Chapter 6-
The next day Crona stood outside nervously looking around the street as she waited. She quietly waited by herself in front of the apartment. With each person passing by her anxiety increased. She fidgited and moved back and forth as she thought about going back in and pretending to be sick.
The night before, Maka had let Kid know that Crona had agreed to go out with him today. It made her scared to even hear her name with the phrase 'go out' in the same sentence. While she was excited, it was also making her sick thinking about it.
What did Kid want to do? Eat? Go to a dance club? What kind of activities does he even like?
Crona cringed at the idea of going to one of the night clubs Liz had told her about. Loud music and claustrophobia inducing closeness were enough to give her a headache just thinking about it. She couldn't picture Kid enjoying it either. It eased her worry for a moment, thinking about him standing the crowded room with everyone dancing around him while he wore his usual serious expression while the lights flashed along with the music.
Her heart skipped a beat as she saw a boy with black hair round the corner. It wasn't him. The anticipation ate away at her, making her decide she would go inside for refuge. As she walked quickly to the door, attempting to cave in on her plans, Maka met her. Standing in the doorway, Maka shooed her friend back out.
"You can't just run in and hide! He'll be here any minute" Maka argued, putting her hands on Cronas shoulders and steering her back to her waiting spot.
"I wasn't trying to be mean" Crona said quietly, wishing Maka wasn't so persistent.
"I can wait out here with you if you want" Maka offered. Crona nodded happily. They stood outside together, necks turning with every person they saw walk by.
"What-What if he decides he doesn't want to go?" Crona asked, letting her nerves get the best of her. Maka lightly turned her gaze to look at her friend.
"He's the one who asked you to go, wasn't he?" Maka asked, trying to help Crona see the obvious. Crona shook her head.
"No, I mean what if after this, he decides he doesn't...like me" Crona asked. Maka had a hard time seeing why Crona was so nervous. Growing up with such a head strong mother and confident father, she never had a problem telling anyone how she felt. Boys included.
"Of course he'll still like you, all of our friends like you, Crona" Maka said reassuring. Crona was happy that Maka was so used to reassuring her, that she saw nothing out of the ordinary with Crona's thoughts. She still hadn't fully grasped the gravity of Crona's feelings. Maka thought Crona was just worried about a closer friendship, which was part of it. Maka's eyes veered from the eye contact she held with Crona, to something to the side of her as her face lit up.
"He's here!" Maka hissed in a loud whisper, which put Crona back on edge. Maka was ecstatic that Crona was going out with another friend one on one. She felt like a mother sending her child off to school for the first time.
"What do I do?" Crona asked, her normally drone voice dripping with worry. Maka looked at Crona skeptically.
"Well, wait for him to come up here then you guys go. If theres a problem just ask to borrow Kid's phone or have him call me" Maka chirped. As Kid walked closer, keeping perffectly in the center of the side walk as he approached, Maka gave a quick wave and left Crona outside. Crona stared at her feet, shuffling and pulling at the ends of her dress as she heard his footsteps approach.
"Good morning" Kid greeted, looking at her with his piercing gold eyes. She quickly shifted her gaze anywhere else.
"Hi, good morning"
"Are you ready to get going? I hope you haven't been waiting long" Kid asked, proper as ever. Crona shook her head in response, then became flustered that he would take that as the answer to his initial question. She took a few quick steps toward him to signal she was ready to leave. As the two of them walked back on the side walk, Crona looked up in the window of the apartment to see Maka give an assuring wave. Crona slightly raised her had as she and Kid walked away.
"Are you hungry? We can get breakfast if you like" Kid offered as they walked by several cafes. Crona had been too nervous to eat earlier, but she still declined. Kid scanned his thoughts, thinking of options that Crona would enjoy.
"Here, we'll go this way" he said, leading her across a street and changing directions. As they walked, the busy streets became less crowded and the buildings of the city were left in the distance. The couple approached a small quiet park. Crona held her arms to herself as they walked along the stone path. Tall trees created a boarder that stretched upwards for hundreds of feet. They passed a small childrens playground, which had a handful of kids running, playing, and swinging. A large colorful metal and plastic structure stood between the trees while the children crawled all around and over it like ants.
