It had been a whole month of uncontrollable hostile thoughts, worried faces, hard practices, snow and suffering. I'm starting to get headaches from resisting my madness, Stein's worried that it's eating away at my insides. My check-up is today though, I hope that its fast and there are good news. I doubt that my hopes will be true. Today is December 12th. Don't judge me, i've been counting down the days to the DWMA anniversary party. I hate that day, I wish it wasn't so horrible for me so I could enjoy it. But, unfortunately thats not gonna happen. I need to quit pretending i'm asleep when i'm thinking.
"Hello? Crona... get up." Maka softly said. I half opened my eyes and acted as if I just barely woke up. I've actually been awake since 4 this morning.
"Hm? Is it 7 already?" I said tiredly. I could feel a weight on my stomach, I opened my eyes fully to see that Maka was sitting on top of me. She gazed down at me with a big smile on her face. My face heated up instantly and she started to giggle, which probably means my face turned red.
"I love it so much!" she giggled, "come on I made breakfast already." She jumped off of me and stormed into the kitchen. Good to know she's in a good mood. I stretched and got out of bed slowly, trying not to make myself dizzy. I walked out into the kitchen and saw Maka sitting quietly at the table with a big smile on her face. My face grew a smile as I sat down and she pushed a plate towards me.
"What's on the special today?" I asked her.
"It's a french toast I made. It's not boring and plain. I added some stuff and it tastes so much better!" she said stuffing her face. I slightly giggled at the sight of her. I grabbed my fork and began to devour what she had made. She was right. There was cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, tiny pinch of powdered sugar and chocolate syrup, topped with a slice of banana. It looked pretty and delicous, it tasted even better.
"This is amazing, thank you Maka."
"Of course!" she said grabbing seconds. I giggled at her once again. I love it when she's in a good mood, it always brings a smile to my face. She got about half way through her second plate when she hesitated to take a bite. I was about to get up and put my plate away when I saw Maka frown.
"What's wrong?" I asked her. She pushed her chair behind her and ran to the bathroom. I was totally confused at first but realized what was going on when I heard gagging sounds. I left the plates on the table and ran after her. But, the door was shut in my face.
"M-maka! A-are you okay?" I asked after I heard the gagging sounds stop.
"I-im... fine." she said slowly. I don't think she is, she was happy and eating but all of the sudden she ended up here. She was probably eating too fast.
"Are you sure? Do you want anything?"
"I'm fine... thanks..." she paused for a moment, "I don't wa- actually grab me a glass of water please." she said. I hurried to the kitchen and filled a glass of water for her. I went back to the bathroom door and knocked.
"It isn't locked." I heard her say. I walked in and saw her sitting on the floor with her back leaning against the wall. I handed her the glass of water and at next to her. She still looked cheery but a little green.
"Are you okay?" I asked again.
"I'm okay. I think I ate too much too fast."
"You want to be left alone?" I asked.
"No, its fine. I think I might go take a nap on the couch though. Watch some T.V. before we have to leave." she answered.
"O-okay." I stood up and offered her my hand. She took it and I helped her to the couch. I handed her a pillow and blanket and set the trash can near her. She gave me a smile and turned on the T.V.. I smiled back, handed her a new glass of water and went to clean up breakfast. I finished cleaning the dishes and began to wash the table. I glanced up and seen that Maka had already fallen asleep. I picked up her empty glass and filled it. I set it back down on the coffee table and sat next to it. I watched as her chest rose and fell. I pulled the blanket up to her neck and smiled, she looks so happy. It looks like Maka's gained some weight, her stomach is a bit bulky. I've gained weight too though... I stood and looked around the apartment, it looks pretty clean.. I can finish my book, or sit in the arm chair and watch T.V.. I decided to go ahead and read my book but sit in the arm chair just in case Maka starts to feel sick again. I sat down in the chair with my book and glanced at the time. It's 8:30, I don't need to get ready for about 7 hours. Don't know why i'm worrying about it, although I do hope that Maka will feel better by then. I opened the book to the previous page I was on and began to read. The T.V. seemed like its volume was low, perfect for reading. I read for what only seemed like an hour, when I looked at the time it said 11:45. I lifted my neck and stretched it to get the kinks out of it. I guess I didn't realized how into the book I was. I put the book back into the bookshelf and started to make some tea. I heard a knock on the door. I went to the door and opened it.
"Hey Crona I was-" Kid started. I put a finger up to my face and walked out into the hall, quietly closing the door behind me.
"Hey Kid. Sorry, Maka's taking a nap she isn't feeling too well." I told him.
