A/N: It's ZeroVX's birthday today! Didja know that?

How come "video game" is two words instead of one? If it were up to me, "videogame" would be a real word. So would "dress-robe."

The building that the letter wanted me to go to towered above my head. Tall and gray, it looked like any other building. The only thing unique about it was the entrance. The double doors were engraved with the same logo stamped at the bottom of my letter, so I knew I was at the right place. It was an ordinary Sunday afternoon, but it felt a little too quiet to me. No one went in or out of the building as I stood in front of it, unlike the others on either side.

Maka once said it might be nice if I tried to do something new every day. That was why I was here. I would've ignored the invitation otherwise. I would've just thrown it away and thought nothing of it, but something stopped me. The way it was written, perhaps, how they'd made it seem like I was specially chosen. Though I hadn't played videogames that much, I felt like I'd be able to try out a few without too much trouble.

Steeling myself, I moved my feet forward, reaching out to tug at the door's handle. It swung open easily. I walked into a large, brightly lit room. To my left, I saw a bunch of framed posters hanging along the wall. Each of them showed a different videogame, all made by the same company, all made in this very building. To my right was a reception desk, but no one was sitting behind it.

The whole room was empty and quiet, except for a low humming sound that I supposed was the air conditioner. Straight ahead was an elevator and as I walked to it, I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched. The place was empty and a little unnerving, but I tried to shake the feeling away. Maybe there were more people on the higher floors.

I usually never had a problem with small spaces, but as soon as the elevator took me in and started to move, an invisible boulder began pressing down on me. I thought, What if I really am the only one here? What if the elevator breaks down? How long would I be stuck here?

My eyes grew wide, staring at the numbered buttons as they lit up slowly, one at a time. One hand clutched my arm tightly and refused to let go. My jaw was clamped shut. Hurry, hurry, hurry…

The elevator finally crawled to a stop, but the doors didn't open. It was all I could do to stand still and not try to pull them apart myself. I waited, but nothing happened. I stopped breathing. Then I closed my eyes and did what I always did whenever I was scared. I thought about Maka.

The floor gave a small sway beneath my feet. If Maka were in a situation like this, what would she do? She'd find a way to get out no matter what. I would, too. But that meant I had to move first.

The boulder wouldn't let me, though. It was crushing down on my head. My teeth hurt so much I thought they would crack, but then…

There was the sound of the doors sliding away from each other. I opened my eyes and my legs carried me to safety faster than I could blink. Air rushed out of my lungs in deep, calming breaths. My head cleared now that the boulder had vanished. As I relaxed, I decided that when this was over, I'd go back down using the stairs.

The hallway I'd stepped into was bright and empty. Nobody bustled about as I searched for the room that the letter told me to go to. Every door was closed. There was nobody around, but I wished there was. This place was really starting to get a little spooky. The lack of noise made me nervous.

I found the right door and stood in front of it, biting my lip. Was I supposed to knock first? The letter hadn't said if I could just go in. Stepping closer, I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and pressed my ear against the cool, wooden paneling. I closed my eyes and listened. There were no sounds coming from the other side, no voices, no footsteps, nothing. I waited for a sign, no matter how small, but the room seemed to be lifeless.

Slowly and carefully, I turned the knob, freezing when I heard it click. My eyes opened once it was clear that no one was around to break the silence. I really was alone here, so it seemed like it was safe to go inside. The door swung open just enough for me to poke my head in and take a quick look around. The room was empty like I'd guessed, so I stepped forward and shut the door behind me.

I was pretty sure I was in an office. There was a desk, a computer, a filing cabinet, a bookshelf, and a… sofa set in front of a widescreen plasma TV. As I made my way over to it, I noticed that though the shades were drawn over the room's only window, it wasn't dark because the lights were already on. It was as if the people who sent me the invitation knew that I'd accept it. Maybe they knew I was already here…? Instinctively, I checked each corner of the ceiling, but couldn't find any security cameras. It still felt like I was being watched, though. Maybe they were hidden.

In between the television and the sofa was a low glass table. It had two videogame cases, two wireless videogame controllers, one pen, and one envelope with my name written on it in capital letters. Each item was neatly arranged, like they'd been waiting patiently for me.

Taking the envelope in my hands, I ripped it open to find another letter similar to the first one I'd received. Like before, the company's logo was stamped at the bottom. I read through it, ready to begin my one new experience for the day.

