26. Forever and a day - Crona
Dazzling lights danced around the crowded room as conversation filled in between the piano that played in the background. She stood off to the side, sparkling glass in one hand with her hip jutted out. These types of events were not her thing, but she would endure. Blue eyes scanned the room, searching for dark hair with three white stripes that encircled his entire head. It didn't take long to find him, he stood out. He was encircled by some of the guests, luring them in with each word he spoke. She couldn't hear what they were talking about over the other chatter throughout the room, but she knew they would agree with him without much debate.
She stared fondly at the male, taking a sip of the drink in her hand; the taste wasn't her favorite. A few guests burst out into laughter as lips curved up on the man she was admiring. He folded his hands behind his back, standing at his full height. Whether they were enamored by his humor, his money, or both, he had them wrapped around his finger - like he had her.
"Wow," A voice beside her broke her train of thought. "He is laying on the charm." She turned her gaze to the female that appeared next to her, her sandy colored hair tied up into a bun. She smiled at her, glad to have her friend join her in this overly crowded event.
"He most definitely has them eating out the palm of his hands." Crona remarked back, tilting her head in the direction Kid was at. A few strands of her hair fell into her face, which she quickly pulled behind her ear.
"He sure has the vocabulary to do it." The other female answered, crossing her arms around her midsection, keeping her drink upright. Her stare was forward, examining Kid doing what he did best.
There was a hint of jealousy laced into her words, although there shouldn't have been. Crona thought both Maka and Kid were way smarter than anyone she knew. Her eyes trailed back to the man that was surrounded by investors and leeches. His mouth curved upward, once again, a smirk appearing on his face as he leaned into an older male, whispering secrets only known to them. His golden hues glowed in the dim lighting, causing a shiver to run down her exposed back. There wasn't a hair out of place on his head.
She remembered fondly how much he had brushed his hair to be the perfect shape that morning. He examined and re-examined every inch of the suit he was currently wearing, ironing every wrinkle out. Her heart ached, wanting to be in his strong arms as he took care of her, ironing out every knot in her back. That would be a nice end to their evening.
"Do you think you will be with him forever?" Maka mused, leaning closer to her to hopefully mask their conversation from outside ears. In response, a look of bewilderment graced Crona's face. Maka, noticing immediately, raised a hand up to defend herself. "I'm only asking because both of you have an extended life span." Crona's eyebrows scrunched together in thought.
She, honestly, hadn't thought that far ahead. Her eyes raised to rest on the man in question, his own laughter ringing through the room. She rubbed her lips together as she watched him, completely taking him in. Pinpricks of panic stabbed at her heart as she gazed upon his perfection. Not a hair out of place. She would devote herself fully to him, without question, but would he? Would he get tired of her after a few hundred years?
One of her hands pressed into her short hair. It wasn't completely brushed down to perfection like his was. Removing her hand from her pink locks, she found herself rubbing down her floor length dress, knowing there had to be a wrinkle she didn't spot, like he would. She was a complete mess compared to him. Maybe someone more put together would come along? Her teeth now dug into her lower lip, anxiety eating at her soul. Maka, worried, raised a hand to her shoulder in hopes to comfort her.
As if he sensed a disturbance in her, warm, honey filled eyes found her pale, blue ones. Shoulders tensed up as her body went rigid at his gaze. He glanced away briefly, excusing himself from the circle he had formed around him. A couple of long strides later and he appeared in front of her. By the time it took him to get there, Maka had removed herself from Crona's side, allowing them to have a bit of privacy.
"Love," His warm arms embraced her. She sighed into his shoulder, an arm wrapping around him in return. "Are you enjoying yourself?" His question was a rhetoric one as he whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling her.
He didn't wait for a response as he pulled away from her, staring at her face with half lidded eyes. Her knees felt weak at his expression. Her hand slid down his back and rested at his hip, fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt; his double ironed shirt. He didn't seem to mind as he became preoccupied with her bare shoulders. His fingers danced across her exposed skin, drifting up to the sides of her face.
