A/N

Hello all! Welcome to my CroMa fic!

Was feeling the itch after re-watching Soul Eater again; I love this pairing so much. My second oldest ship, actually. They took the word 'soulmates' and applied it quite literally to Chrona and Maka. In addition to Soul Eater being just one of the best anime/mangas ever written, it also has one of the best romances ever put into creation! Very few ships are as well written and complex and engaging as CroMa.

This fic might be a bit rambly written at points, but I didn't feel like cutting it into multiple chapters to make it flow better (also those would be short chapters and personally I'd rather write one long one shot than five or six short chapters). Let me know what you think!


Lately, Maka had noticed that Chrona was more withdrawn.

Something that didn't surprise anyone; despite the fact Chrona had been friends with all of them for almost two years at this point, the trauma he'd endured well into his teens stuck with him. His stutter wasn't as bad, he wasn't quite as nervous in most situations, but he still felt awkward and out of place, even when surrounded by friends.

Usually - most of the time - his friends would give him the space he needed to recharge his batteries and after a few days, he'd rejoin them all once again. It never went on for more than a few days.

But on Friday, after Chrona missed five days of classes on top of being withdrawn for days, Maka finally couldn't stand the distance and approached Professor Stein after class. "Excuse me, Professor Stein? Where is Chrona? Is he on a mission?"

The Professor merely shook his head and reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette. "No, nothing like that. He's sick, and he's in his room downstairs. Marie gave him some home remedy she cooked up and I told him to study when he was feeling up to it. Damn..." He pulled out an empty carton and crushed it in his hand, sighing as he adjusted his screw. "He'll be back when he's feeling better."

"Oh, okay..." Maka's face fell slightly, and she sighed. "Thank you Professor. Have a good afternoon." She quietly turned away, her gaze far away as she started walking down the hall to meet Soul.

"Hey, what'd he say?" Her weapon partner asked.

"He's sick." Was her quiet reply. Soul frowned and stuck his hands in his pockets. They walked side by side in silence for a few minutes, until eventually Maka said, "Hey, you know what? I'm gonna run to the school store and get him some stuff; you can head home without me."

"You sure?" Soul asked. She gave him a nod, and he shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll cook dinner tonight; I'll put it in the fridge for you if you're back late."

"Thanks. See you." She turned, and Soul noticed that she was walking with more conviction than usual.


"Chronaaaa? It's me, Maka. You in there?"

Silence came from the other side of the metal door, and she tapped her foot before knocking again. "I'm gonna come in, okay?" She waited, giving him a chance to say no if he wanted, but as the silence greeted her once more, she opened the door and stepped inside. "He's asleep..."

He was beneath the covers, but they were only pulled up to his waist. He was laying on his side with his front to the wall and his back to the room.

Setting the plastic bag filled with a medicine, some microwaveable foods, and water bottles down on his desk, she took a moment to smooth out her uniform before reaching forward to gently shake his shoulder. "Chrona? C'mon, it's still light out. Wakey wakey..."

"Hey, buzz off!"

She withdrew her hand when Ragnarok popped out of his back. "Hey, afternoon. How are you feeling?" Maka and Ragnarok weren't close, not by a long shot, but after he'd nearly died with Chrona, he'd warmed up to Maka and her friends. He was still rude, he was stilly bossy and demanding, but by this point it was all bark and no bite. It had taken Maka a long time to come around to the idea that Ragnarok was in many ways stranger than Chrona was; she couldn't imagine the abuse the meister had suffered, so it was a completely alien concept to imagine being melted down as a weapon and turned into black blood. But even if they couldn't get along on a personal level, she put the forth the effort to accept him and welcome him to their group and as the many months passed the effect had reduced much of the friction between them.

The weapons eyes rolled as he crossed his arms. "Bored out of my mind, that's how. Pinky's all depressed and sleeps for hours and hours, and now he's ignoring me."

"What do you mean he's all depressed?" Maka said with concern as she pulled up a chair to Chrona's bedside to sit at the same level as Ragnarok.

"He's been all quiet and mopey! I was swiping extra food so he wouldn't get hungry and I wasn't even punching him! Hey, what's all that?" He asked as he pointed at the stuff Maka brought.

She reached back and pulled out some candy she'd bought specifically for him. "I told you before, stealing isn't nice and you'll get the both of you in trouble." Tearing open the package, she handed it Ragnarok, who began chewing noisily. "That's some medicine and food for Chrona."

"Medicine? What's that for? He's not sick."

Maka's brow furrowed. "What? Professor Stein told me he was sick and that's why he wasn't in class all week."

"Oh, that. Yeah, Chrona made that all up." He said dismissively. "He was pretty convincing, too; 'oh Miss Marie, my wittwe tummy wummy hurts can you pwease excuse meee!' Hahaha! You know, I thought we'd cut the dumb classes and finally do something fun, but nooo! Old crybaby here just wants to lay in bed all day!" Ragnarok finished the candy and belched loudly before looking at Maka. "Got any more?"

"He's not sick? Why'd he lie, wh-what's going on?" Maka asked, her voice raising in pitch as she looked at Chrona, surprised he was still sleeping with the conversation that had been going on.

"Fuck if I know. Hey, you know what you should've bought Chrona? A video game console. That way, when he goes into hermit mode like this, I won't be so freaking bored!"

Maka frowned and stood up. "Yeah, I'll put it on my list of things to buy for Christmas. Chrona?" She reached past Ragnarok to try and wake Chrona once again. "Chrona, hey! Wake up!" She shook his shoulder more vigourously, and sighed when one eye opened blearily.