"Oh, sorry to hear that. I was wondering if you guys wanted to go to lunch with me. But, if she isn't feeling too well then we can raincheck it." Suddenly the door opened behind me. With sleepy eyes, Maka walked into the hallway too.
"What's going on?" She asked yawning.
"Nothing, Kid was just inviting us to lunch. But, you weren't feeling very well so I thought maybe next weekend or something."
"Hm? Oh, no we can go. I'd love to. I'm feeling better." Maka said. Kid smiled.
"Wonderful. Do you want to go now or wait a bit'?" Kid asked her.
"Uh, lets wait a bit'. You can come inside and wait with us. I saw that Crona started some tea." Maka replied. I nodded and opened the door to let everyone inside. They walked in and sat on the couch. Kid started to look around.
"What are you looking for Kid?" I asked him.
"Is someone else here?" Kid asked.
"No, not unless Blair let herself in." I answered.
"Is she under the couch?"
"Uh, I doubt it. Why would she be under the couch?"
"I can fe-." He looks down at what seemed to be the arm of the couch or Maka's belly. His eyes went wide for a moment, then went to normal.
"What's wrong?" Maka asked him. She looked down at the arm of the couch then back at him. She moved back from the side of a couch a bit and picked up a pillow.
"Oh, was this bothering you? It was behind my back, i've been having back pain lately." she said.
"Oh, uh... Y-yeah... It was unsymmetrically placed." He said sweating a little. He gave Maka a nervous smile then looked at the T.V.. Okay then...
"Um, anyone want tea?" I asked them.
"I'd love some, thank you." Maka said. Kid nodded. I poured three cups of tea and handed one to Maka and Kid. I kept the third one for me and sat in the arm chair next to them.
"So, where did you want to go for lunch Kid?" I asked him.
"Huh? Oh, theres a new sandwich place nearby. Tsubaki suggested it to me, so I thought it must be pretty good if Tsubaki liked it." He said.
"What do you mean?" Maka asked him.
"Oh, Tsubaki is actually a really picky eater. She's the greatest chef I think anyone has ever met, but she can be really picky."
"I didn't know that." I said.
"Yeah, not many people do." He replied.
"Is she going to lunch with us?" Maka asked him.
"No, Tsubaki has shopping to do, she invited Liz to go with her. Black Star and Patty ran off somewhere, probably having some kind of challenge against eachother. Soul and Amanda had a date. I invited Theresa to come though. She said she'll be over here in a minute." He said.
"Great, I needed to talk to her anyway." Maka said. Kid and Maka continued to chat with eachother. I cleaned up everyone's tea cups and washed the counter. Sometimes I think i'm a clean freak. I noticed the Kid kept glancing at me. I was about to ask him if there was something wrong but Theresa had knocked three times then just walked in.
"I hope you guys don't mind me just walking in." Theresa said.
"We don't mind. Your welcome here anytime." Maka said.
"Thanks. So, when are we leaving?"
"You guys ready?" Kid asked me and Maka. We both nodded. I grabbed Maka's coat from the closet and handed it to her. Its gotten pretty cold outside, we've had more snow and the temperature has been in the 40's lately. I helped her put it on and we headed outside. It only took us 8 minutes to get to the shop. This made Kid really happy, arriving at a 'perfect time'. We giggled at his reaction after he found out we walked for 8 minutes. We told him our orders and sat down at the table with the window.
"It smells good in here." Maka said.
"It smells like fresh produce." Theresa agreed.
"Thats good. We've got real food." I said.
"She said it'll be done in less than 5 minutes." Kid said sitting next to Theresa.
"They aren't very busy, usually restaurants are busy by lunch time." Theresa said looking around.
"This restaurant opened yesterday. They haven't spread around Death City quite yet." Kid said.
"Oh, well that makes sense. By the way, thank you for buying us lunch. It's been awhile since we've all hung out." Theresa said.
"It's my pleasure. I thought we all deserved to get out this weekend."
"Yeah, I definitely did."
"Us too." Maka said. A lady walked up to our table and sat a platter down with our sandwiches.
"Enjoy! We are also giving out free hot chocolate to celebrate our opening. Would anyone of you like some?" She asked pulling out a notepad.
"I'll pass, but the rest i'm sure would enjoy some." Kid said.
"Alright, thank you for supporting us. Have a nice lunch." she said walking away.
"She was nice." Maka said grabbing her sandwich.
"Another thing Tsubaki liked about this restaurant. The employees are nice. They're still hiring though." Kid said.
"Good, i've needed a job." Theresa said. We all looked at her.