He leaned forward, his forehead resting against her own. She knew immediately what he was doing, a frown etching its way on her face as his eyes closed momentarily. A peek into her soul, even if it was for a moment. Before she could form a protest, his golden eyes opened back up. He became too efficient at that little trick. He brought himself closer, peppering kisses against her face and head, anywhere he could put one. She closed her eyes at the barrage of smooches he presented to her.
"Hey," Was her small complaint as he smothered her, his hands trembling as he cradled her face. Her face softened, reaching one hand up to cover one of his.
"I can wrap up this deal, give me a few minutes." His half lidded stare was all she needed for reassurance. He stepped away, holding her hand until he was too far away to do so. Both of them held out their hand a moment longer than necessary as he maneuvered back to the circle of people. She pulled her hand back, tucking a strand of hair back behind her ear.
"Maka," She spoke, knowing her friend was within earshot.
"Yes?" She answered, high heels clicking as she stepped closer.
A small, but sincere smile formed on her rosy lips as she turned to gaze at her friend. A warmth had enveloped around her heart, the place where Kid had peered into her soul. It was but a small, silent promise to her, and her alone. Maka's green eyes stared patiently as she waited for her friend to continue speaking. Removing her gaze from her friend, she brought them back to the tall form of Kid. One of the older gentlemen clasped Kid's hand in a firm handshake, a smile plastered on both of their faces. Her eyes lingered on the man she adored, a feeling of hope inside her chest.
"I think I could spend forever and a day with Kid." She finally responded, her hand resting over where her heart lay within, feeling the calm, rhythmic beat.
27. Colors - Kid
His hands shifted around the pile of stuff toys, organizing them instead of actually admiring them. He couldn't stand the way they were so messily thrown onto the shelf. Maka was beside him, peering at the same shelf as he moved them around. Her lips pursed out in thought, eyebrows scrunched together.
"There."He stated out loud as he finished rearranging all the stuffed animals. His sandy haired friend raised an eyebrow in his direction but not questioning his antics, at least, not out loud. She was used to his ticks by now, hopefully.
"Oh, what about this one?" She asked, snatching up a purple elephant with a polka dot bow tie. He reeled in horror at it.
"Of course not." He was appalled she would even offer that as a present. Shrugging, she placed it back, making sure it was aligned with the other stuff toys.
His eyes scanned the wall, nothing really catching his eye at a first glance. Until, he saw it. It was like a spotlight appeared out of the sky and presented it to him. He stood on his tip toes, pulling down a pink rabbit with blue bead eyes, donning a black and white bow. He was mesmerized by it. He couldn't quite place what drew him to it, besides its symmetry.
"That?" Maka questioned, obviously not liking his choice of doll. "You really think that suits Patty?"
"No of course not!" He retorted, holding the bunny in both his hands as he glanced back at her. Her green eyes stared at him in confusion. Her mind was ticking and before he knew it, a wild smirk appeared on her face.
"Then who?" She mused, crossing her arms. He sputtered, having not gotten that far in his own mind as to why he was so drawn to it; especially not for who it was.
"Me?" He answered, uncertainty all over his face.
"Oh, sure. Yes." She nodded, clearly not buying into the fact that he wanted this for himself. He glared at her as he heard the teasing smile rising out of her. "Oh, not that it is weird, but have you seen the colors?" She stepped closer, her pigtails swaying at her movements. She reached a hand up and pulled one of the ears to the side, causing him to frown in response.
"Pink?" He felt stupid, he wasn't stupid, as she pestered him with small details.
"Bubblegum pink, sky blue eyes - any of this ringing a bell?" Maka deadpanned at him as it wasn't exactly clicking with him yet. They stared at each other, Kid focusing hard on a memory of who - the it hit him like a bunch of bricks. Crona - his heart sped up. Maybe he was stupid. It was obvious who this reminded him of, even the personality of a typical bunny - they fit that mark.