"What, Ragnarok? Is it dinnertime already?" He yawned as he sat up. Turning as he stretched, he blinked when he saw Maka. "Wh-what are you doing here?" He said with a frown and shifted away from her.

A lump formed in her throat. "That's it? No 'hey how are you'? No 'nice to see you'?" She forced herself to smile and forced those thoughts away. "No, I'm being selfish." She sat back down and said, "I came to see you. You've missed an entire week of class. Professor Stein said you were sick, but Ragnarok said you made that up." She tried to keep her tone even, but at the end it lilted towards disappointment.

"Hey, I didn't snitch!"

Chrona frowned and looked away. "Oh, yeah, um... I um... Uh..." He trailed off and she noticed how he was gripping the sheets so tightly his knuckles were turning white. After a few moments he replied in a quiet whisper, "I'm not feeling well."

Maka's fingers tapped against her skirt for a moments before she shifted to sit beside Chrona on the bed. "Please don't lie to me." She asked in a soft voice. She wrapped one arm around his slender shoulders, and he visibly flinched. Her heart lurched in her chest. Did he think she was going to hurt him? "I just want to help, Chrona. What's wrong?" She asked again.

"Yeah, out with it! I'm bored out of my mind sitting here with you when you won't even talk to me!" Ragnarok peered down at him.

"What could be so bad that he won't even tell Ragnarok?" Maka frowned as she looked up at his weapon before looking back down at him. "Please?" Her voice was thick with worry and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this concerned.

Chrona tried to pull away from her and even though she didn't want to let go, she let her hands drop reluctantly and he stood up and walked across the room, gripping his arm tightly. "I'm sorry. I don't want to talk right now. I'm sorry." He sniffed, and Ragnarok rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry." He repeated again.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She forced a smile even though he couldn't see it. "I should be the one apologizing." Her jaw tightened as she tried to stomach the feeling of rejection and stood up. "I brought you some food. I know I always say this, but you're more than welcome to come spend time with me and Soul if you want to get out of the dungeon."

"Th-thanks."

Silence settled between them for a moment.

Maka swallowed, and on impulse stepped forward to pull him into a hug from behind.

When she'd first given him a hug, congratulating him on his high test score, he'd been very tense and it had taken him a long time to return the gesture without feeling awkward. But for the first time in a long time, she felt him tense before he reached up and gave her hand a quick squeeze. She forced her disappointment down as he turned to face her. "Well, when you're ready to come spend some time with us, we'll be right where we always are." She gave him a nod and started to walk away before suddenly remembering. "Oh hey! Next month we're having the victory party to celebrate the anniversary of the Kishin's defeat! Wanna go with me?" She asked, face flushing slightly.

"Oh, um... I don't know, there'll be a lot of people there and I don't think I could deal with that right now." He muttered, crossing both arms to hug himself.

"Well, you don't have to decide right now." She reassured him and gave an awkward chuckle. "Actually, I should've known better than to ask when you're not feeling well. But if you change your mind, let me know, okay?" He gave a single nod back and silence fell over them again. "Well, see you later, Chrona." She gave him a timid wave and stepped into the hallway, closing the metal door behind her and sighing.

"Chrona, what's wrong?" She asked herself. "What aren't you telling me?" A memory came to the surface from what felt like a lifetime ago; matching wavelengths with him and erasing the line he'd drawn to protect himself. "It took so much effort just to get there. Is it back? It couldn't be, I don't know what could've caused this." Another memory came forward, the image of Chrona smiling in what were almost his last moments as he'd protected her from Medusa's arrow. "I don't understand. You were willing to die for me, but you don't want to talk to me? What's wrong?"

Turning back to the door, she closed her eyes and focused on his soul wavelength. She wasn't trying to match it, only trying to read it, and was shocked at how... muted it felt. Like she was trying to hear someone speak in another room while listening to music through headphones.

As she turned and walked through the dark hallways, she asked herself once more, "What's wrong?"


The weekend came and went without anything eventful, with much of it spent in her room endlessly reading books to try and distract her mind, and soon enough Maka found herself back in class Monday morning.

And her spirits were lifted when a few minutes before classes began, Chrona walked in. His gaze was on the ground as he approached, but he lifted his head and gave a small smile to the group before sitting down beside Maka.

Her own smile was infectious as she turned to look at everyone, and Chrona wilted a little as he saw from the corner of his eye that everyone was looking at him.

"Where ya been, Chrona?" Black Star asked, his loud voice carrying across the room. "We've been worried about you!"

"You?" Liz asked sarcastically.

"Well duh! Having a sad sack like Chrona around makes me look even brighter in comparison-"

"Maka chop!"

"Ow!"

"You deserved that one." Soul mumbled.

Tsubaki pulled out her notes and handed them to Chrona. "Here, you can copy what I've written down."

"Th-thanks."

"Hey Chrona, check this out!" Patty pulled out a notebook and started flipping through pages to show him a flip-animation she'd made a while ago.

Maka watched with her happiness restrained; as much as she wanted to talk to Chrona, she was afraid that if she started questioning him he'd run away to his room again. Instead she gave a gentle tug on his sleeve to get his attention. "If you need any help catching up, we can study together later."

"Sure."


The day came and went with a myriad of energetic conversations, and as the students returned home, Chrona headed back down to the dungeon.

"Sheesh, they're annoying." Ragnarok popped out Chrona's back and looked down at him. "Why don't you lie about food poisoning again and take some more time off? Except this time, don't spend every day stuck in your damn room and actually go somewhere fun!"

"I can't lie again, Dr. Stein will try to dissect me to figure out what's wrong with me and I don't know how to deal with being dissected." He mumbled as he stepped into his room. "And I shouldn't have lied in the first place. I just..."