"What? Do you know what its like living with Amanda and Soul? It's unbearingly horrible. You do not want to hear the things i've heard." Our faces go from confused to horrified. We began eating our sandwiches and didn't ask anymore questions. We all gained some blush from the unwanted knowledge. Mine didn't go away as fast as everyone elses. I kept having flashbacks of the night that I was drunk and I tried to distract myself.
"Crona are you alright?" Maka asked me.
"I-i'm fine. E-excuse me." I got up and walked to the bathroom covering my nose. I locked myself into one of the stalls and shoved pieces of tissue into my nose. I kept having flashbacks and it gave me a bloody nose. Maka has been moody, sick, and had more of an appetite lately. Could she be? No, there isn't any way. She's only 17, she can't get- can she? I'm still only 15, it's not possible. I'll be 16 soon, then it could be possible. Maybe... I don't know how to do deal with this!
"Crona? Are you alright?" Kid said walking into the bathroom.
"I-i'm fine." I answered.
"It doesn't seem like it. I can hear you hyperventilating." Kid said. I stopped breathing for a moment and started to calm myself.
"I-i'm fine." I said for the 3rd time. Kid sighed.
"Alright, i'll tell them that your fine." He walked out. I started to breathe in and out very deeply trying to steady myself. I pulled the tissues out and checked to see if I stopped bleeding. I walked back out and silently ate my sandwich while everyone else chatted. The lady from before set down our hot chocolates and walked away. Someone not paying attention knocked into her and sent them both, along with dishes and silverware tumbling to the ground.
"Ouch!" The lady yelled as she examined her hand. It was bleeding from the knife that was on her tray. I knew what was coming next so I stood and started to walk away. The thoughts were attempting to bubble up and I tried walking to get my mind off of it. I walked outside and my eyes started to sting. My headache came all of the sudden and set me falling onto my knees. I gripped my head and waited until the pain subsided. The pain had pushed into my face, almost like a ton of weight laying on top of my head. I tried standing and heard someone scream my name before everything went black. I woke up light headed and tried opening my eyes. It was bright which made me squint.
"Crona? Are you okay?" I heard Maka say. I moved my face so I could see her and smiled. Her face was red from crying.
"I'm alright." I told her.
"I've never seen you do that before." Theresa said. She looked really shocked.
"Do what?"
"You didn't just pass out Crona. You were screaming." Kid said.
"Screaming?"
"Her name." Maka whispered.
"What? Whose name?" I had a idea of who, but I don't want it to be true.
"Medusa." She said so quietly that it almost wasn't audible. I sat up and covered my face with my hands. I can't believe that just happened. I felt Kid's hands brush the snow off of my back. I stood up and dropped my head down. I don't want anyone to see me, I can't deal with it. My eyes started to burn with tears i'm holding back. I could hear Maka sniffling and Theresa walked towards Kid. I suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around me. I looked up to see it was Maka. My tears started to flow, I couldn't hold back anymore.
"We can't make you hold back anymore. She's killing you." Maka whispered in my ear.
"I have to. I have to keep you safe." I said.
"I'm sorry guys, I wasn't expecting this to happen." Kid said.
"It's alright Kid. This is something we can't control or prevent. We're trying to figure out a way to help him." Maka said letting me go.
"I know. I'm sorry still. How about we go on a walk and pretend that didn't happen for now?"
"I'm up for that." Theresa said.
"Yeah me too." I said. Maka looked at me, smiled and nodded to Kid. I took Maka's hand in mine (which made me slightly blush) and we all walked towards the park. They avoided the conversation of what just happened completely and we talked about a bunch of different topics. Foods, restaurants, weird ice cream flavors, the snow, bugs, animals, etc. Eventually we all went silent and Maka popped up with the strangest question.
"Hey Theresa, is there someone particular you like?" Maka asked her.
"Huh?" Theresa's face turned pink.
"Well, there's me and Crona, Kid and Cumo, Amanda and Soul, I think Black Star likes Patty; not sure about those two, Tsubaki has a crush on Black Star, so who do you like?" Maka asked her again.
"Well uh... There's one person but I don't think they like me. We don't talk or hang out very often." She admitted.
"Really? Who?"
"I'd rather not say." Theresa said, her face turning darker.
"Oh, okay. If you don't want to say then that's alright, sorry for asking." Maka apologized.
"Are they one of our group of friends?" Kid asked her.
"Kid I don-" Maka started. Theresa smiled at Maka and gave her a hand gesture that said 'its okay'.
"Define 'our group.'"
"Me, Liz, Patty, Maka, Crona, Soul, Cumo, Tsubaki, Black Star, Soul."