Crona looked on, watching a child who had fallen off a swing begin to cry. A nearby mother quickly came over to console her child and made him stop crying within minutes. Kid followed her gaze as her noticed her longing look. He knew she had a hard time thinking about her mother and past in general. Instant regret hit him as he felt responsible for leading Crona past the scene.
"We're going to a place a little further up" Kid informed, trying to regain Crona's attention. After leaving the playground behind, Crona looked and saw a glimmer of water out in the distance. The walkway they were on soon ran along side a river, the sound of water began to wash away Crona's nervous thoughts.
Further on, the river emptied into a large lake. Kid led her out into a clearing where there was a patch of grass with a bench. On the other side of the lake, Crona could see several men fishing as they enjoyed the fair weather. The environment gave of a feeling of pure tranquility as she walked up to sit on the bench. Looking out at the water, a swan and her ducklings noticed Crona and furthered their distance.
"Watch out for those" Kid warned "Birds like that can be very nasty. Especially with if they have their young with them"
Kid sat in the other end of the bench, being sure to give Crona her space. The distant sound of birds chirping floated through the air. It was nice to see such a lush forest hidden in the city, especially since Death City was surronded by mostly desert.
"Maka told me that Black Star was attacked by a goose once" Crona added, feeling awkward that they had hardly spoken the entire walk.
"He did, Tsubaki wanted to feed them but he began throwing loaves of bread at the birds which made them angry" Kid recalled, chuckling as he remembered. Crona let out a small giggle, then quickly silenced herself. She began to wrack her brain for anything else she could talk to him about. Anything was better than silence. They had come out today to get to know each other better.
"Are- uh birds your favorite?" she asked unnaturally, wincing when she realized how odd her question sounded. Kid shook his head.
"No, while I do think they are beautiful, birds are foul creatures" Kid said, looking out at the water. Crona was a little surprised. She figured he had brought her to this lake so there must be something he enjoyed about it.
"Um, yeah birds are weird..." Crona agreed, trying to make herself more likable. The next moment of silence was quickly interrupted by another couple on the walk way. A boy and girl were walking hand in hand until the girl began to run and hide behind the trees as they boy chased her, causing her to laugh and tease him as she ran.
Crona slightly faced toward them and watched them carry on out of the corner of her eye. She watched the boy pick her up and playfully carry her to the water as she laughed and pleaded. The two immediately became wet and went back on the path to calm back down as she kiss the boy.
Crona's brow furrowed as she watched them pass by and walk away. How could they be so...comfortable?
Here she was, hardly able to make conversation with Kid and yet all other couples made it look like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Am I stupid? Am I supposed to run around and laugh at everything? Why is this so hard? Crona wondered as her anxiousness boiled over. She suddenly stood up causing Kid to look to see what was wrong.
"I-I think I should go" she excused herself before walking away in a hurry, not able to look at Kid.
"Hey, wait! What do you mean?" Kid shouted, quickly running to catch up with her sudden departure. She didn't turn around to offer an explanation, she felt frustrated and needed to go back home. She could feel Ragnarok begin to stir which added more urgency to her need to leave. She almost shrieked when she felt a hand on her forearm.
Crona spun to see Kid holding on to her.
"I said what's wrong?" Kid asked again, slightly winded from the sudden chase. Before she could answer, Ragnarok emerged and wasted no time noticing that someone had their hands on his meister.
"HANDS OFF!" Ragnarok shouted, causing Crona's arm to release a small patch of bloody needles, just large enough to stab Kid's hand. As the black spikes made him jerk away, he looked at Crona. She saw a small trickle of blood drip from his hand.
"What's wrong?" Kid repeated, ignoring his small wound "You're leaving?"
"I'm sorry, I just don't think this is a good idea" Crona tried to explain quickly. She didn't want Ragnarok to try to hurt him anymore.
"Are you having a bad time? We can go somewhere else" Kid offered, trying to figure out what he had done to upset her.
"She said she isn't going with you, mop head!" Ragnarok taunted, shaking his small fist at his as he perched on Crona's head.
"It's just, I can't do this. I can't be normal" Crona said loudly, trying to take steps away to keep her distance.
"What are you talking about? We're having a good time, we just go here" Kid said. Ragnarok was getting angry that Kid was not listening or even looking at him.
"Maybe she's not having a good time, ever think of that?" Ragnarok mocked. Crona looked at him diapprovingly.
"No, I am having a good time" Crona argued.