Ragnarok reached down to poke him. "You just what? You still haven't told me what's going on. I can't read minds, idiot, so tell me what's wrong so I can call you an idiot and we can go back to getting free food from those do gooders."

There was silence between them as Chrona stood with his gaze downcast. "I don't know how to talk about it. It doesn't make sense." He admitted with a shaky, quiet voice. "I just want to stop feeling this way."

"What way?" Ragnarok asked. When he wasn't answered, he let out a, "Tch. Idiot." Punched Chrona's head, then disappeared back into Chrona's body.

Chrona let out a slow sigh, dropped his bag on the ground, and fell face first into his bed.

His eyes closed, and as he slept, his mind was pulled back to that day so long ago...


"Chrona!"

He would never be able to rationalize it - after saving the world and beating a god of madness whose mere existence threatened the entire world, the first thing she did was run up to him to make sure he was okay. It should've been the other way around. He wasn't worth that kind of attention.

"You're alright! Thank the gods, you're alright!" She pulled him into a fierce hug, tears falling from her face freely. "Ah-ah-are you in any pain?" Her voice was warbling as her face flushed. "Do you need to sit down? C'mon, we'll find you a bed!"

"I'm alright!" He reassured her. He grit his teeth through the pain he felt caused by her hug; Ragnarok may be keeping the wound closed along with Stein's medicinal work, but it still burned. "Wh-what about you? I mean, you stopped the Kishin, aren't you hurt?" He looked her up and down, noticing the cuts on her legs and face and how her uniform was torn in several places.

"I'll be alright." She said with a wheezing voice. Her eyes were starting to become unfocused. "I'm just glad your safe." She coughed into her hand, blood staining her glove, and wobbled.

"Maka!" He cried in alarm.

"I've got her." Spirit wrapped an arm around her. He smiled at her as he placed both hands on her shoulders to steady he. "I'm so proud of you."

It was a testament to how tired she was that she didn't pull away or insult him like she normally did. "Thanks Papa. I think I need to lie down."

"Let's go to the infirmary. I can look after everyone's injuries there." Stein stood and began leading the group down stairs.

As they walked, Maka grabbed onto Chrona's hand. He didn't say anything, but his heartbeat quickened. No one else noticed, as they all started talking about their victory and what they were going to do next and how crazy the battle was. He was glad Ragnarok was still unconscious within him, otherwise he'd definitely call them out.


Several hours later, Chrona was sitting in a chair in the waiting room down the hall, and after sleeping off and on, eventually he looked up to see Stein standing over him. "I-Is she-"

"She's fine. She'll need to rest up for a few weeks, but after that she'll be as good as new."

Chrona visibly relaxed. "Thank you. U-Um..." Tears suddenly swam in his vision. "Pr-Professor, I'm sorry-"

"You don't have to apologize, Chrona."

"I-I do- if it wasn't for me..." He sniffled and looked away.

"Chrona." Stein's tone was gentle yet serious. "I've spent my entire life struggling against the madness within me. You're probably one of the few people in the world who can relate to that." He adjusted the bolt in his head, and Chrona lifted his gaze. "But no one in this world has total control over their own lives, not even Lord Death. Medusa was going to find some way to unhinge me, with or without you, or Marie. I was a powerful piece on the board that need to be controlled or taken off it. So don't apologize. You more than made up for it when you chose to save Maka's life. Because of you, she was able to save everyone." He gave Chrona a tired smile. "That means you saved me, too."

He drew in his breath sharply. "I-I couldn't let anything happen to her..."

"Then go to her. She wouldn't stop talking about you while she was being treated." He lifted his hand to gesture with his thumb, then walked out while adjusting his screw further.

Chrona stood and began walking down the hall. 'Maka saved everyone.' He thought. 'But Lady Medusa is gone... What am I supposed to do?' He stopped as panic welled up in his chest. 'Am I supposed to live at the academy forever now?' The thought was alien to him; even before running away, he'd never really believed that. But now he had no idea what he was actually supposed to do.

As he got to the end of the hall, he heard could hear voices. "But whersh Chronaaaa?"

"I told you, he's getting rest too. He'll come by sooner or later."

"But I wanna see him nooooow! Awwww..."

Through the door, he could hear Maka and Spirit arguing. Maka's voice was slow and slurred, and he realized she must've been on a lot of painkillers. He opened the door, and he gasped as he saw that she was covered in bandages beneath a hospital gown. "M-Maka!"

"Found him! Seee?" She stuck her tongue out at Spirit, who chuckled and shook his head. Her pupils were dilated and her movements were weak.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he stood beside her bed.

"Never better! I punched the Kishin!" She proudly proclaimed. "He blew up!" She smiled up at the ceiling, and her head fell back to the pillow with a thump.

Chrona smiled a little despite himself. He swallowed and looked at Spirit. "How long will she be like this?"

"The painkillers should wear off in a few hours." Spirit stood and stretched, wincing as he did so. "I could use a few myself, actually... I'll leave her with you, alright? Come and find me or Stein if something happens." He gave a wave and left the room.

Chrona watched the door close, and turned his attention back to Maka. "Uh-Um..." He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he tried to think of something to say.

"Oh, Chrona!" His attention was drawn back to Maka as she called out to him suddenly. "I was wondering where you were!"

"I-I was right here..." He said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Suddenly, Maka's gaze darkened and she frowned. "But you were gone for so long..." He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say. "I missed you..." She said with a sniffle.