"...Their eyes are more like ice, actually." He murmured in response, correcting Maka on a certain fact that she should have known. Who wouldn't have remembered those clear eyes?
"Ohhh, yeah, totally. I guess I don't gaze into their eyes as often as you do." She snickered behind her hand, taking a step back as his face exploded red.
"W...What are you talking about?!" He exclaimed, rubbing his palm over his cheek, eyes averting away from her knowing stare.
"Hey, it's okay."She tried to reassure him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He still didn't glance back at her. "They are also attracted, subconsciously, toward the color black, especially if it has white stripes."Her voice lowered as she spoke, the mocking tone still present in her voice. And although he knew she was lying, a part of him wanted to believe that their pink haired friend also liked him.
"You're lying." He responded, attempting to pull himself together.
"I'm not!" She tugged his shoulder, trying to get him to look at her. "They bought socks that were solid black with white stripes. They also had this far away look when they picked them out - I should know, I was there. "He spared her a glance, ears burning as he tried to hide in his scarf.
"That's just a coincidence, black and white are solid colors in the world of clothes." He countered back, hoping his heart would slow down. It didn't.
"Oh, then explain why they have purchased plenty of golden things. Like that nice shirt they wore last weekend!" Maka glared, hoping he would challenge her on this. He remembered quite vividly the clothes Crona wore while they all hung out. Her arms folded over her chest, wondering if he was as dull as he acted.
He couldn't respond, the beating in his chest rang inside his ears. His eyes stared down at the bunny clutched in his hands. It gazed back with its unmoving, beady eyes. Maka huffed, turning her attention back to the shelf in search of the perfect toy for the person they were originally here for. Kid was consumed by his thoughts.
Crona; an enigma that infected his mind. Maka meant well, but she was overstepping trying to put them together on her terms. They had to get together on their own. And - even though it killed him to think this - if they never worked out, then so be it. She wasn't wrong though. The bunny was a clear statement that he was drawn to colors that match them, even if he didn't realize it at first.
This crush was consuming him.
"This is perfect!" Maka's voice brought him back to the task at hand, as she presented a stuffed giraffe. It was bright yellow and brown and it wore a tiny cowboy hat. He smiled, it was perfect.
They exited the store with both the giraffe and bunny stuffed in their shopping bags.
28. Lost and Found - Crona
Maka may have been the first person to pry open her walls and find the lost child that Crona was, but she still felt… incomplete. Or more like unsure if she belonged here, with them or with anyone. Being with the other seven people that Maka called friends caused Crona to shrink further away. She could not handle the pressure of understanding and knowing each person on an individual level. At least not all at once. Her throat sealed closed, forcing her silence as the group went about their day, already familiar with each other on a level Crona feared she would never reach; not in this lifetime.
Her sandy haired friend tossed popcorn at BlackStar, who sat across from her. He roared in laughter, taking her action as a personal challenge against him. Crona sunk further into the cushioned and overly expensive chair, hoping to hide herself away from the rest of the group. A protest started in the throat of a dark haired male, which was quickly smothered by the rising voices of the other two males in the room. Their escalated fight was joined by another voice, as Patty leapt from the couch toward BlackStar, pulling him into a headlock.
Crona shrunk back, pulling her legs up to her chest, attempting to make herself as small as possible. The movie was forgotten to all but Liz, who somehow ignored them as more chaos ensured. Kid stomped out of the room, disappearing into the kitchen. Maka jumped up and pointed an accusing finger down at BlackStar as he resisted the hold Patty had on him. Soul, who had been seated besides Maka, took a stand as well, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as if he would calm her down.