"Then stay" Kid asked "I wanted to come out here with you. It doesn't matter if we contantly talk or we don't. I just want you to be yourself. I want you to feel comfortable around me"
Crona stopped walking as his words hit her.
It had never occurred to her that maybe he was okay with her being quiet or keeping to herself. He knew her mannerisms and was okay with them. Guilt hit her like a brick wall for making a scene and trying to run from him.
"You don't even like it here, why did you pick this spot?" Crona asked, quizzing him.
"Because I figured you wanted somewhere relaxed and secluded" Kid answered "Is this because I don't like birds?" he half joked.
"What an idiot, come on Crona let's go home" Ragnarok ordered. Crona ignored him and began taking a step back toward Kid, using a tree to hide the rest of her as he neared.
"I actually do like birds" Crona admitted, feeling foolish.
"I just don't see why they can't make their nests symmetrical, its not that hard" Kid admitted, the sound of joking completely absent. Crona smiled realizing that Kid was kind of odd too.
Kid approached the tree Crona stood behind. She held her hand lightly to the side of the trunk as Kid rested on the other side.
"We can feed ducks if you'd like" Kid offered, trying to coax her out. He offered his hand.
"Get me near one of those things and I'll eat it" Ragnarok threatened snidely. Crona shot a glare at him. She looked back at Kid and his hurt hand, feeling awful.
"I'd like to feed one" Crona agreed. She put her hand in his as Ragnarok threw a tantrum. They went to a small dock and Kid found a woman selling bread and bought Crona a loaf to feed the ducks.
Even though the idea of germs disgusted him, he would not return home to disinfect his wound. He refused to cut their day short. Crona convinced him to at least rinse his wound in a nearby fresh water fountain until they could seek better care for it.
As he held his hand over the fountain, letting the cool water flow onto it, Crona took a small napkin from the pocket of his suit and wrapped it around as a make-shift bandage.
They stood near the railing, with dozens of ducks below. Kid broke off a piece and threw it in, Crona watched in delight as the ducks scrambled for it, gobbling it to crumbs that floated away. Kid threw more when he noticed Crona enjoyed seeing the ducks swim and dive. After stealing several pieces before Crona managed to throw any on her own, Raganrok grew bored and retreated.
Once they ran out of food for the ducks, they walked back through the park and toward the town. Crona walked into a small shop to purchase some antibiotics and bandages for Kid's had which had stopped bleeding. Kid took time to show and tell Crona about different historical sites around the town that she never knew about. He took her to a small museum which described many of the supernatural things that Death City's history had undergone. Crona loved to see Kid's eyes light up as he spoke about the battles his father fought and how he had managed to keep Death City intact for centuries.
The two talked for hours as they walked and observed the city, it was not the stale awkward talk from before. They touched on almost everything except family, which was a tough subject for both of them. The two entered a small eatery as the day faded into the evening. Crona noticed the many skulls that adorned the walls and woodwork of the buzzing restaurant. She looked at them and looked at kid, who was looking over what food he wanted.
"So, you're the next shinigami, right?" Crona asked, unfolding her menu. Waiters and waitresses walked by frequently to serve their other tables or patrons.
"Yes, my father doesn't have much time left so I'm learning all I can from him right now" Kid replied, sipping his water. He hated thinking about his father not being around, but he had come to learn the cold truth. There is a cycle and it must happen. A new leader will rise and take the place of Lord Death, his son will be that leader.
Crona felt a little funny bringing it up.
"You'll do a great job too" Crona assured. She respected Kid's father, even though he had ordered her to be executed for regressing and working for Medusa after betraying the academy. He had given Crona another chance and that was all she could ever ask for.
"What do you think you're getting?" Kid asked, changing the subject. He hated thinking about work during his down time. The waitress came by and took their order.
Crona looked out the window, thinking about how busy her day had been. It was a big leap not depending on Maka every waking minute. Today gave Crona hope that she could stand on her own.
"What do you think you'll do after?" Kid asked out of the blue.
"Huh?"
"After the wedding, Liz and Patty said you were unsure of your living situation" Kid asked bluntly. Crona was a little taken back by his sudden questioning and almost wondered if he could read her mind.
"Well...I don't know" Crona admitted, dropping her hands to her sides "Ms. Marie said I could stay with her if I needed, but I don't want to intrude and I'm not good with babies"
Kid nodded looking as though he was in deep thought, Crona wasn't sure if that meant he agreed that she had no maternal instincts or if he was just listening.