'I don't know how to deal with her when the medicine makes her act weird...' He thought to himself. "I'm not going anywhere." He reassured her, trying to muster up what he thought sounded like a confident tone. It probably didn't, but he had to try for her sake.

"You mean it? Yaaay!" She threw her hands in the air to celebrate.

Chrona smiled, but it fell after a moment. "I don't understand. Why do I make you happy? I don't... I'm not..."

She reached forward to grab his hand, and pulled his attention with it. "Chronaaa." Her voice was almost a whine. "You make happy because you're the most wonderful person I've ever met... sweet and gentle and kind... You didn't deserve to be abused by Medusa-" Even through the painkillers, the shift in her tone to anger was palpable- "And I'd do anything to make you happy."

"B-But... You have so many other friends that you could help... Why would you help me?"

"Because that's what you do for the people you love."

Chrona went rigid, his eyes widening as he stared at Maka. His mind took off at a million miles an hour - did she say she loved him? Was that possible? No, it couldn't be - Maka couldn't love him, not even his own mother loved him. He was a killer, his body was polluted with madness, he was weak without Ragnarok and a freak with him, who could love him? And how could Maka love him? She was the undisputed hero of the world, saving everyone from an enemy not even Lord Death could stop - surely after this, she could have anyone she wanted, why would she choose to love him?

"Y-Y-You mean as friends, right? Like a f-f-friendly love, right?" He asked. It was something he'd heard before, that love came in different forms - like the love between siblings, or owners and pets, or even the platonic love between most weapons and meisters. His breathing started to slow down. She loved him, but she wasn't in love with him. She loved all her friends. It was just a simple misunderstanding.

"More than that." She squeezed his hand. "Ever since I went into your soul, it's like my whole life has been different. I don't know how its possible, but it's as though you're a piece of my life that's been missing and I didn't even realize it. Ever since Mama and Papa got divorced, I never thought about love, because all I knew it as was two selfish people who used each other and didn't care about each other... but that can't be, because I care about you more than anything, I want you to be happy more than anything... I don't want want to use you just to make myself happy, you know? This has to be what love is. I love you, Chrona."

"B-But..." He struggled to find the words to say. There was a large part of him trying to deny her words, saying that no matter what it was a lie or a dream or a misunderstanding, and there was another part of him, much smaller, that wanted to say four words back to her... Even though... "I don't know how to love anyone." His voice was so quiet she didn't hear him and leaned forward. He stood up, and quickly stammered out, "I-It's okay, the painkillers are making you act funny! You don't have to say things like that just to cheer me up! I'm glad you're back, too!"

He gave her an out, so that when the effects wore off and she was back to her normal self, she wouldn't avoid him out of embarrassment and they could both go on like this conversation had never happened.


He was incredibly lucky. By some miracle, Maka couldn't remember anything after Stein had initially put her under for some of the surgery she needed that day, and when he went back to speak with her the next day, she didn't bring it back up.

Never hinted at it, and even though they ended up spending a lot of time alone together, never said anything like that again.

And as enough time passed, the fear that he'd rejected her and hurt her feelings faded, and though he was always a little nervous that she might try to confess again, he was able to enjoy her company regardless.


"Yo, Earth to Maka." Soul waved his hand in front of his partners face.

She blinked as she looked up from the turned off television. "Huh?"

He frowned, his face softening as he sat beside her on the couch. "I asked you what was up with you and Chrona."

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Come on. Did you have a fight with him or something?"

Slowly, she shook her head. "No... I don't know what's going on... I don't think I've said anything to upset him..." She closed her eyes, thinking over all her conversations with him before he'd put distance between them.

"Want me to talk to him?" Soul put his hands behind his head as Maka looked up at him. "Maybe he'll open up to someone else. And if not me, maybe one of the others, or the Professor or Miss Marie. Either way, it's bumming us out, and it's really bumming you out, which means the rest of us are even more bummed out."

"You can try." She shrugged, then muttered under her breath, "I can't imagine you making things worse with him." When Soul leaned forward, she straightened to sit upright. "Just promise you'll be nice to him." He scoffed, and Maka frowned. "What?"

"I'll be nice." He said with a dismissive wave. "But don't you think maybe that's part of the problem? Medusa might've toughened him up the wrong way, but he is tough. He can handle himself outside of combat. He's gotten a lot better at dealing with other people. Maybe instead of coddling him, it might be time to remind that he's going to have to face a lot of difficult situations head on - and that hiding in his room isn't going to help him."

Maka's frown deepened. A part of her wanted to argue, to remind him that Chrona had been through a hell he never deserved, but another part recognized their might be wisdom in what he was saying. "Sure, Soul. If something happens, let me know." She turned away, looking back into the blank television. She didn't pay any attention to Soul leaving as she thought, "I hope you're burning in Hell for what you did to Chrona, Medusa. He doesn't deserve to suffer because of what you've done - he's a good person with a wonderful soul that you corrupted. Maybe I can't fix what you did, but I can try to give him what he deserves." She lifted a hand to her heart. "I promise you, Chrona."


A few days later, Soul and Tsubaki headed down to the dungeon to get Chrona after classes ended.

"Where are we going?" He asked as the two weapons lead him into the park.

"There's this little spot we use for training up ahead." Soul replied.

"Are we going to train today? But usually we train during class, I'm confused..."

"Well, we're not going to train, exactly." Tsubaki said.

"Here we are." Soul stopped at the entrance to a small clearing in the park, large enough for a weapon and meister to practice techniques and far enough away from the main path and most people that they wouldn't be bothered. "Alright, let's get started."

"You still haven't told me what we're doing." Chrona's voice was small.