"Yes. It is someone in our group."
"Do they already have a girlfriend or boyfriend?" he asked her.
"No. I don't think they have a crush even. Well, as far as I know. Like I said, we don't talk often." Theresa answered.
"Okay, that's all I wanted to know. I have an idea, but I won't say it." Kid said.
"Me too, but we can talk later." Maka smiled at Theresa.
"I already told you Maka. Well, gave you a hint." Theresa smiled back at Maka. Maka sat in thought for a moment.
"Ohhh, yeah! I know who, I won't tell promise!" Maka and Theresa giggled. Maka stopped laughing and put a hand to her chest.
"Wow guys, i'm really tired i've lost all of my breath. Can we rest somewhere?" she asked. I pointed to a bench that wasn't too far away. Luckily there were a couple. We sat down and rested. It looks like Maka was the only one who got really tired.
"You could've asked to stop awhile ago Maka. Seems like you over drove yourself." I told her.
"I was having too much fun talking, i'm fine anyway." She said catching her breath. Kid looked at his watch.
"Wow, it's 2 o'clock. I need to get going, it was fun guys see you later." Kid said. We waved goodbye.
"We better walk back to the apartment and start getting ready too." I told Maka.
"Yeah we should. Theresa wanna' hang for a minute? We have a appointment with Stein but on our way there we can drop you off at your house." Maka said finally catching her breath.
"Sure, I don't have anything else to do." Theresa said. We started to walk to my apartment, fully engaged in conversation.
"So, are you alright Crona?" Theresa asked me.
"I'm okay." I answered.
"No, I mean are you alright. As in, mentally... not to be rude..." Theresa said.
"Your not being rude." Maka assured her. They both looked at me waiting for an answer. But, I don't know what to tell them. I don't know myself, if i'm alright. I really need to tell Maka that Medusa is planning something, but she's already been through so much with me. I don't want to worry her...
"We'll see what Stein says. I'll tell you afterwards, if i'm alright." I answered.
"Oh, okay." She said, looking as if she were dissapointed.
"Crona is going to be fine! He's strong and all of his friends are here to support him." Maka smiled as she hugged my arm. I pulled her close to me as we walked. I was blushing the entire time, but it was worth it. Maka made me feel safe, and obviously made Theresa feel better.
"Your right Maka. I shouldn't worry this much. I guess we should talk about something else. Hmm... so, hows studying going for you Maka?"
"Hm? Oh, its wonderful. I'm totally gonna nail this test and beat Ox again! Crona, have you been studying for the test lately?" Maka asked me.
"Test? What test?"
"Oh, well thats a no. The big exam that's next week! It's huge, its a whole chunk of your grade and it has a rumor if you ace it, then you'll create the next death scythe." Maka explained.
"Wow. I d-didn't know... I better get to studying..."
"Yeah, that would really suck if you failed it."
"I heard that Kid failed it last year." Theresa added.
"He did." Maka confirmed.
"What? How?!" I questioned.
"You know how OCD Kid is, he didn't finish his name in the time that we had." Maka said.
"That's nuts." Theresa said.
"Soul told me that Kid tore his paper while erasing and had a breakdown."
"Oh, well thats not surprising." Theresa giggled. I smiled, we had gone from a seriously depressing topic to laughing about Kid's OCD. This is why I love the friends I have so much. No matter how depressing or dire a situation is, they always have some way to laugh. We started to talk about other people who had failed the test. Soul failed because he attempted to cheat instead of study, then he got his cheating methods taken away and didn't know any of the answers. Patty failed because she thought that the test could become a pretty giraffe, until she broke its neck. Liz failed because every question to her meant something about nails or hair. We laughed the entire way to my apartment. When we got there, Theresa plopped herself onto our couch.
"That was a long walk! I'm tired." She said.
"I'm tired too." Maka said sitting next to Theresa.
"It's almost 3. We have about half an hour before we need to leave. Does some tea sound good?" I asked them
"Please!" They said in unison. They looked at eachother and started to laugh. I started the tea and watched as Maka and Theresa talked. They really are best friends now. I haven't seen Maka have a super close friend that was a girl. Atleast she found someone who wasn't too girly, someone she could relate to. Maka pulled out a book from one of the shelves. She opened it up, from where I am standing its looks like a photo album. I walked over to them and leaned over Maka to see what she was looking at. I saw a picture of Maka when she was a little girl on a swing, a female figure is standing behind her holding onto the chains. The picture didn't get the woman's face in it.
"Is that your mom?" I asked pointing at the woman.