The sounds were deafening as she gazed at the couple, standing together like they were made for each other. A pain spiked through her heart at the sight, not understanding the emotion filling her. Her thin fingers dug into her knees, eyebrows scrunching as she tried to fight whatever was aching inside her. A dark figure passed her, hurtling to the floor in between everyone as they argued; over what, Crona would never know.
The taller, dark haired female kneeled next to Kid, gently taking the pan and brush from him. Her voice was soft and quiet as she convinced him to release his grip. He, surprisingly, removed himself from the floor, allowing Tsubaki to clean up the mess the others caused. If anyone in this room, besides Maka, that Crona felt akin to, it had to have been Tsubaki. She was soft, sweet, and understanding. Crona could see herself getting along with her fine, if her partner wasn't the loudest one of the group; BlackStar. She cringed as BlackStar broke from Patty's grasp, getting into Soul's face.
She stared in horror as the scene unraveled even more. So much, she didn't notice the person hovering above her, observing the ball she made herself into. Panic welled into her throat, only able to stare wide eyed at the others. She was frozen in place, curled into herself as much as she could.
"Hey, Crona?" She was shocked to hear such a soft, soothing, and deep voice whisper out next to her. She whipped her head toward the sound, pink locks smacking her in her own face. She came face to face with the half-lidded, but tender, golden eyes of Kid. Her own, doe like eyes blinked back in response, unsure why he was speaking to her while chaos erupted in front of them. He was bent down, his hand outstretched to her as if he was offering her a way out of this.
And it was what he was offering. "Come on." His short, blunt words shot through her, causing quakes through her limbs. He was alluring, like a piece of food on a trap. And yet, she fell for it. Her trembling hand was placed into his and his fingers tightened around her. Coaxing her legs to move, she pulled herself up with his help, him leading her away from the noise.
If anyone noticed their departure, no one spoke a word of it.
Her eyes were glued to the ground as they ascended the staircase to the second floor, her sock covered feet not making a single sound. She's never been this far in before. She could have froze on the spot as she entered unknown territory, but Kid's warm hand in hers kept her going. He was … gentler than she imagined he would be. He was either extremely stoic or off the walls loud with his opinions - it frightened her to an extent.
Down the long hallway, she found herself placed in front of a decorative door, completely even on both sides. His hand left hers as he opened the door for her, gesturing for her to enter the dark room before them. She waited a few more seconds, eyes searching the male's face for any sort of betrayal. He simply stared back, eyes stoic with the tiniest of smiles of his face. She licked her lips, facing the dark room with apprehension.
Her arms snaked around her own thin waist, clinging tightly against her shirt, as she entered the room. Blue eyes danced around the overly spacious room, them adjusting to the new darkness surrounding her. Everything, no joke, was perfectly the same on either side with a king sized bed placed in the center, being the divide between everything else. Her mouth opened slightly as she examined more of the room, taking in how perfect it looked.
It was quiet. She believed she had gone deaf somehow on the way up here, but it was simply noiseless. It was the nicest feeling in the world to be in silence after being in a place that wasn't quite so silent.
Behind her, Kid entered as well, closing the door with a soft sound. Despite it being so quiet, she jumped, turning to stare at him, well the best she could considering their only light source was the hallway light. Her heart and mind raced as she realized she was in a dark room, not sure where exactly in the house, with someone she didn't know too well. What was she doing? Kid, however, moved slightly away from the door and pressed against the wall nearby. Slowly, dim lights shone throughout the room, giving her a sense of ease in this unknown situation. They stared at each other after he turned around to face her. Now what?
"I, uh, I get overstimulated as well." He spoke as if he knew exactly what she was feeling. And somehow, she felt he was right.
"O-overstimulated?" She croaked, her voice tender as if she had been the one screaming downstairs. She had never heard this term before.
"It is when one feels like they are going to burst over noises, textures, shapes, and other things."He replied, stepping closer to her, but still a good distance away. She nodded in understanding, it clicking in place in her head. That actually made a lot of sense to her. She did feel like she would explode at any second when she was in loud places.