Soul lifted a thumb to point at himself. "You're going to try and wield me." He said.

"What? But you're Maka's partner, and I have Ragnarok! Why would I do that?"

Chrona's eyes widened as he saw the serious look Soul giving him. "Because. If we go out on a mission and you get hit with some enemies soul wavelength and can't use Ragnarok, or Maka gets knocked out or dies or something, we might have to work together. I know that seems like a stretch, but we need to be ready for anything. None of us expected the Kishin to come back, after all. We don't know who else is out there or what they're capable of." Soul extended his hand.

Ragnarok popped out of Chrona's back. "Yeah right! There's no way Chrona could match soul wavelengths with an idiot like you. What are you trying to do?"

Soul ignored him as he kept his hand extended. "Well?"

Slowly, Chrona extended his hand and grabbed onto Soul's. His grip was stronger than Chrona's, and he was shocked by how warm the scythe's hand felt. Warm and strong, the complete opposite of him. He wondered what Soul thought of him.

"Alright. Now, I'm gonna transform."

"W-Wait!"

But in a flash of light, Soul changed - and Chrona's hand involuntarily closed around him.

"Hey, you're actually doing it! Holy shit!" Ragnarok watched in amazement as Chrona held Soul awkwardly in both hands.

"N-No I'm not!" Steam rose from Chrona's hands, and he dropped him to the ground as he blew on his hands.

Ragnarok let out a laugh as Soul changed back to his human form. "Well, what'd I say?"

"Sorry for dropping you..."

"Don't worry about it. At least now we know you couldn't use me. Now try it again with Tsubaki."

She stepped forward with a smile, and held out both hands. "I'm ready when you are."

Chrona clenched and unclenched his hands into fists. Though he'd only held onto Soul for a moment, the pain was surprisingly intense. He frowned as he looked at Tsubaki; he really didn't want to do that again. But she gave an encouraging nod, and he took her hands as he thought, "We get along even though we don't talk much. Maybe our soul wavelengths are compatible..."

Tsubaki transformed, and Chrona flinched as he expected his hands to be burned again. But instead of getting burned again, his arms dropped and he nearly fell over as he tried to lift Tsubaki off the ground. "She weighs a ton!" He said through grit teeth. Ragnarok shifted into two arms sprouting from Chrona's back and tried to help him to no avail.

He let go as her weapon form was enveloped in a bright light and she returned to her human form.

"Maka was able to wield me last time we tried this. But Kid couldn't." Tsubaki told him as he gripped his arm.

"Yeah, and Black Star couldn't wield Patty or Liz, even though Maka was able to wield Liz. Kid couldn't wield me either." Soul added.

Chrona looked between them in confusion. "R-Right..." He said uncertainly, not sure where they were going with this.

"My point is, we don't always work together, even when we think we should." Soul said, as though he were reading his mind. "But at the end of the day, doesn't mean we aren't friends. Kid and Tsubaki get along, and Black Star gets along with the Thompson sisters. Just because something might be holding us back, it doesn't mean we have to stop trying altogether."

"Um..."

Tsubaki clasped her hands behind her back. "Chrona, what's going on?" She asked, and he looked away. "You've been way more withdrawn than usual, and Maka says you won't talk to her. We're worried about you."

Chrona shook his head and closed his eyes. "You wouldn't get it." He said slowly.

"You aren't alone anymore." Tsubaki's voice was gentle and persistent at the same time. "We're your friends, you can trust us. We won't tell anything to anyone unless you want us to."

He turned around, hugging himself with both arms. "I'm sorry. I can't."

Soul frowned and moved to stand in front of him. "That's not gonna cut it. Maka nearly fell into the madness when she fought you beneath the academy in order to save you, then she nearly died when she abandoned the mission to stop Arachne and the Kishin to go after you. Maybe you don't realize it, but you're probably the most important person in the world to her. I know you've got some personal problems, but you're not selfish enough to not realize that. You're worrying her, and you're worrying us." He grabbed Chrona by the arms and shook him, causing him to open his eyes.

He pulled out of Soul's grasp and stepped back from both him and Tsubaki. "I didn't ask you or Maka to come after me!" He said angrily, tears forming in his eyes. "And it was my fault that I was there - I had to make things right!"

"You nearly died for Maka, but you won't tell us what's bothering you!?" Tsubaki's gaze was confusion mixed with anger.

"I already told you, you wouldn't understand!" Chrona turned and began walking away. "I know you want to help, but you can't, so just... leave me alone."

Soul and Tsubaki watched as he ran away, then looked at each in confusion and disappointment, before heading back to their respective homes in quiet contemplation, unsure what was going on and no idea how to help.


The days bled into the next few weeks, with Chrona barely talking and contributing little more than was absolutely necessary. All his answers to questions asked of him were monosyllabic whenever he spent time with them, and the longer it went on, the more frustrated Maka became. She took some solace in the fact that he didn't outright avoid them, but a part of her was nagged by doubt that if he tried hide away, they'd try and force him to come out of his cell and things would only get worse from there.

But the night of the party to celebrate the anniversary of the Kishin's death, Chrona was nowhere to be found.

And as she stood in front of a crowd of large people, telling them how it was bravery she needed to stand against the Kishin, as she looked out for a head of pink hair and the accompanying annoying weapon, she didn't see it. She ended her speech about hope for the future feeling anxious and uncertain. Stepping off the stage, she walked over to her group of friends. "Hey, has anyone seen Chrona?" She tried not to sound so troubled, but her friends saw right through it.

"No, sorry." Liz said. "Maybe he's in his cell downstairs?"