We thank you for your participation. Feel free to play both games for as long as you like. When finished, please take the time to fill out a short survey. Your opinion is of great importance to us.

Rest assured, these games were made to be used only for today. They are the only copies, so handle them with care. They will never be released to the public.

We hope you enjoy them, Chrona.

My brow furrowed in confusion as I finished reading. I couldn't help but wonder why they would make something that they didn't intend to sell. And why did they need to tell me that? What was there to be "rest assured" about? Just what kind of games was I supposed to play? And where was this survey they mentioned?

It was then that I noticed another envelope had been placed beneath the one I had already picked up. It was marked: "Survey, To Be Opened After Playing."

At first I'd assumed I would be part of a group of gamers who had gotten letters too, but now I was starting to believe I had been singled out on purpose. But that didn't seem right. I only played videogames every now and then. I wasn't that much of a gamer, so why would they target me specifically?

I looked at the videogames to see what I was getting myself into, but my face fell when I saw that both covers were nothing but ordinary white sheets of paper with writing on them. One was titled, "Game #1" and the other was called, "Game #2." I opened the first game, but the disc was as plain as its case. It looked like I would just have to dive in and play them to find out what they were about.

As I set things up, though, my nervousness only increased. I had no idea what I was going to see. Maka once told me it was okay to fear the unknown, but sometimes it was best to face it head-on.

I tried to relax as I settled down on the sofa, controller in hand. I tried to prepare myself for anything. Then I felt Ragnarok emerge. He gave my head a quick poke and talked in a voice full of confidence. "Alright, let's do this. Hand me that other controller, and get ready to have your ass whooped."

"Y-You don't know if it's that kind of game," I muttered as I gave him the wireless device.

"Fighting game or not, you're still gonna get beat."

"How are you going to play without opposable thumbs?" I asked.

"I'll manage."

The console then hummed and whirred, and the two of us quieted down so we could watch the game's opening movie. But all we saw was a black screen. There were no pictures or sounds as we waited. We sat there for a while, staring at our own reflections. Soon I began to worry. Had something gone wrong? But the power was on, so…

"Nice one, Chrona. You broke it."

"I didn't break it!" At least I hoped I didn't. I was certain I hadn't done anything wrong when I set it up. "It's probably just… loading."

I wondered if I'd have to pay the company if I really did break it. My teeth ground together as the silence stretched. We waited and waited and waited some more, until it felt like my feet were close to falling asleep. There were no changes at all until, at long last, we heard something. The screen was still black, but we could hear a voice. It was crystal clear, and it was very, very familiar.

I froze. It was too familiar.

"A sound soul…" a girl's voice stated, "dwells within a sound mind… and a sound body."

The controller slipped from my grasp and hit the floor with a tiny thud. We sat there, staring, not moving. I could see nothing but ourselves reflected in the black screen. Ragnarok's eyes had widened. My head suddenly felt a little too heavy. I watched it tilt to one side, an expression of disbelief glued to its face. I looked like a marionette with a useless, lolling head.

I was utterly stunned. Speechless. Only Ragnarok was able to think of something appropriate to say at a time like this.

"…What."

Before either of us had a chance to fully recover, the screen stopped being black and the game's introduction began. Fast action music played while flashes of moving pictures raced by.

It was… us.

Maka, Soul, Black*Star, Kid… everyone.

Even me.

"Weird" didn't even come close to describing how it felt to look at virtual, near exact replicas of people I knew. Though a little crude, the details were pretty accurate, from the styles of our clothes to our hair to our eyes. The movements were kind of stiff and jerky, but they weren't that noticeable. The music reached its peak and the opening sequence ended, fading to black again. Ragnarok and I continued to stare as we let it all sink in, still wondering if what we were seeing was true.

The company had turned us into three-dimensional videogame characters. Questions flooded my mind, running into each other, but I didn't have time to sort them out because the game's main menu appeared. There was no music or colorful image in the background. There was no title. There wasn't even a "Press Start" command. All it showed was a list: Story Mode, Practice Mode, VS Mode, and 2-Player VS Mode.

A sudden rush of curiosity overwhelmed me, bringing me out of my shock. I moved my fingers and noticed that my controller had disappeared. Finding it on the floor, I picked it up and tried to mentally loosen the knot between my shoulders. This was just a game. I reminded myself that no matter what, it wasn't real. Even though it seemed that way, it really wasn't. It was just a bunch of pixels. Dots on a screen.