"Hm? Yeah, I was 7. She took me to the park that day, Papa was there too."
"Did he take the picture?" Theresa asked.
"No, I don't know where he was. Probably flirting with some other girls." she replied.
"Oh, okay. So, your dad cheated on your mom even back then?"
"Well, I believe so. Its not surprising."
"Oh. Ooh! Who's this?" Theresa says pointing to a picture of a girl with short, light brown hair.
"That was Yumi, she was my best friend when I was little."
"Was she nice?"
"Definitely. She saved me from being bullied about reading and my pig tails. She told the kids off, they were scared of her. Now that I think about it, I don't think i've ever seen those boys again."
"Why isn't she your friend now?"
"Oh, well... There was an incident in her family, she ran away without telling anyone, even me, and no one ever saw her again. I don't even know if shes alive still or not." Maka turned the page and continued. I heard the tea start to whistle, so I got some teacups out. I poured everyone their tea and we continued to examine Maka's photo album. After we had practically gone through the whole book, it was time for us to leave. I set our cups into the sink for me to do later. I grabbed Theresa's and Maka's coats from the coat hanger and handed it to them. We left just in time and headed towards Theresa's neighborhood. I tried to enjoy the outdoors the most I could of, i'm savoring all the nice things I have while im sane. After my mind can't handle the madness any longer and lets go, I won't know anything but destruction and murder. Maka and Theresa talked the entire time. We were about to walk down Theresa's street when Amanda came up to us. She noticed Theresa and nearly had a freak out session.
"Oh Theresa, there you are! I need to talk to you, its important." Amanda said pulling her to the apartment.
"You're not mad at me?"
"No, why would I be mad at you?" Then, they were too far away for us to hear. Me and Maka looked at eachother, shrugged and continued our journey to Stein's house. We made it there a bit earlier than I thought we would. Maka knocked on the door and it didn't even take 2 seconds for Marie to open the door.
"Oh hello! Welcome, i've missed you guys so much!" Marie said pulling us into a bone breaking hug.
"H-i M-Ma-r-ie. Um, we c-a-nt bre-athe." I managed to squeak out.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I just haven't seen you guys for forever. Come on in, it's cold outside." She opened the door more and we walked inside. It was definitely warmer and cozy. I could smell that Marie had a waxpot somewhere, it smelled a lot like, cookies maybe...
"Thank you Marie, how are you by the way?" Maka asked her.
"I'm doing fine thank you. I'm almost ready for my little boy to come." Marie smiles. She was pretty much the size of a very large watermelon.
"Our guests are here I see. Crona, i'd like to see you now. Afterwards we can eat dinner." Stein said walking into the room.
"Very well, I'll just talk to Maka. We always have stories to tell." Marie said sitting next to Maka on the couch. I could hear them begin to talk as I walked into Stein's lab. He shut the door behind me and patted the table for me to sit. I pulled myself up to the table and waited for his questions.
"Alright lets get started. I'll begin by a blood sample, i'll ask some questions and we can evaluate how you're doing." Stein said. I nodded in reply and watched as Stein attempted to stick a needle into my arm, as a result it broke.
"I see that your black blood is getting stronger, again I hate to ask but would you cut your wrist so I may have a blood sample?" Stein asked. I cut my wrist and watched as a little blood escaped the wound and seeped into the beaker Stein was holding. Only seconds after I cut, the wound sealed itself into a black scab. I can tell that i'm starting to heal faster, and my black blood seems to be even stronger.
"Stronger and faster, good to note." Stein said writing on a piece of paper. He used a needle to extract some of my blood from the beaker and placed it under a microscope, which showed a picture onto his computer screen. Stein sat and watched the screen for a while, writing notes down on his paper. He adjusted his glasses, took his wheely chair and sat next to the bed i'm sitting on.
"Alright. So, how's your headaches been doing?"
"They've been okay. I can start to block out my hostile thoughts but it causes bigger headaches and I usually collapse." I answered.
"Okay. Where has Ragnarok been lately? I've noticed his absence."
"He's focusing all of his energy on keeping me sane. He doesn't have control over some of my actions anymore."
"Why is that?"
"I-I guess that the madness is starting to take over more of me than he can handle." He wrote some more notes down.
"Why is Ragnarok focuses so hard for you? Last time I remember, he didn't care about you, Maka, or any of your friends."
"I d-dont know honestly. I haven't heard him talk to me either. I should try to communicate with him, to make sure he's okay."
"Go ahead and do that, be sure to report to me what happens. So, what kind of control does he not have over you?"