"But- I invited him here." She said dejectedly, looking down at the ground. "This party is as much for him as it is for us." Her voice was a low murmur as her hands started to shake before she clenched them into fists.

"Well, if he is downstairs, why don't you go get him?" Soul suggested.

Maka looked up and nodded once, and began making her way through the crowd, offering polite excuses to people trying to talk to the hero who'd saved the world.


"Chrona!" She pounded on his door with more force than was necessary, but she couldn't contain her emotions any longer. "Are you there?" She waited for a moment, and then shook her head. "I'm coming in!"

He was sitting on his bed, hugging his pillow. "What are you doing here?" His voice was muffled by the pillow.

"I came down here to see you." She sat beside him on the bed, and tried to get him to look at her, but he buried his face further into the pillow. "You're scaring me, Chrona." She frowned as he tensed. "Why won't you talk to us? Do you not want us to be your friends anymore?" He shook his head against the pillow. "Then what is it? Please, look at me!"

"I can't!" He turned so his back was to her.

Maka swallowed hard. She only had one card left to play, and it made her feel guilty and dirty for what she said next; but if saying something she didn't mean would get him to open up, then so be it. "Chrona, you told me once you don't want to make people sad anymore, that you didn't want to lose your only friend - but that's exactly what's happening! You're breaking my heart! If you won't talk to me anymore, then I'm not gonna try anymore - you'll be on your own." Tears bristled in her eyes as she lied, but finally, he turned around to face her. She reached forward to grip his arms gently. "Please Chrona, I don't want to lose you." That was the truth, but the whole truth was that she would never stop trying to make him happy.

"Maka..." He let his arms drop to his sides, and tears fell from his face. Unable to bear the thought of losing her, of being trapped in this dungeon without ever seeing or hearing her ever again, he finally confessed what had been troubling him so much recently. "You killed my mom."

She drew in her breath sharply as her eyes widened.

Chrona's voice shook as he continued. "A-And I know she had to die, that she did so many terrible things just to try and end the world, b-but..." Chrona's sniffled and rubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "I miss her - even though I shouldn't and I hate myself for feeling this way, but sometimes I think about how much easier life was, even if she abused me and hurt me. Everyone up there is celebrating how she died along with the Kishin, but all I can think about is how much I wish she had been a good mom, and I don't know if I hate you or myself or her, and I don't know what to do..." His voice shook and looked away. "I can't deal with this. It's too much."

Maka sat in stunned silence, completely taken by surprise.

All she could think about was how guilty she felt. How many times had she bragged to her friends about what she'd done to save Chrona? How many times had she cursed Medusa's name, how many times had she used her as an insulting comparison in the last year?

How many times had she done such things in front of Chrona?

"I'm sorry..." She finally said after a few moments of silent contemplation. "I-I didn't know..." She swallowed thickly, and Chrona pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Do you see now? I don't know what to say or do..."

Silence settled over them once more as Maka stood up. "I understand." She frowned as she looked out the window. Chrona looked up at her uncertainly. "I'll leave you alone." She forced a friendly smile on her face, but Chrona saw it slip as she tried to stifle her tears before she left the room.

Ragnarok popped out of his back, making his eyes widen. "Sheesh, you two are drama queens. And you're an idiot! An even bigger idiot than I thought!" Ragnarok started pulling at Chrona's hair, ignoring his meisters protests. "You miss Medusa!? REALLY!? You miss being starved and stabbed and being locked in a dark room every day!? What the hell? Going to all these classes has made you dumber instead of smarter! You're so stupid you probably hold the world record for dumbest man alive!"

"Quit it!" Chrona pushed back into the stone wall behind him suddenly, slamming Ragnarok against it. "You wouldn't understand! You don't remember your mother at all, you're lucky!"

"Lucky!? I look like this and I'm stuck with you! How am I lucky? If you're dumbest guy alive, I'm the unluckiest!" With an exasperated, angry screech, Ragnarok disappeared into Chrona's back.

"I'm sorry..." Chrona thought as he sniffled and covered his face with his hands. "It's just another thing I don't know how to deal with..."

His tears flowed freely as the confusing mix of anger and regret washed through him.


Later that night, Soul returned home after enjoying the party. He was worried when Maka didn't return, but he knew that Maka and Chrona were extremely close and needed to talk, and that any talking that happened would take some time and if they didn't come upstairs together, he'd most likely find her at home.

So he wasn't surprised to see her on the couch, still in her red evening dress and staring at the floor dejectedly. "Hey." He called out to her.

It was a moment before she responded with a simple and quiet, "Hey."

He frowned and sighed. "I'm guessing your talk didn't go so well."

She shook her head from side to side slowly.

"Well, did he tell you what's wrong?"

She nodded slowly, her face twisting into a frown.

Soul stood in front of her, but she didn't look up. "Well? What's up with him?"

"It's not my place to say. Chrona's..." She trailed off. "I think..." She hesitated. "Maybe if we give him some more time, he'll eventually come back around to his usual self. But it might still be awhile."

He scoffed. "You're just gonna let him sit and mope? This isn't like you. You really aren't going to do anything?"

Maka finally looked up at him. Her face was defiant. "If you fell down the stairs and broke your arm, I couldn't make your arm heal faster just by being around you. And if it was because of me-" She bit her tongue as she tried not to say too much.

It would have been hard for Soul to notice the slip. "He's mad at you?"

"Not exactly. It's complicated. And I told you, it's not my place to say. Chrona doesn't want to talk about it, and until I know how to help, it's better if we just give him the space he needs."

Soul shook his head; they'd gone in a massive circle with this whole situation over the past month. "Fine." He said with a wave as he went to his room. As he locked the door and began changing, he clicked his tongue. "This whole situation isn't cool at all."


