona…" Maka whispered. "There was something you said earlier that was wrong."
Crona pulled away slightly, look at Maka in surprise. "W-What?"
Maka smiled, gently placing a hand under his chin.
"The part where you said you were weak."
Crona blinked, face flushing slightly.
"I know you don't think you're strong…but trust me, you are." Maka continued. "It's just a different kind of strength. It's the kind that you only show when you absolutely need to. You don't flaunt it around, but it's still there. …I think I like that kind of strength better."
Crona looked away, a small smile on his face. The smile quickly vanished when something else surfaced in his mind.
Maybe you don't flaunt your knightness or anything, but a real knight shouldn't have to. He doesn't show that he is a knight, he just is one. He protects what he cares about, he does the necessary brave deeds, and he doesn't worry about what others think or whether or not he looks like a knight. So long as what's important to him is safe, he can be happy.
Crona's face grew even hotter as that memory returned. He had almost forgotten about it, about how Maka had told him how she viewed him. But she wasn't herself then…but now the normal Maka was saying pretty much the same thing.
"Crona?" Maka offered. "Is everything OK?"
Crona turned to look at Maka, allowing a smile to come over his face.
"…thank you, Maka. …it really means a lot for you to say that to me…"
Maka smiled back, then pulled Crona back into the hug, which Crona eagerly returned.
As the two held one another, Crona remembered the promise that he had made to himself. With newfound confidence, he made another vow.
I will beat this. I will get better. he thought. I will be her knight.
/
And we are done!
So I hope you all enjoyed that nice story! It was a lot of work, but I think the end result was a good one!
Review's coming soon, so I'll see you all then!