"Well, he obviously can't keep the headaches away. Also, my blood is usually controlled by him, but it seems that its been hardening on its own."
"I see..." he said writing something down. "Have you had more energy lately? More hungry, figity?"
"No, not that I noticed. Maka has been eating more, she's seemed happier too."
"Maka? Hm, thats a bit strange. Have you had any blood to blood contact with her?" Stein asked me.
"No. I wouldn't dare transfer my blood to her, that would hurt her."
"Crona you do know that-... Nevermind." Stein wrote something down and began clicking things away on his screen. I wonder what he was just about to say. He rolled his chair over to his microscope and turned it off. He wrote some more notes down on his paper, then ripped it out of his clipboard and placed it into a file.
"You wouldn't mind me doing some testing on Maka would you?" Stein asked me.
"W-what kind of testing?" I asked.
"Just the same as your tests. Blood sample, questions and evaluation."
"An evaluation for what?"
"Nothing at the moment, I just want to make sure she's in good health too." Stein answered.
"D-do you think I could be a h-harm to her?" I asked.
"That depends Crona. It depends on your mental state and how you react to certain things."
"Oh." I stared at my fingers searching for something else to say.
"Alright, now for your evaluation. It seems that you have gotten stronger and faster, and your losing control. Your blood is full and rushing, which is why I asked if you had more energy or if you were hungry often. I want to see how you do on a mission. I request you and Maka go on a mission together, you may pick one other team to come with as a support. I suggest you pick someone who hasn't been on a mission for a long time, maybe someone in your friend group. Soul and Amanda would be a good choice, considering they both are demanded by Lord Death to get a mission done. You all can finally do a mission and get some experience with your new partners. Do you believe you can still summon Ragnarok?" I answered by bringing Ragnarok into my hand as a sword. He looked the same, maybe a bit bigger in size though.
"What the hell do you want?" Ragnarok said angrily.
"S-sorry! Just testing if I can still use you."
"Whatever. Don't summon me unless its important, or else you can say goodbye to your mind."
"No! S-sorry Ragnarok, won't h-happen a-again." He dissolved back into me and Stein only watched.
"Well, question answered. Alright, I need you to continue practicing your swordsmanship and your defense, also your sane state. I will hopefully start a plan on how to get your headaches and your hostile thoughts to go away temporarily. I will update you on that."
"T-thank you Stein."
"Of course. I'm not just doing this because your a student of mine and i'm worried that you will hurt others. Crona, your pretty much my older son. I can't stand to see you like this, going through this, and suffering. Especially after everything you've had to deal with."
"Thank you." I choked. I could feel a tear roll down my cheek. Why is everyone working so hard for me? Why does he consider me as family? I don't understand, but its the greatest thing I could ask for. I didn't even have to ask.
"Alright, lets go to the living room. I'll do a small checkup on Maka and we can eat dinner, as a family." Stein said patting my back. I wiped the tears from my face and smiled. We walked out into the living room.
"Maka i'd like to see you." Stein said.
"Me? O-okay." Maka looked at me strangely. I gave her a smile, she smiled back and followed Stein into his office. I sat down on the couch across from Marie. Marie stared at me with a smile.
"W-what?" I asked her.
"Are you excited?" She asked me.
"N-no, should I be excited?" I wondered.
"Oh goodness, you both don't know! Ah, well it's still a bit early, so i'll leave that for the both of you to figure out. Here Crona, have some tea." She handed me a small cup of tea and sat back in her seat. We chatted for a while waiting for Stein and Maka to finish up. I wondered what Marie meant by am I excited, or the part where she said that we don't know. I question what we don't know about. Marie was finishing up her conversation about how much her baby has been kicking, when Stein and Maka came out of the office. Maka came out smiling and sat next to me on the couch.
"Alright, I'll start dishing food and we can eat." Stein said. We sat down at the dinner table and ate dumpling soup that Marie had prepared for us. We talked for hours and laughed most of the time. At around 10:30, I could tell that Maka was getting tired and honestly I was pretty tired too. We said our goodbyes to Marie and Stein. We walked home, Maka was freezing and it snowed the entire time. By the time we got home, Maka was shivering and she could barely move her toes. After taking her coat off and pulling off her shoes, she ran into our room and jumped into bed. I also jumped into the bed with Maka and she cuddled up to me. I was blushing a lot, but it was dark enough that she couldn't tell.
"Why are you always so warm?" she asked me.
"I d-dont know." I said, blushing even more. She giggled and brought her face up to mine.
"Are you okay?" she asked me.
"I'm fine. Doing the best that I can, so I can always be here with you. How are you doing?" I answered and questioned.