A few days later, the mail came.

"Bills... Another magazine subscription... Oh! A postcard!"

Maka quickly tore it open, her eyes wide with anticipation as she got the first contact with her mother since she'd sent the 'bravery' postcard over a year ago. As she discarded the envelope, her brow slowly knitted together. The scene on the postcard wasn't of a location, or a landmark or tourist attraction. There were three people dressed as knights; the first and second knights wore white armor, and the third wore black armor and was laying on the ground in a pool of blood. In the background, a castle burned while a flag was raised. The whole scene looked like it was from an old tragedy; as though the white knights did not want to kill the black knight and the castle wasn't worth the price it cost.

Written in the bottom was a single sentence: The price of victory.

Turning it over revealed nothing. Unsettled, Maka set it down and frowned. "What's this supposed to mean, Mama? Not even a 'good job' for defeating the Kishin? Just a strange postcard?" She sniffled suddenly and wiped her eyes with her sleeve to brush away the tears that bristled in the corner of her eyes. Picking up the postcard again, she looked over it in the vain hope it might reveal something, but nothing changed. "When are you coming back?" She asked herself as she slumped back in her seat.

And then, like a lightning flash in her mind, her thoughts shifted. "Chrona..."

She stood up numbly, went to her room and grabbed her coin purse, and then headed for the front door. In the hall, she passed by Soul.

"Hey, what's up?"

She stopped and turned to him. "Hey, is it alright if I borrow your bike for a couple of days?"

His brow raised; he definitely hadn't been expecting that. "What are you planning to do? We have school Monday."

"Please." She hoped she wouldn't have to explain to him what her plan was, but she also knew how protective he was of his baby.

He searched her eyes, saw that quiet resolution in her eyes he'd seen many times before, and decided against questioning her further. "Here. Try not to scratch it." He said as he ducked into his room and returned with the keys.

Maka's lips lifted as she took the keys from him. "Thanks; I'll be back later and I'll give these back tomorrow."

Soul didn't get a chance to say anything as she quickly ran out of the apartment.


The next day, Maka knocked on Chrona's cell door. "It's me. Are you here?" She heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and a moment later it slowly opened. Her shoulders relaxed and a small smile formed on her face. "Hey."

Chrona's eyes lowered to the ground. "H-Hey."

Despite his despondent look, Maka's smile didn't fade. She took a small step forward and reached up to gently curl her fingers around his upper arm. "I'd like to you show you something. Will you come with me?" She saw his Adams apple move as he swallowed nervously, and he gave a jerky head nod as he looked up. Maka beamed and gently lead him out of the cell and through the DWMA, until they reached the bottom of the stairs in front of the academy and got on Soul's motorcycle.

Chrona clung to Maka perhaps a little more tightly than was necessary; she wasn't a bad driver by any means, but he'd never ridden a motorcycle before and was scared by the loud engine. Even though he'd flown using Ragnarok's black blood as wings before, he didn't feel afraid then because at least he was partially in control. He trusted Maka, but the bike itself...

They drove out of the city, and headed into the mountains. There wasn't a paved road, but there was a visible trail and nothing in the way, so as they climbed up until they were on top of a plateau from which they could see Death City not too far off in the distance. "Where are we?" Chrona asked.

Maka gave him her hand and helped him off the bike, and he looked around until he saw an object that was clearly man made sticking out of the ground. He noticed that Maka kept holding his hand as they approached it, but didn't say anything. In a rare occurrence, his curiosity was beating out his nervousness. "Here, this is what I wanted to show you." She gestured with her free hand to what he recognized as a headstone.

And then, he gasped as he read what was on it.

Medusa Gorgon

Witch

In trying to give us our greatest enemy, she brought us our greatest friend.

Chrona's eyes were wide as the wind pulled at his robe, and he opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing came out. He wanted to ask why, but he was too stunned.

"I got a postcard from my mom yesterday."

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Maka spoke up. When he looked at her, the smile from before was replaced with a crestfallen, stormy look.

"You remember how I told you she was travelling? It's been years since she's been back. She left when I was little." She gripped his hand tighter. "I told you my favourite memory of her was the divorce... That she was cool and collected. But I remember how she and Papa would argue when they thought I was asleep. And..." Her voice waved suddenly, and when she spoke again it was thick with emotion. "She didn't even say goodbye when she left. I woke up one day and Papa said she'd left town and he didn't know when she was going to be back. And all I've got a bunch of postcards and toys that she's sent me. But I just want her back." A couple of tears fell down her cheeks. "But when she does come back, I know I'm going to be so angry at her for leaving. Part of me doesn't even want her to come back. I mean, I've done all right so far, right? I just..." She looked away and cleared her throat. "I know what it's like. A little. To miss someone who hurt you- I mean, I know it's not even close. But, I made you this. I thought you should have someplace you can be close to her."

He listened with his gaze focused on the ground.

The sunlight beat down on them, and the wind tugged at their clothes some more. It rustled in the breeze.

Maka's hand was warm in his, and she gripped him tightly, had been ever since she'd started talking.

It was several minutes before Chrona spoke. But when he did, it was directed at his mothers marker. "You... hurt me so much. I hated you. I hated what you did to me. I realized when I was young that you were one of the few people in the world who could do something like that to their own child, and that I was never going to have a normal life. A-And when you would hug me and tell me you loved me after I killed innocent people, I wanted to believe it, and pretended for so long that it was true, but deep down I knew it wasn't. Even though I hated you... I still wanted to be loved by you. I don't think I could have killed you. Because... Because of you, I met Maka- and Soul and Black Star and Kid and Professor Stein and Miss Marie... All the people I care about, I know because of you... I guess I'll never understand why you hated everything in this world, including me, but if someone like me could be happy here, you could too... I just wish you could have had the chance..."

