By the time they had reached the graveyard, Faye had abandoned her excuse of being interested in the architecture of the city's graveyeards. She clutched Crona's arm, and walked a little faster, feeling the energy of the graveyard pull at her soul. And despite her revulsion, it was all she could do not to scream in anticipation. As the skeletal trees, hung with their ominous chains and hooks, loomed into view, she began to hyperventilate. The hissing voices in her head had become so much so she could barely think, and even her vison began to blur. She shouldn't have forced them silent for so long, she was going to pay for it now.
Crona glanced at Faye worriedly. As they got closer to the cemetery he had noticed her behaviour changing. Her breathing had become shallow and fast, he could feel her hands trembling through his shirt. He stumbled as she walked faster toward the gate, pulling him behind her. When they past the entrance Faye let go of Crona and ran. In the centre she stumbled and fell to her knees. Her silhouette cut an ominous figure, hunched among the gravestones. However it wasn't until she glanced over her shoulder with a look of complete terror that Crona really began to fear. The cemetery, which had been quiet already, grew deathly silent the roosting crows taking flights in a wave of darkness. The air grew dark and heavy, like cobwebs on the skin.
Faye's breathing slowed, her eyelids fluttering closed as she dug her fingers into the cold earth beneath her. Her eyes flooded black and shadows began to excrete from her pores, drifting into the air like mist, surrounding her in a negative halo. Long shadows stretched out from where she knelt, clawing greedily at the graves around them. As they did, they became darker and thicker, black fog coiling between the graves. Her body grew limp and puppet-like as the shadows lifted her off the cold ground. Her back arched and her eyes flashed wide open as she draw the dark energy into herself. For a moment, she hung suspended in the air, shadows lashing around her, her hair whipping in the wind. Then, the shadows faded and Faye fell through the air...
Crona stood watching Faye, terrified for her. He stumbled backward, his legs hitting a tombstone, and he sank down to the ground, desperately wishing that he could run to his room and curl up in his favourite corner. The snake-like shadows twisting through the graveyard didn't come near him, and he wondered why, though he wasn't complaining. His mind spun, what do I do? he thought. Is she ok? How do I deal with this? A rasping, shuddering gasp from Faye made him jump. He looked up, and with a pang of horror, saw Faye falling through the air, her hair streaming behind her. Scrambling to his feet, Crona ran to catch her, and was forced to the ground by the impact of her fall. Sitting on the cold ground, Crona held Faye to his chest, his heart banging a tattoo against his ribs. Fear made him stutter worse than usual.
"F- Faye a-are you al-alright?"
Faye seemed dazed and looked up at Crona, blinking away the remnants of blackness until there was only the clear dark eyes he had come to know. But too soon her eyes filled with tears, and spilled down her cheeks, and she gripped the cloth of his shirt in shock.
"I c-can't believe I made you come here!" she gasped, tears blurring her words together. She let go of Crona and dropped her hands onto her lap, and stared at them remorsefully.
"The shadows inside me... I can barely control them" she drew in a shuddering breath "all my life I ..." she paused, and then shook her head "I'm not safe to be around. I'm a horrible, twisted being, who doesn't deserve to be friends with someone like you, Crona" Faye ended in a whisper, her voice filled with self-loathing.
"Faye..."Crona reached out and wiped the shining tears from her cheek "Faye, if Maka told you anything about me at all, you know that I battle with insanity every day of my life. I know how it is to feel helpless." He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Promise me that you will never think that again. Promise me." Crona said quietly. Faye gave him a watery nod, and sighed a long, slow sigh. Gently, she fell back against Crona's chest, closing her eyes. They sat there for a long time, Crona's arms around Faye, sitting on the frosty ground. Crona listened as Faye's breathing slowed from the stifled, sobbing gasps of beforehand, to long, slow breaths. He held her until the daylight faded and the air grew cold and damp. Faye drifted off to sleep, nestled against Crona's chest. Crona glanced at his watch; it was too late to go back to school. He was freezing and noticed that Faye had started to shiver. Shifting his position, he slipped an arm under Faye's knees and stood, ignoring the cramps in his legs. He glanced down at Faye; she was much lighter than he had expected. Her head was resting on his shoulder, her breath tickling his neck. It felt good to be this close to her. Smiling slightly, he carried Faye, bridal style, out of the graveyard.