"Honestly, i'm worried about you. I was so worried today, at lunch. How you collapsed, then you were screaming and her name came out of your mouth. Theres no doubt that she's in this, but I just don't understand." she answered.
"Well, stop worrying. We're going to be fine, and she's going to be dealt with soon enough, along with that new kishin."
"Okay, I'll try." Her face became gloomy and I took the chance while her face was still so close to mine. I kissed her, and rolled on top of her. My face was flaming hot. Maka was shocked, but once she knew what had happened she smirked.
"What're you gonna do now?" she asked. I seen that I had also pinned her hands against the bed. As soon as I noticed, my face was lava hot and I removed my hands from hers. She laughed and kicked me down, she then sat on top of me.
"Now your stuck." she said. She laughed again, then kissed me. After we broke the kiss, she flopped back down onto the bed and snuggled closer to me. I held onto her and watched as she fell asleep. I soon fell asleep as well. It seemed that I woke up in a totally different place. I was laying on top of a rug, with a crytal ball on top. I couldn't see anyone else around and I recognized that I was in Medusa's lair. The crystal ball suddenly had pictures playing in it. I watched the images flash. I could see a small house, with white brick and a pretty yard filled with flowers and freshly cut grass. Then, it was as if it was inside the house. A baby, around the age of four was playing blocks. He had blonde hair and green eyes, shaped tilted but sad, like mine. He watched as a young girl and a teenage girl walk into what looked like the kitchen. The young girl looked as if she was 13 or 14. She had short pinkish-purple hair and dark blue eyes, they were shaped very round and bright, like Maka's. The teenage girl, looked around the age of 16 or 17. She had blonde hair pulled up into a side pony tail and her eyes were also a dark blue, they were shaped round but tilted. The boy suddenly looked towards a end table near a wall as a tall man wearing long black pants walked by and bumped into it. A picture had fallen but the man grabbed it. The picture had 3 children, and two parents. I couldn't see the parents faces but the children were the three that I had just seen. It suddenly turned into a taller, older person's point of view and I watched as the little boy smiled at whoever was about to pick him up. The boy made me feel happy and I felt as if I should know him.
"Disgusting little creaturessss." came the hiss from Medusa. She startled me and made me squeak, I bounced back and nearly fell off a ledge.
"M-Medusa!"
"Don't be surprised you idiot. Your in my lair, watching my ball. Since when did I give you access to it?"
"N-never, s-sorry."
"Don't apologize. I don't need to hear your pathetic words and shaky voice. If I didn't give you permission to something, then stay away from it!" A snake shot at me and hit my stomach but only pushed me far enough to hit the other platform. I sat on my butt watching Medusa walk up to her crystal ball.
"These hideous things, all because of you and that girl." she said rubbing the ball.
"What d-do you m-mean?" I asked.
"Don't be stupid. Take a look at these creatures, don't they look familiar? Do they make you happy? They are abominations that should never step foot into this world!" She spat at me. I have no idea what she is talking about. Medusa rubbed the ball once more and the images disappeared.
"Well? Are you going to answer me? Don't they remind you of people?"
"N-no." I lied.
"Your so idiotic. Useless, unbearable! They come from you! You've already started the process, why should you and that girl be any use to me?!" I have no idea what she is talking about, it seems that she is babbling crazy things like a lunatic.
"You haven't even begun your mission and your already failing!"
"I-i'm s-sorry! I d-don't know w-what i've done!"
"Sure you don't." She said aiming a finger at my throat. She flicked it up just a notch and a arrow came at me. I rolled and dodged in time for it to miss.
"I'll m-make it up t-to you!" I tried saying.
"You can't make it up to me! You've failed, your a useless piece of trash that you've always been!" Another arrow came at me but barely missed and scratched my side.
"Anything! I'll d-do a-anything!" I yelled. She hesitated for a moment.
"Anything you say? Well, you could stop fighting the madness. That will definitely help with the process and maybe you could be of use."
"The m-madness? Why would t-that help?"
"You'll be in my control. You could join me and we can finish what I started a long time ago. I'm not leaving, but you're precious Maka is if you don't listen to me!"
"O-okay! Three months and i'll stop restraining, all done with it." I didn't want to, but nothing can happen to Maka.
"That'll be too late! The process is too far already and waiting longer will ruin my plan! Two weeks."
"Three months."
"Two weeks!" she demanded. She sat there in thought for a moment. Her face turned as she smiled evily. "Alright, three months. But, after that you won't even get to kiss your Maka goodbye as I torture and kill her in front of your eyes."
