Daughter Of Madness [Kid X Fem!Chrona]

Epiphany

"Hey, look who finally decided to show up." Soul chuckled as Kid and Chrona made their way to the court. Everyone was gathered in the park for a day off from missions and school. It was the first time she had seen everyone so relaxed and out of uniform.

"Chrona, you came to play with us?" Tsubaki asked.

"No," Chrona shook her head, "I don't know how to deal with basketball." She'd never had a chance to learn any kind of hobby, always busy hunting Medusa's chosen target. Transitioning from that life to a normal one had proven excruciatingly difficult. As it was, the thought that this many people wanted to see her outside of required schooling was hard to handle.

"I'm not that good with it either." Maka said as she rushed over to Chrona's side. "Chrona and I will sit this one out; you guys go ahead and play." Maka grabbed Chrona's arm and guided her to a park bench, obviously relieved to be off the court."They were trying to get me to play even though I still don't know the rules." Maka explained as much as she knew about the sport with a half laugh. Even the most capable miester seemed to have her weak points among their peers. Her demeanor turned to one of concern as she looked at her friend.

"Is everything alright?" Maka asked.

"Hunh? I'm perfectly fine." Chrona startled out of her stupor. She was, admittedly under-slept, but this level of fatigue was normal to her. Had she done something to upset her friend on accident? "Why do you ask?"

"Well you've been working so hard after class, I mean, I've hardly seen you outside of school." It was as if the blond had pointed a spotlight on her. Chrona could feel the beads of sweat gathering on the back of her neck. "Chrona how many units have you covered?"

"Ah! Umm... four. I'm almost caught up. I still have one unit to go." Chrona fibbed as Maka crept into her personal space on the bench. She knew Maka could read soul wavelengths, was it possible she could tell when someone was lying. Chrona looked every where except her friend, hoping to hide her insecurity. Her friend's concern increased.

"Chrona, you know you can always talk to me if something's wrong." Maka said earnestly, placing a hand on Chrona's. Something was bothering her; Maka knew it, the way Chrona fidgeted gave it away.

"Really Maka, I'm fine." She lied. "I've just been busy with school work." Another lie.

"Chrona-" Maka started, but was cut off by Chrona's nervous laughter.

"My, they look like their having fun out there. I think I'll go join them." She stood abruptly and rushed to the court in robotic-like steps; eager to avoid her current interrogation. Doubt clouded Maka's mind as Chrona traded places with Tsubaki on the court. The blonde crossed here arms when Tsubaki sat down.

"What was that about?" Tsubaki asked casually.

"Chrona's hiding something." Maka scowled, deep in concentration. "I asked how many units she still had cover and she said four. Normally I wouldn't interrogate her like that, but she's been acting so strange." In Tsubaki's eyes, Chrona had always seemed a little strange, but she could understand that the girl needed much more space than most of their friends would allow. Unfortunately, Maka wasn't the type to let go of a mystery with a simple explanation.

"Maka, I don't see what's so suspicious about that." Tsubaki attempted to steer her friend away from fixating on the poor girl's personal life.

"But Tsubaki, she said she still has one more to catch up on, were just finishing unit three." Maka threw her head in her hands. "I just don't know what to do!" There really wasn't anything they could do.

"Maka, Chrona's been out of her comfort zone for a long time now. It's stressful to constantly be surrounded with new experiences." She understood that much, growing up in an insular home herself. "She might just want some time to herself without seeming ungrateful."