"I find the best way is to lie in the dim lightning and I have made my bedroom the perfect place for it." He explained, moving around her to the bed she was admiring beforehand. Physically, she stayed in her spot, but her eyes followed his every move. He perched himself on one side of the bed, their eyes meeting as he did so. "Do you want to join me?" He asked, almost sheepishly as he held a hand out to the other side of the bed.
It was an unusual request and tone coming from him. Because of that, she felt her arms fall to her sides and her feet moving toward the furniture he was set upon. Once she was at the bedside, she peered down at the black bed sheets, unmoving and unsure of what she was doing here. She removed her eyes from the spot she was staring at when Kid shifted around and laid back against one of the pillows. He appeared as if he was completely relaxed, his hands folded on top of his stomach.
"It's okay." His golden eyes - were they glowing? - were on her as he patted the spot beside him. Even though there was still some light, it was still hard to make out what facial expression he had. "I would prefer it if you would join me, it would make it symmetrical." His voice sounded raw, tender even, as he spoke. It was something she wasn't used to from people besides Maka. It was...nice.
Gathering what little courage she possessed, she climbed onto the bed, rolling over onto her back almost immediately. Exhaling, she felt her body sinking into the bedding below her. It was a completely new experience to her. This was the softest bed she had ever laid on. Her fingers clenched the sheets, her eyes studying the blank ceiling above them. Everything was silent around them, their breathing being the only sound that drifted through the room.
"Your bed is soft." She whispered, afraid to ruin the silence that existed between them. He chuckled in response, moving his hands to rest at his sides now instead of on his stomach. He patted the bedding a bit with the hand that was near hers. She gulped as she felt the movement, her heart speeding up with a feeling she didn't recognize.
"Is your bed not?" He asked, turning his head toward her, to stare at her with his warm, honey colored eyes.
She scrunched her brow, keeping her eyes to the ceiling. "I didn't know there was a difference before now." She confessed, finding it easy to speak when the room was quiet and dark.
"We can make arrangements to get you a nicer bed." He replied in earnest, seeming to want to help her if she was truly uncomfortable in her bed at night. Something changed in her, her chest tightened at his words, her palms started to sweat, and she felt warmth on her cheeks. Her fingers tightened around the bedding, trying to hide at least one of those reactions.
"Thank you." She found her head turning to meet his gaze, sucking in a small breath as their eyes met. She could scarcely believe this; she was on a bed not familiar to her, in a room that wasn't hers, with a person she didn't know that well. It was surreal.
"Do you feel better?" He asked, not taking his eyes away from hers. She hesitated to breathe. She did feel better. All the loud noises and bright lights from downstairs seemed to disappear the longer she laid up here with Kid. It was soothing to be in a room that didn't offer a variety of things and motions to look at.
"I do." Her lips tugged up into a tiny smile at him, her heart still racing. She wondered if his heart was doing the same. Was he feeling what she was feeling right now? Although she felt better, she couldn't understand why she was so nervous in first place.
"Me too." He shifted his expression back to the ceiling as he spoke. She mimicked him, staring at the darkness above. It was but for a moment, but she felt his pinky graze her own pinky.
Maka may have found her first, but she knew for sure she wasn't lost anymore. She would find a way forward.
29. Dark - Kid
The frail, slender form of Crona stood before him, eyes sunken in from lack of sleep. He didn't blame them, having been on the moon for over a year, exerting every last drop of energy keeping pure insanity in check. It was an amazing feat. And although they committed treason before that, their true colors showed when they sacrificed themselves to save everyone.
"Crona," He acknowledged them with a nod, hands behind his back.
"Lord Death." The words sounded weird coming from them. It left a bad aftertaste at the back of his throat. He tried swallowing it down, failing miserably.