"O-okay." I finally got a good glimpse at Medusa. She was less translusent than before and she walked more than she floated. Her eyes were more fierce and her hair was a bit longer.
"Fine then, three months. But, don't you dare fail me again! You have a mission to accomplish and you aren't going to defy me. I want you to let the madness overcome you. I will help guide you to where I am, then we can easily begin our plan to replenish the kishin. You will be strong again, without any fear or doubt. It'll be like before, but better. Cooperation is key Crona." Medusa explained.
"A-alright. What's the k-kishin g-going to do?"
"What I planned before. I want to see the world in my hands, the DWMA will be gone. I'll even spare your little Maka, she can be of use as long as she doesn't get in your way."
"I d-don't want Maka to s-suffer like I will."
"Oh? So you want her to die? How about I kill her now, would that be better?" This time a snake was shot at me and wrapped around my neck.
"No, don't!" I yelled. The snake squeezed and I could hardly breathe. Medusa snapped her fingers and I was lifted into the air by the snake.
"Your black blood is working, good to know. If it wasn't, your neck would've just snapped by weight and pressure." I choked as the snake continued to squeeze.
"Thats better, I can't hear your annoying voice. The choking is music to my ears." She hummed. "Don't forget about your three months. I'll be waiting for you Crona. Don't dissapoint me, or else." she smiled viciously. She walked away and snapped her fingers once more. I was dropped to the ground but more snakes gathered and wrapped around my neck. They squeezed together and I could no longer breathe. The pressure was agonizing and I was losing oxygen every second. I finally bursted awake choking and coughing. Maka jumped up next to me.
"What the- Crona? What's wrong? What's going on?" she said touching my neck. I looked up into the vanity mirror on the wall just in time to see a gigantic bruise fade from my neck. I continued to cough and choke until I had regained all of my oxygen.
"Now Crona! Tell me what just happened!" Maka demanded. I looked at her sadly.
"Medusa is after us." I said.
"What do you mean she's after us?!"
"Medusa is making me stop resisting the madness." I watched as Maka's face widened and she was about to say something, "but not for three months! I have no choice! She'll kill you if I don't do it."
"How would she kill me? She's not even alive! For all we know she just shows up in our dreams and causes harm to our brains!"
"Maka! She's showed up in my dreams, not only causing harm to my brain and sanity but she's physically hurting me! She just attempted to kill me by choking me with snakes!"
"She what!? What am I supposed to do Crona? I can't just sit here anymore and watch this! It's hurting me!" tears began to form in Maka's eyes.
"No, don't hurt please, don't cry." I pulled her to my chest and hugged her tightly.
"We need to get you help, and we need to kill her again. We need to figure out how she got away with reapearing." Maka said.
"I know, but we have to deal with what she says. Even if it means it hurts me. But, I can't let her do anything to you. I've dealt with this before, I can deal with it again. You could live without me Maka, you've got tons of friends and a family that need you. But, if she did anything to you... I just couldn't be it. I wouldn't be able to live. Your all I have Maka." I said with waterworks streaming down my face. Maka pushed against me and looked me straight in the eyes.
"Don't you dare say that you only have me. You have a family too Crona, and friends! I wouldn't be able to live without you, you have been the light in my dark world and i've been the light in yours. We need eachother and niether of us are going to leave the other!"
"A-alright. But, I still have to keep my word. I have to stop resisting the madness in three months, no ifs or buts." I told her.
"We have to do something before. We have to train harder and get our information before. We have to eliminate the kishin and Medusa before then!" I pulled her into another hug but softer this time. I could feel her melt into my embrace.
"We will, we have to report this to Lord Death immediatly." I told her.
"Okay." she whispered into my chest.
"We should get to bed." I said.
"Yeah." We let go of eachother and layed down. Maka cuddled up to me again and we fell asleep for the night. Before I had completely fallen asleep, I could hear Ragnarok. "Stupid snake bitch."
Wow guys, just wow. This is over 7,000 words and almost 8. This took forever for me to think up and type. Can you guys guess what's happening to Crona? Or maybe even Maka!? It's just getting so intense! I really need suggestions for my chapters, I love hearing your guy's ideas! They inspire me and I always give a shout out to the person. =) Anyway guys, i'm so sorry this took forever. I went through finals at school, then finished everything up and began a new tri, i've also trying to deal with some depression. Your guy's suggestions and comments have been making me so happy and thoughtful though! Continue reading, suggesting, and hopefully I won't be so lazy and caught up in my own problems to get a chapter done sooner. I've been trying really hard and you guys get me through =) See you all next chapter! Bye Bye!