Still… I hoped I'd be able to handle this. I had expected something new, but I never thought it'd be anywhere near this new.

I held the controller firmly and selected an option from the list. Practice Mode seemed like a good place to start.

The screen went blank for a moment, then brightened to reveal a collection of not just my friends, but other people I recognized. The words "Select a Character" were fixed at the top while the names and faces of all the playable characters resided underneath, waiting to be chosen. Already highlighted was Maka, along with Soul. They were partners, so it made sense that they would have to be selected together.

I quietly took in a deep breath and let it out again as I searched through the entire cast. I tried not to focus on certain people for too long, though, like Giriko. Like… Medusa…

My hands were suddenly in danger of shaking uncontrollably, so I quickly moved the cursor to the first person I thought of: myself.

Something strange happened the instant I pressed a button to confirm my decision, and I jumped. Two voices rang from the TV, short and quick, one proclaiming, "I can handle this," and the other giving a swift, sharp screech. They sounded just like us! Maybe a little… too much…

As the tutorial loaded, Ragnarok spoke with a mixture of suspicion and amazement. "How… How did they record our voices?"

I really wanted to believe that they didn't, that they just used some kind of advanced computer technology or just had some very talented voice actors. I did not want to think that the company had secretly been researching the lives of a group of students from Shibusen and the people connected to them for reasons I'd never be able to understand. I did not want to think of cameras hidden in our classroom, of people in suits following my friends and bugging their houses and…

I shook those thoughts from my mind. A legitimate business wouldn't resort to spying… right?

Practice Mode began and it felt almost surreal to make a pixilated model of myself move around. In no time at all, I learned and mastered every technique. I could attack, jump, block, and perform combos and specials. A motionless dummy served as my opponent, and the other Chrona would occasionally make remarks as it swung the demonic black sword about. To be honest, it was kind of annoying sometimes.

"Am I really that whiny when I fight?" I asked Ragnarok.

"Yup."

"And do I really tell people my blood is black that often?"

"All. The. Time."

I held back a grumble. I didn't mind too much, but I just hoped the others weren't made that way, either. After all, Kid didn't talk about symmetry that much, and Black*Star didn't care about surpassing God that much… right?

Having seen enough, Ragnarok was ready to challenge me in 2-Player VS Mode but I was really curious about Story Mode. I just wanted to play a little bit, to see what it was like.

The beginning of this mode was almost the same as the opening introduction: a black screen with Maka's voice narrating. It almost felt like I was watching a real movie and Maka, of course, was the heroine. I listened to the voice explain the purpose of the academy as if I were hearing it for the first time. I wondered how the real Maka would react if she were here with me right now.

"In order to make Soul become a Death Scythe, we needed to capture just one more soul… A witch's…"

The voice faded away and all was silent for a few moments, until another familiar voice drifted in. It sounded like it was humming. As it grew clearer, I realized that it was someone singing lightly. A happy, carefree tone of voice. It sounded like… Oh, no.

I quickly shut my eyes and lowered my head just as the screen brightened up abruptly.

"Whoa!"

Even if Ragnarok hadn't said anything, I'd still be able to tell what was going on. That voice was Blair's. It was her quietly singing "la la la…" on the TV. There was also the sound of water splashing gently, so I knew that she was taking a bath. I kept my head ducked down low, waiting for the scene to change.

Ragnarok grabbed a single strand of hair from my head and yanked it out. I bit down hard on my lip to stop myself from crying out. "Stop being a wuss! It's not even showing that much!"

I refused to open my eyes. Ragnarok's definition of "decent" was very, very different from mine.

I waited for Maka and Soul to announce their presence, but all I could hear was the water sloshing around in the tub. This was "Story Mode," right? So that meant those two should be bursting into the spotlight any second now. I remembered Maka telling me how they'd first met Blair. They'd mistaken her for a witch.

My ear received a quick tug. "Nothing's gonna happen if you don't press the button to move on, dumbass."

At first I had no idea what he was talking about, but then I remembered that videogames had different ways of constructing scenes. I wanted to roll my eyes. This just had to be the kind where the already-spoken-out-loud dialogue was combined with text for players to read along. Text that wouldn't go away until I did something about it. Still keeping my head down and eyes closed, I moved my thumb and pressed a button. Soon there was a crash, a yell, and the sound of Maka's voice scolding Soul for barging in on their target. I pressed my thumb down every time I heard a long pause.