"I'm glad to see you are moving around." He responded, forcing his mind to refocus on the person in front of him. It had only been a week since Crona's retrieval from the moon and their recovery was insane - pun not intended. It had to be the black blood. He grimaced as he remembered Ragnarok wouldn't appear for Crona since they got back. It must be taking a toll on them.
"I don't see a reason not to." They replied, their voice stoic as they stared at him. He felt those icy orbs pierce his soul. The aftertaste was at the back of his throat again.
"Do you know why you're here?" He gestured to the room they were in; it was his father's old one, now his. Their eyes briefly glanced around before landing back on him.
"Yes." Was the stiff response to his question.
"Do you -"
"Can we get this over with?" Aggression rose into their voice as they cut him off. His eyebrows raised up in response, not expecting that kind of reaction. Their eyes hardened and they gripped their hands so tightly they began to tremble at their sides.
"Of course." His voice softened as he approached them. When the rescue party, run by Maka, returned with Crona, they weren't in the best state. And he prepared for this. This was a routine psyche check that Kid demanded he do. He needed to see their soul for himself, not a second hand report from someone else. He had to - had to - see if they were still redeemable. It broke his heart otherwise.
He saw them inhaled quickly as he drew near. They cast their eyes downward and their frown deepened. Within the year, Kid had grown to be the same height as them - did that intimidate them? Or was it the title he now donned? It didn't matter, at least, not at this moment. He stood mere inches away from them, their breath mingling together.
A memory flashed; hands against each other as the two were desperate for affection. A pain stabbed at his heart, pushing it as far back in his mind as he could. Now was not the time to reminisce. Kid hesitated, hands raising to grab for their hands. Crona flinched back at first, before bringing them forward to meet him halfway. They clutched his hands as if he was going to disappear, quivering as they held. They didn't need to hold hands to do this, but he felt it was the right thing. An anchor for them, even if for a moment.
They still didn't look up. And he was fine with that, they didn't need eyes where they were going. At least not physically. He leaned forward, lightly pressing his forehead to theirs. "Okay." He whispered, closing his eyes as he dived headfirst into Crona's soul.
It took him a second to realize he wasn't still standing there with his eyes closed. It was dark and cold, extremely so. He raised a hand up, the glow from his own soul scarcely shining through. Was this what it was like, up there all alone? Agony shot through his body at that thought. He shook his head hoping to shove those thoughts away - he needed to say on task, focus on this moment. Crona needed him.
He floated forward, feeling like he was swimming in quicksand. He had never encountered such darkness before; it was terrifying. Eventually, he found an easy way to move around. Let it control you instead of the other way around. Soon he was dropping downward like a pebble in a lake. It didn't take long for him to see the dull glow of Crona. They were faced away, on their knees. This was the moment, to see if they were insane or not.
"Crona?" He called out, finally reaching them at the bottom. Their shoulders tensed up at his voice, their hands slapping against their face. He stretched out his hand to rest on their shoulder, feeling the bone of it. He grimaced, they were so weak.
"Kid…?" Their voice was rough, as if they had been crying this whole time.
"I'm here." He responded, keeping his grip on their shoulder firm. A shaky exhale left them. They turned their head and Kid's eyes widened. Clear, blue eyes stared back, unaffected by the darkness. Tears flooded down their red cheeks as they stared at him. In one quick motion, he pulled them into a hug, trembling against them. A wail broke from their mouth as they clung back, fingers digging into his back. They pushed their face into his shoulder.
A warmth filled the space around them as they latched onto each other. It felt like the first stitch to healing was set into their soul. He blinked a few times, feeling himself readjust to the room they were in.
When his eyes finally adjusted, he saw the same icy eyes staring up at him, tears falling freely down their cheeks. A sob choked out of them as they pushed forward, wrapping themselves around his body. They wept into him, grasping him as if he would disappear. Never, not this time. He clung back to them, bearing the weight of both of them as Crona crumbled, their knees giving out. Regret filled his being.
"I'm sorry I took so long." He murmured into their cotton candy hair, giving them what physical attention they needed as they cried.