Maka and Soul struggled up the stairs to their apartment, weighed down with grocery bags. Maka was concentrating on getting to the apartment without her fingers falling off, when she realised something.
"Soul, did you see Crona today? She asked. Soul grunted, the bags he was carrying were considerably heavily than hers, but he was determined not to show it.
"What? Do you think a cool guy like me would notice if an un-cool weirdo like him was around?" he scoffed. Whirling around Maka sent a flying kick across Soul's face. Soul staggered back a few steps and fell to his knees.
"What was that for?" he yelled, dropping the bags and clutching his face, the side of which felt like it was going to fall off in pain.
"Stop calling Crona weird!" Maka said coolly, and shrugged, "I would give you a Maka-chop, but my hands are full. Now, answer properly."
"Uhhh... I think I saw him in homeroom, with wazzhername? Faye, yeah," muttered Soul, picking himself up.
" Me too. But they disappeared after that..." muttered Maka, resuming her climb. A chuckle from Soul made her turn around.
What?" she asked, confused.
"Nothing" Soul grinned "I just can't believe that a girl like her would run off with Crona."
"They didn't run off" Maka snapped, a little surprised at her own blunt tone. Something had really bugged her about the way Soul had said "her", and she didn't know why.
Reaching the apartment, Maka made her way down the hallway, to the kitchen. Soul dumped the bags in the hall and headed for his room, when a scream from Maka made him run after her. Flicking on the light, a strange scene met his eyes. Maka was standing over a cowering figure, holding a book as thick as a dictionary above her head. Recognising the person, Soul called out to Maka, but it was too late.
"MAKA-CHOP!", Maka's arm sliced through the air, her book sinking into the person's head. Soul ran forward and grabbed Maka's shoulder.
"Maka...that's Crona," sighed Soul, gazing down at the collapsed teen. Maka clapped her hands across her mouth, and knelt beside Crona with a squeak of despair. She started to gently shake him, trying to wake him up. Crona groaned and shifted on the tiled floor, massaging his head. Pushing himself up, he blinked, looking around. Finally he remembered where he was and yelped, looking at Maka as if expecting another beating. Maka chuckled, and pulled him into a hug, squeezing him so tight he nearly passed out again.
"I am so sorry Crona, it was an accident!" she cried letting go of Crona so he could breathe, then frowned in confusion " What were you doing in our apartment anyway?"
"Uhhh..." Crona got to his feet, staggering slightly, "ahh... Faye felt unwell, so I took her to the sick bay, and then we left after school to see the city, and she, um, fainted. So I brought her here" he mumbled, gesturing to Faye who was sleeping, previously unnoticed on the sitting room couch. Crona didn't want to tell them about the graveyard; it felt too personal. And he wasn't sure how they would react.
"I didn't know where else to bring her...didn't she stay here last night?" He asked as Maka walked over to the sitting room area.
"No, I think she went back to the hospital ward...I guess she can stay here though." Maka said glancing at Soul, who shrugged.
"I'll call the school and get her bag delivered, she can stay in the spare room an-Crona what are you doing?" Maka stopped in the middle of her sentence and stared at Crona, who had lifted Faye off the couch and was making his way down the hall.
"I'm bringing her to the room, and then I'm leaving" explained Crona quietly, without turning around. He knew that he didn't have to do this, that Soul could carry her just as easily. But something about that idea bothered him. Someone else holding Faye this close to their body was not allowed. He couldn't deal with it.