Battle music signaled the end of the scene, so I looked up. Blair was fully clothed on one side of the screen while Maka positioned herself to fight on the other, scythe in hand. A robotic voice announced the start of Round One.

I paused the game.

The music instantly shut off. A little menu popped up. I stared. My thumb hovered in midair, frozen and stiff. One thought raced through my mind.

I had to play as Maka.

Not that there was anything wrong with that, but… I would have to play as Maka. Well, not really Maka, but a simulated model that looked like her. I would be pulling her strings. I would be able to make her move, jump, and attack. It seemed wrong; I shouldn't have control over Maka as if she were a thoughtless puppet. Plus, what if I lost the fight? It'd be all my fault. I didn't want to see Maka, real or not, fall to the ground, hurt and defeated.

"What gives?"

I highlighted the option to quit the game. "I… I've seen enough." Not only because I wasn't comfortable with the notion of controlling Maka, but also… If Story Mode was anything like I imagined, then surely there'd eventually be a battle between her and myself. Then later there'd be another battle between the two of us. It would be better to quit now before any of that happened.

I went to 2-Player VS Mode, where Ragnarok and I were able to choose any character we wanted. Not really interested in playing anybody in particular, I chose myself again. Ragnarok wondered aloud what would happen if he chose the same character as me. I shrugged, doubting the game would even let him. But if everything ended up freezing or messing up or breaking down, it wouldn't bother me, because by now I was beginning to wonder what the second game was going to be like.

To my surprise and confusion, Ragnarok was allowed to select the other Chrona, too. What was the point of having two players fight with the exact same character? It made no sense. It had been weird enough controlling something that resembled me, but now it was about to get weirder.

I definitely wasn't expecting my opponent to be dressed all in white instead of black. Apparently, it was a way to tell the two apart as we forced them to battle. Ragnarok took me by surprise. Somehow, he was able to control his character with amazing speed and accuracy. It was as if he'd been playing this game for years.

He beat me the first time and then the second. He beat me three more times using different characters. He told me that I sucked and demanded to know if I was even trying. It was kind of ironic, really. I could hold my own when it came to a real fight, but I wasn't too good at something that was just a game. Or maybe Ragnarok was just too hard to beat. Or maybe I was just still a little uncomfortable with playing something that looked like me.

We fought until Ragnarok got tired of winning. I was glad to be done, but now we'd have to take a look at the second game. I wasn't sure what to expect. But I was too curious to quit now and, after all, it couldn't be that bad now that most of the shock had gone. I loaded the new disc into the console and waited.

Game #2 didn't have an opening movie; it just went straight to the main menu. The background was pink and dotted with skulls. A light piano tune played as the center of the screen offered me two options to pick from: Story Mode and Minigames. I chose the latter. The screen showed me a message.

You have not unlocked any Minigames.

Ragnarok grunted. "So they're gonna make you work for them? How dare they."

I bit my bottom lip. Playing Story Mode would mean I'd have to play whoever they wanted, unless they'd give me a list of characters to choose from like in the first game. But the calm piano tune made it seem like this wasn't a fighting game, so what kind was it?

The music and picture faded away as Story Mode loaded. There was the faint sound of an alarm clock ringing, followed by a clack as whoever shut it off yawned. It sounded like a little girl.

The screen then brightened, and the scene set in front of me proved that I was right. But I didn't think the little girl would be Maka. There she stood, in a plain little dress in a bright little bedroom, her pigtails adorned with ribbons. The same soft music from the title screen began to play. There was a message glowing at the top, telling me how to move and inspect items. It was telling me to look under the bed, but my fingers wouldn't budge. I didn't want to play as her.

It bothered me that I didn't have a choice. I knew that nobody was forcing me to play; I could stop whenever I wanted. But, as much as I hated to admit, I was still curious. Why was Maka so young? What was under the bed? What would it be like to have her walk around?

I relaxed my hands. I came here to try something new, not to give up halfway.

I turned the little Maka around so that she was facing us. For a three-dimensional virtual character, she was pretty cute. Her eyes were big and her smile was nice and simple. I moved her toward the bed and made her search under it. Another glowing message popped up.