He would never let them face that darkness alone, not again.
30. Light - Crona
First impressions were always important. Which is why the one she shared with Kid was a problem for her. She was a different person back on the ghost ship all those years ago and although Kid had interacted with her, it was all polite. Nothing familiar or a relationship on a personal basis became of them. Which, unfortunately for her, was a big issue. She had the dreaded love sickness - as Maka had described to her.
Her thoughts were infested with him. If she spaced out in class, his golden eyes were on her mind. If the group was hanging out all together, she couldn't stop her eyes from roaming all over him. Her heart pounded in her chest, her cheeks flushed up if he even glanced in her direction, and she became sweaty in the oddest places while simply standing there. It was infuriating to have to deal with this for the first time; it was all unknown to her.
It was only when she confronted Maka about her feelings that she received a thorough explanation on relationships and what she was feeling. Her friend was very helpful and answered every question she had about the topic; which was quite a lot. They spent almost a whole night chatting it up in her room. So long, that Maka came up with a perfect plan to get them together.
Which brought her to the present. Crona's eyes flickered around the dark street, following the movements of the person whose soul was drenched in evil. It was a quick one, almost as if it was dancing. She held her sword at her side, watching as Kid chased after it, his twin pistols pointed toward the creature.
Great thinking Maka, get them together by having them fight on a mission. Crona could not see how this would improve her relationship with the young shinigami. She knew she wouldn't be able to focus on speaking to him while they were fighting for their lives. And it wasn't like they were exactly alone; Liz, Patty, and even Ragnarok were also present on the mission. Relationships were confusing.
"Crona, on your right!" Her eyes snapped to the direction she was instructed to, her arm raising up to clash Ragnarok against the oncoming attack. Her body braced itself, the blood hardening in her arm as the creature's sword clanged against hers. She was faster than it was, which was their advantage at the moment. It struggled there against her, its deformed face staring down at her. She gave it a hard stare back, showing it she wasn't going to back down.
One of its lopsided eyes, rotated toward Kid, a horrible disgusting snicker erupting from it. In a split second, it pushed her backward, using her as leverage as it shot up into the air. At that action, she felt herself stumbled back, falling to her knees after another moment. Her eyes widened as she fell forward, her gaze shooting upward. She raised Ragnarok above her head, expecting the thing to be crashing back down to her.
Confusion set in as she didn't spot it in the air above her. Panic shot through her as Kid fired his pistols into it. It had moved over there? It was quicker than they thought. She climbed to her feet, stepping toward the duo. Kid seemed to have it under control. That control was quickly overtaken as the creature seemed to teleport behind him, kicking him to the far wall.
She bit hard into her lip as she watched it happen, Kid's body making a deafening smack into the brick. She felt her breath leave her and the world slow down. No. She started moving forward, first at a slow pace, as if she wasn't believing what she was seeing. The dust cleared a moment later as his body laid there motionless.
She felt her gaze shift to the creature as it dashed toward Kid, the sword raised for an attack. Her heart stopped beating. She flung her body, going directly to the seemingly lifeless body of the young shinigami and the charging being. In these few moments, his body did start to move, but not fast enough to dodge.
She blinked, finding herself hovering above Kid, her back to him. Ragnarok was raised upward, piercing the long throat of the misshapen human before her. Short, angry breaths escaped her mouth as she growled up at the thing. Blood sputtered out of its mouth as all it could do was stare back helplessly. In one swift motion, she decapitated the beast, blood splattering the ground in a curved shape. The body stumbled back a few paces, before falling over with a loud thud. The sword it clutched clattered to the ground as well, covered in a dark liquid, which she paid no mind to.
She waited a few more agonizing moments as the creature seemed to fade from existence, leaving a single, floating soul. Holding out Ragnarok, he sloppily ate the soul, consuming its power. He then, silently slipped back into her body, causing a small shiver to shoot through her veins. Trembling, she turned to the male that was still seated on the ground.
