Ok, I'm gonna be honest, I've only ever seen the show (recently rewatched after 10 years) so I'm pretty sure this is not how black blood works, but eh. If you're a manga purist this might be annoying. Also, I made Chrona non-binary because why the fuck not? We're all gay here. This is my first time using an OC and I hope you like him, enjoy.

Left, left, right, left? No right! Maybe just straight?

"I-"

They swiveled their head violently from side to side, hoping desperately that some land marker would make itself known, but alas it wasn't meant to be.

"I think…I think I-I'm lost."

At that moment a fist came down upon their head.

"You think?!"

They didn't understand. They had followed all of the directions Maka had given them to the letter, so how were they still lost? Chrona knew they had only been really living amongst the city for a couple of weeks, but they thought they were a little more familiar than this. Maka was right, they should have just let everyone hang back and wait for them, but they hated the idea of holding the group up. Chrona really didn't want to be a burden. They already felt like they didn't even deserve these friends in the first place. What right did they have to stop everyone from having fun? They would just make everything worse anyway. Made them wonder why they even bothered accepting the invitation. Maybe they were better off lost. No, but what were they supposed to do now? They were still lost with no chance of communication or back tracking in sight. Would they be brave enough to ask a passerby? They didn't know about that. Sounded risky. Perhaps they would be better off attempting to retrace their steps?

"Earth to Chrona!"

Another fist.

"Hey asshole, what are we going to do about this?"

Chrona, coming back to themself, looks at their companion.

"I don't know."

Ragnorok didn't much like that answer and proceeded to punch Chrona until the child pleaded enough to his liking.

"So, what are we going to do?" he asked again.

"I already told you I don't kno-!"

Suddenly Chrona felt it; a wavelength reaching out for help nearby. It was weak and fading yet horribly loud and distracting. They'd never heard a soul cry out for help in quite this way. They wanted to run away and run towards it at the same time. What was that?

"Hey, where are you going?!"

"Don't you feel it?" Chrona asks as they followed the wavelength.

"What, that weak shit?" he scoffs "Who cares, there's gonna be food and if it's all gone when we get there, you're gonna get it!"

Chrona continued to walk towards their goal, unfazed by Ragnorok's threats.

"You expect me to just let him die?"

"YES!"

Chrona stops in front of a slumped over body clinging to an alley wall. They crouch down, trying to assess the situation, but the guy is curled in on himself. They gently grab the stranger by his shoulders and roll him over into their arms where they can get a better look. They were surprised, he couldn't be much older than them. It broke their heart to think of whatever situation had gotten this guy where he was. He had been thoroughly beaten within an inch of his life; an inch that wouldn't hold for long. They let their hands roam, searching for the most life threatening of the injuries, and coming to find it on his head. The blood coating their hand as they pulled it away.

They began to hyperventilate as they realized that this guy was truly bleeding to death in their arms. As their breathing began to become too out of control, they felt a burst of energy come from the body below them. He was fighting, he was on the verge of death, but he was still fighting. Chrona's mind came back into focus and they remembered that this guy wasn't dead just yet. He had taken a fatal blow to the head and survived, somehow. It reminded them so much of their friends, of them, and that's when they realized they would do everything in their power to make sure this guy survived. So, they started cutting.

"What are you doing?!"

"I can't let this guy die." Chrona insists.

"Why? We don't even know him!"

"Because I can't ok!" Chrona snaps "I'm not exactly sure why, but I just know that he doesn't deserve to die here."

"Fine, make stupid decisions, see if I care, but don't come crying to me when it goes wrong!"

With that Ragnorok made his exit and decided to mind his own business. He didn't know what this would actually do, but he didn't care either way. Chrona decided to pick up a stray? Not his problem.

"Why do you always have to be so rude?" Chrona mumbles to themself as they continue to cut into the gash they were making in their skin.

They carefully take the stranger's face in their hands and mourn the loss of color. He was losing way too much blood. They place their thumb on the stranger's bottom lip and gently pried his mouth open before placing their bleeding wrist against it. They had no clue if this would work, but they were hoping against all odds that the guy was going to make it, consequences be damned. Chrona continued to release black blood into his system until they felt his soul's wavelength stabilize. They had done it; they had actually saved someone's life! Or at least he appeared to be, for now, but his condition could change at any second. They needed to find somewhere safe to take him. Which is when the stark realization of them being lost came into play once more. Even if they had somewhere to take him it still wouldn't matter because they didn't know how to get there. They could scream.

"Hey," Chrona felt a hand squeeze over theirs "don't cry, I'm fine, promise, just give me a minute."

Chrona's eyes zeroed in on the stranger, he had spoken, he had moved, he was alive! Chrona, overwhelmed with happiness, began crushing the guy in their arms. It wasn't till a light crack was heard that Chrona remembered the situation they were in and immediately released him.

"I'm so sorry! I'm just so glad you're alive."

The guy lets out the liveliest laugh Chrona's ever heard "Me too."

He turns to Chrona and gives them a good once over, piercing them with his amber eyes. Chrona felt faint, did this guy have to have such an intense stare? Also was his skin glowing that bronze before?

"My name is Darren, thank you for saving me." He says at last "I'm not sure how you did it, but I am grateful non the less."

Just like that reality comes crashing back. Chrona feels what little bravery and warmth they had left shrivel up as the gravity of what they had truly done to Darren settles in. They feel tears prickle at their eyes again.

A finger comes and wipes the tears before they can even fall. "I thought I told you not to cry."

"I'm so sorry," Chrona says between inhales "I wanted to save you so bad, but I just made things worse."

More and more tears begin to gather in Chrona's eyes before they were full on crying. They were so stupid, not only had they screwed over Darren, but now they were going to have to go before their friends and the DWMA and explain exactly what they did. They had betrayed everyone's trust. They had infected another person, ON PURPOSE! They couldn't breathe. They began to feel themself panic. help. HELP! Just like that they were being embraced.

"Hey, you wanna tell me what's going on?" Darren asks softly "I'm sure whatever you did has a price, but I don't regret you saving me. I'll do whatever I can to pay it off, even if I have to protect you for the rest of my life as payment."

"You don't know what you're saying!" Chrona gasps "You don't even know what I've done!"

"Then tell me."

Chrona is stunned by the sheer lack of fear that Darren resonates. Why wasn't he mad? Why wasn't he scared? Didn't not knowing bother him more than anything? Why was he being so patient and kind with them?

"We shouldn't talk about it here." They finally answer "I hate to say this, but I was lost when I found you. If you can tell me the way towards the inner city, I have a place we can go and get you help."

"That'll take us a while, you've strayed far there, dragonfly." Darren smirks "Look, I'm tired and my place is closer, let's station there for the night and if I'm still not better by morning we'll go your way, deal?"

Chrona was apprehensive, but they didn't really have the upper hand here. "Deal."

Chrona helps Darren up and supports his weight as they begin to walk. Darren leads the way and before long Chrona and he are settled into his place, sparse of furniture though it was. They pull up a lone chair and settle it next to Darren's bed where they had left him and watch as Darren attempts to fight off sleep.

"You know," Darren suddenly says "you still haven't told me your name."

They smile "Chrona."

"Nice to meet you Chrona." Is all he can get out before falling prey to sleep.

"Nice to meet you too Darren." They say running their fingers through his hair "Sweet Dreams."