You found some money! Use it to purchase clothes and other accessories at the Mall.

"Oh, hell no." Ragnarok dropped his controller, letting it fall onto the sofa. "This is one of those kiddie adventure games, isn't it?"

I opened my mouth to say that it certainly looked that way, but quickly shut it when I heard knocking from the TV. I leaned forward slightly as another message appeared, telling me to answer the door. I had Maka move again and she opened the door easily; all of her surroundings were small and short, designed essentially for children. I had a feeling everything in this game would be like that.

A young version of Soul was revealed and, in a childish voice that still kind of resembled his regular one, he told Maka that Blair needed their help in the kitchen. A new message announced that I had unlocked Soul as a playable character for Minigames mode. But then something strange happened. Cheerful music played during the announcement as Soul and Maka moved toward each other. They hugged and then did a little bow while holding hands, their foreheads touching momentarily. The jingle faded out as they let go. Strange, but sort of cute.

The two of them stood facing each other while the next request told me to go to the kitchen, so I did. I was a little surprised to see Soul follow Maka as I made her walk. We met Blair the cat near the stove and a minigame began. The goal was to help her prepare a meal using a bunch of cooking ingredients as quickly as possible. All I had to do was press a series of buttons at the right moment until the timer ran out. It got harder as the clock neared its last few seconds; the buttons started to speed by so fast that I could barely keep up.

But apparently I didn't do such a bad job, because another message said I'd just unlocked the very first minigame. If I wanted to play it again, I just needed to talk to Blair in this mode or select the Minigames option at the main menu. I figured the latter would allow for two players to compete against each other. I was about to ask Ragnarok if he wanted to play, but after yawning loudly he decided to sink back into me, muttering about how boring this videogame was.

I wasn't ready to stop. Soul was now asking Maka to go and invite all their friends over for a visit. When I had Maka leave the kitchen, he didn't follow her. I explored the house for a bit, finding money behind and beneath all kinds of furniture, before stepping outside. A map was displayed in the top right corner. Another message glowed at me, telling me to use the map to find my way to Kid's place.

The only living things roaming the cobblestone streets were birds and butterflies. It was the kind of game where it was impossible to be killed. The town was sunny, spacious, and pretty. Soft music played in the background. Maka's footsteps padded the ground, her shadow mimicking her movements. I walked past the Mall, deciding that I would save up more money before checking for things to buy.

It was a little weird to watch Maka enter Kid's house without even knocking. It was weirder to have her search around his house for cash. I wondered why some videogames were like that—entering and taking things without permission and getting away with it. Who came up with that idea, anyway?

I couldn't find Kid, but I did find the Thompson sisters. As soon as I talked to them, a new minigame challenge started. Patty had made all the paintings in the house crooked, so my job was to find them and fix them before Kid showed up and noticed. At the end of it, Maka invited them all to her house to play. One by one, she hugged and bowed with them, holding their hands as the same music from when I unlocked Soul played. Then the three of them lined up in a row and followed Maka as I led them all back to her house.

Getting Black*Star and Tsubaki was pretty much the same, only their place had me complete two minigames instead of one. When I brought them back, I expected there to be a little cutscene or something since everyone had been gathered. But it turned out I hadn't beaten Story Mode just yet.

"Only one more to go," the little Maka proclaimed. And then a new message told me what I needed to do.

Find Chrona.

Those two words surprised me. I'd forgotten that I might be featured in this game, too. My mind raced with all sorts of questions. I wasn't sure how I should feel. Wary? Curious? Eager? Nervous? What sort of minigame would I have to play to unlock myself? Would Maka hug me and hold hands with me like she had with the others…?

My throat had gone dry, so I swallowed and forced my thumb to move. Maka went outside and the map began to glow for a few seconds. It showed me that a brand new section had been unlocked in the town. No doubt that was where the little me was.

As Maka made her way toward the new location, the cobblestone streets gradually became dirt roads. Buildings grew fewer in number and more trees took their place. Pretty soon I had reached a spot tucked away near the edge of town. There was a pond, and a bunch of grass and flowers. Sitting at the pond's edge was a huddled figure with a pile of light-colored hair on its head. The gentle music that had always played when I walked around town was gone. All that could be heard were the sounds of the water swaying in the pond and birds chirping in the distance. And Maka's footsteps. I wasn't controlling her anymore.