He tried to continue, but his chest and he fell to his knees. He let go of Maka's hand and held his face with both hands as he tried to hold back his sobbing. It felt like he'd gotten a huge weight off his chest, yet at the same time he still had so much left to say.

Ragnarok popped out of his back. "Chrona might have had a soft spot for his mom, but I sure don't! Screw you! Screw you for taking my body away and sticking me in this lame sad sack! Screw you for trying to kill me!" He blew a raspberry and vanished back into Chrona.

A few minutes passed by as Chrona re-composed himself, Maka stood by patiently. After he stood up and rubbed his eyes, she gave him a small smile. "Better?"

He nodded and gave a small smile of his own, marred though it was by tear tracks. She stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around him, and he sighed and wrapped his arms around her.

"I can't believe she did this." He thought as he looked at the headstone. "I don't think anyone hated Medus- Mom more than Maka did. Why would she do this for me?" His gaze shifted and he looked down at Maka, noticing how her head fit perfectly beneath his chin and how soft she felt in his arms.

Not for the first time, he wondered if he should tell her what she'd confessed to him. It had felt wrong, to keep her words to him a secret, but he was too afraid of what might change if he told her what she'd said.

"She must've felt on top of the world, that day." He mused as the wind continued to push their clothes around. "She beat the Kishin, she saved everybody... I guess most people would have confessed in that situation. It's what I've heard and read about so much. The day is saved and the two lovers get together. But Maka's never said anything like that since..." His eyes widened as he realized something. "Not out loud, not in words. But she's always looking out for me, she's always doing nice things for me... Maybe she's just afraid to say how she feels because she'll think I'll reject her... Like I did the first time... Maybe she does remember and hasn't said anything." He frowned as he realized maybe he'd upset her so long ago and had been too plagued by self doubt to realize it.

Maka pulled back and smiled up at him. "Ready to go? Or do you want to stay here a little longer?"

His hands lowered from her back, and slowly drifted down to her waist. He realized that her her hands were on his shoulders. "And yet, she doesn't seem bothered by it..."

"We can head back." He said, letting his hands drop to his sides. Maka nodded, and they returned to the motorcycle.


A short while later, they were standing outside of the entrance to Maka's apartment. She wanted to drop the bike off first and walk Chrona back, so he followed her upstairs to their apartment. "Hey Soul? Blair? Anyone here?" She called out as she entered first. "Huh... Guess it's just us... Do you want to stay for a little while? We can make some tea and watch a movie." She suggested as she turned around.

Chrona swallowed nervously. "Th-That sounds nice."

Maka beamed at him. "Great! I'll put the kettle on. Make yourself at home."

As he sat down and turned the television on, he wondered if it really meant so much to her. He didn't have much to give her - not in way of conversation since he knew so little, and he certainly didn't have any money he could give her. If she loved him as she once said she did, why? He was raised a fighter; what could he give her on a peaceful day like this? He looked out the window, where the late afternoon sun was filtering through. It wasn't sunset quite yet, but it was close enough.

He started flipping through the channels while he waited for the tea to boil.

A few minutes later, Maka came from the kitchen and put their tea on the coffee table in front of them, then sat next to Chrona. She drew her legs up under her and asked, "What do you want to watch?"

"She's always suggesting we do something I want, even though I don't have an answer." He handed the remote to her. "Oh, um, I'm not sure. I don't really know what's on."

"Here, I'll flip to the guide and we can find something there."

Hesitantly, Chrona wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't say anything, just leaned into him and rested her head against his shoulder. For the millionth time, he asked himself why she would choose to be his friend, and why she wanted to be more. "Maka?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at him. "For what?"

"For hiding for so long. I just... didn't know how to deal with it."

She sighed and gave him a sad smile. "It's okay Chrona. No one would. It's hard enough to accept losing a parent you never got to say goodbye to, and I can't imagine how much harder it would be if that parent was her." She reached down to his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "You don't have to apologize."

He squeezed back, and on impulse shifted his hand to lace fingers with hers. "If she's happy being with me... It's now or never..." He cleared his throat and said, "I'd like to make it up to you. W-Would you like to go somewhere, just the two of us?" He could fill his heart beating. "Maybe I should've been more explicit, I should have said date, I should have-"

"Okay." Maka had a wonderful, genuine smile on her face, one that made Chrona feel happier just seeing it. "I'd love that."

"Y-Yeah." He gave a quick nod, and Maka once more rested her head against his shoulder.

Even though she'd flipped to a program, he wasn't watching.

The late afternoon sun kept them warm as they held each other close.

And he couldn't understand why she'd chosen to be with him, a coward and murderer who missed his evil, abusive mother when she could've been with anyone braver or stronger than him. Part of him knew he'd never accept her choice completely, that there would always be a lingering sense of doubt. Another part of him wanted to say he only accepted it out of obligation, that he owed someone something for all of the terrible things he'd done, and if giving Maka his life was what he had to do to atone, so be it.

And in the quiet of her apartment in the peace they'd won, he knew that he was finally ready to accept being loved and that this time, his love would be reciprocated.


A/N

What do you think? Drop a review and let me know. I hope that despite being over 10k words, it was worth it. Chrona's such an interesting character, I wish I had the opportunity to write more about him and his relationship with Maka. But it's hard when it's already written so well in the first place, you know? Like how am I supposed to compete with the canon of the manga/anime?