His golden eyes were wide in astonishment and she felt her stomach flutter. Well, she felt weak as she gazed down at him. Relief was the first feeling she experienced, then elation as she realized she saved him. She saved him. Her breathing was still ragged as she reached a hand out to him, palm up.
"Are you okay?" She exhaled each word, finding it harder and harder to breathe. His eyes lowered to where she assumed was her hand; which was shaking, strange. Was she that nervous, or was the adrenaline still pumping through her bloodstream?
"Crona," Her name sounded heavenly to her ears when he spoke it. She would never get tired of hearing it. She shook her head, his face blurring.
"Hmm?" She hummed out a response, her legs feeling weak underneath her. Her mouth went dry as she found it harder to swallow.
"You're bleeding." His voice sounded far away, even though he was right there. Blinking rapidly, she brought a hand against her side. As she removed it, a dark liquid - her blood - soaked her hand. That was a lot.
"Oh…" Her voice felt small as she brought her now half-lidded eyes to meet Kid's wide eyed one. She never saw him so … so… what was the word? Her thoughts became fuzzy as did her vision. She took a step to the right, before her body fell over.
The last thing she remembered was that mesmerizing voice screaming her name and a pair of warm arms around her thin, cold body.
The first thing she saw was a dim light peeking through a curtain. She blinked a couple times, trying to comprehend where she was. Her head rolled around as she took in the dimmed room. Slow realization sunk in as she noticed she was in the safe room they had stayed in waiting for the … creature!
Her body reacted on its own, shooting up to a sitting position in the bed. She immediately regretted it, clutching her surprisingly bare stomach with one of her arms as she used her other one to prop herself up. She felt a whine leave her throat, unable to stop it as pain stabbed at her body. A moment later, someone hurried into the room. Glancing up, her blue eyes met gold ones.
Eyes that held worry as he marched over to her. "Crona," He breathed, hovering over her, hands outstretched as if he wanted to touch her. "I'm glad you are awake." His body relaxed. "But you really shouldn't be sitting up yet." As his warm hands touched the cold skin of her shoulders, she registered she wasn't wearing her dress. Instead her chest and midsection was wrapped securely with bandages. The rest of her body was covered by the blanket on the bed.
She snapped her gaze back up to him, wide eyed and red faced. He seemed to read her mind, his cheeks flushing a light pink. "Liz patched you up." He blurted before she could imagine what had happened. She exhaled slowly, allowing him to help her back down against the pillows. That was not something she wanted to deal with right now.
They were silent as he checked over her bandage. From her sudden movements, she did start to bleed again, but not enough to warrant a change. It was strange, seeing herself injured like this. 'But,' her blue eyes landed on Kid's, almost unscathed, body. He had seated himself beside the bed, watching her in return. She preferred it be her that got stabbed, instead of him.
"That was reckless." He broke the silence, shocking her as they stared at each other. Her mouth parted as if she was going to respond, but he kept talking. " What would I tell Maka if I let you die?" She never saw him so frazzled about her before. "I… I couldn't live with myself if you perished right in front of me." He strained each word out, averting his eyes to the lower part of the bed.
Where were these emotions coming from? Her mind started racing, as did her heart. His hands were tightly clenched together in his lap as he struggled with the emotions that he was presenting to her. "But, you saved my life." His golden hues found hers once more, his gaze softening. He leaned forward out of the chair he was in, removing one of his hands from his lap and hesitantly placing it on her colder one. She briefly flicked her eyes at their touching hands, snapping them back to Kid as he continued to speak.
"Thank you, Crona." He was dead serious as he lingered in that position. Her breath quickened, not sure how to handle so many reactions all at once. Maybe first impressions can be forgotten - maybe he finally saw her in a new light; a protector. Tears pricked at her eyes as she produced the warmest smile in his direction. His hand tightened around hers.