Their food was quickly delivered and set in front of them. Kid politely set a napkin on his lap before he began to eat, while Crona waited for her pasta to cool.
"I have extra rooms if you ever needed one" Kid offered quietly. Crona looked up from her food in surprise.
"What?" she asked, wondering if she misheard.
"You must have an issue with being confused a lot" he joked "I said, if you need a room there are plenty at my house. The girls would love to have you"
Crona felt her heart rise and fall. The prospect of an invitation to live with him brought her up while his reasoning brought her down slightly. She would prefer if he would be the one who loved to have her.
The two finished their meals and Kid paid and tipped their waitress before the two headed back for the night. Walking side by side on the way back to her house, Crona looked at Kid's hand and yearned to hold it and be like one of the couples from the park or the movies.
She could picture it now: a clear starry night, a young couple walks hand in hand as they only have eyes for eachother. But that was just a day dream. Crona had no idea where they stood. They seemed close, but was it just her imagination? Had she not known niceness for so long that the smallest gesture could be mistake for something more? Should she try something?
Would he try anything?
The sun slowly set as they neared Crona's apartment. The street lights began to pop on one by one as families headed home and the night crowd emerged. Crona felt the end of their day approaching and felt she had to see what this meant. If they were friends or more.
"I had a good time with you" Crona said quietly, climbing one of the steps to the apartment. Shadows carried across her face as a near by light pole illuminated bits and pieces of the two.
"Good, I'm relieved" Kid said, melodic in his voice. He took a step up along with her, not leaving her side.
"Are we going to go out again?" Crona asked with a hint of hope in her voice. Kid smiled, looking into her eyes. She rested her hand on the black metal hand rail near the door. "I'm sorry about your hand" she added sadly.
"I would like that" he replied, gently placing his bandaged hand on top of hers. The moment their skin made contact Crona felt her heart begin to beat like a drum. Maka said that when she first met Soul, she knew something was there. She said it was 'electric'. What Crona felt didn't feel like a volt going through her. It felt like pure warmth radiating from her core. Even though she wasn't enveloped in his embrace, it felt like it.
She moved her gaze from his hand to his eyes. Kid was standing on the same step as her and looking intently at her face like he was carefully searching for something with his eyes.
Time stood still for a moment and Crona felt like she was holding her breath. Moments felt like an eternity, then Kid quickly leaned in and brushed his lips softly against her cheek. Her face lit up in a blaze. As he slowly pulled away, she wished the moment would last longer. His body was still close to her as she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and held herself against him.
Crona was never the type to give in to an emotional urge like that, but she had the overwhelming feeling that she had to be near him for a few moments longer.
She could feel the warmth of his chest against hers, even through their clothes. She felt his strong arms wrap around her waist to reciprocate her embrace. In that moment, she felt complete. Her life could be spent there, in the safety of his hold. She rested her head lightly on his shoulder as they stood in the doorway of her home.
Kid held her as long as she wanted, not objecting. Her small frame fit perfectly in his arms as he looked down at her face nuzzled into his torso. He loosened his hold on her as he moved his forehead to rest on hers, raising his hand and cupping her chin to gently move it upward to meet his gaze.
"I look forward to walking with you at the wedding, if you are okay with that" Kid asked carefully. He knew what he wanted, but he would never push Crona into something she was unsure of. A grin spread across Crona's face, he had never seen her smile so radiantly.
"I am" she said simply. Kid slowly broke off the embrace, moving his hands from her back down to her hands. Crona's smile slightly faded as she felt him pull away. She didn't want him to leave, as childish as it felt. She looked at her hands held in his and lightly swung one.
"Will you be back?" Crona asked sadly, looking up at him. The idea of him leaving hurt her more than she expected. It was like being locked in her dark room with no source of light all over again. It always made it worse to see how great the light is, before being sent back into the dark.
"Of course" he replied. She gave a small smile as she looked away from him toward the ground, removing one of her hands from his so she could brush a strand of hair out of her face. Kid raised her remaining hand to his lips and gave a soft kiss before he severed their contact and took step down to head back to his home.
Watching him walk away, she felt a part of her leave with him. Her eyes followed him until he was out of sight before she faced and opened the door to go inside.