She moved on her own, walking right up to the other me. "Hi, Chrona."

There was movement as the game camera shifted, and I could see two wide eyes gazing up into bright green ones. The child's voice, so soft and so much like my own, could just barely be heard over the trickling of pond water. "Maka."

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

Chrona looked down, cheeks slightly flushed. A brief moment of silence passed. "N-Nothing… I'm just… thinking."

"Can I sit and think with you?"

Chrona blinked, peering back up at Maka in surprise. Then, after a few seconds, nodded slowly.

Maka sat down next to Chrona, drawing her knees up and hugging them. The two of them were sitting the same way, watching the scenery before them. For a while all was still and quiet except for the sounds of nature. Unlike Maka, Chrona didn't smile, and I wondered what each of them was thinking about.

She was still smiling when she spoke again, but she kept looking straight ahead. "Chrona? Do you want to come over and play?"

The other me didn't answer right away. The round, young face had an unreadable blank expression. Even though it was just a videogame character, I knew it had heard what Maka said. But it continued to stare, lost and unmoving like a doll.

Maka was patient. She sat and waited for an answer, her smile never fading. She didn't seem bothered at all. She, too, was motionless. For one frightful moment, I thought the game had frozen. They were so still.

Then Chrona spoke, hands twisting together. "If… If you want, then… Okay."

Maka made a small, happy humming noise in her throat before blinking her eyes. She stood up and faced the other me. Little Chrona looked up at her and carefully got up, too. I held my breath because I thought I knew what was coming next.

I was right. It happened. They wrapped their arms around each other and hugged.

You've unlocked Chrona!

The same cheery music from before played as the two children held hands and bowed. The sight made my throat feel tight. I slowly let myself exhale, watching me and Maka linger in our embrace. Little Chrona eventually pulled back and gave Maka a tiny, nervous smile. The music faded, but no new message popped up telling me what to do, because I already knew. Maka was letting me guide her again, so I had her head back to her place, with the other Chrona following close behind.

Gathering everyone together was all I had to do to complete the story. A final movie showed them having fun together, enjoying each other's company, and then the credits rolled. I had beaten the game.

It was obvious that Game #2 had been designed for children, but I still wished there had been more. They should've put in more things to do besides play a few minigames. The credits ended rather quickly, as if the developers were afraid of giving away too much information. It made me a little suspicious, but then again, they had said that these were the only copies, never to be released officially.

I was automatically taken back into Story Mode, where a new message was waiting for me. It announced that as a reward for finishing the game, I could now choose to play any character I wanted. I could explore the world freely. It also said I was allowed to have any other character accompany me. And I could switch at any time.

For the next half hour, I searched everywhere I could for more money. I played as myself, with Little Maka following me around like a cute shadow. I took all my savings and went to the Mall to buy all kinds of shoes and clothes for us to dress up in.

After that, I decided to stop. I was getting thirsty and I remembered there being vending machines down in the lobby. But now that I was done playing, only one more thing needed to be taken care of.

I turned off the system and the widescreen TV, putting the controllers back on the table and returning the disc to its proper place. I picked up the pen and the envelope containing the survey.

I received yet another surprise. I knew the survey would be short, but I didn't think it would have just one question.

Which game did you enjoy the most? Circle one answer and leave this form on the desk behind you.

Those last words gave me a start as that uneasy feeling sank in again. I glanced behind me, but there was nobody there. I checked the corners of the ceiling, but there still weren't any cameras watching me. Relaxing my shoulders, I placed the tip of the pen onto the sheet of paper and circled the choice that read "Game #2."

I'm finished, Maka, I thought to myself. I got through my new experience for the day in one piece. As I walked out of the room, I wondered if I should tell everyone else about this. If I had to guess, I'd say they probably wouldn't believe me. Now that it was over, I had to admit I still had some trouble accepting it all. Did all of that really just happen? And I still couldn't help but wonder… Why me? Had this all been a coincidence?

I closed the door behind me. The act had a sense of finality to it. I had a feeling that once I left this building, I'd never set foot in it again. All of my questions would be left unanswered forever.

My fingers let go of the doorknob. At least I had a little bit of fun, though.

I thought about Chrona and Maka hugging and bowing, how happy they looked even though they weren't real.

I paused in the hallway, letting myself get lost in that image. A little smile grew on my face. Then I moved my feet and walked straight into the direction of the elevator.