Chapter VI
"Hey, Soul?" you asked the boy sitting next to you. "Where's Kid today?"
"How am I supposed to know?" he answered, not helping much. "Besides, that's the fifth time you've asked this week. Give it a rest; he probably won't come to school tomorrow, either."
You sighed, half in annoyance, half of sadness. It had been a week since you last saw him after that incident in the woods. He hasn't come to school in six days... maybe something happened...
"Oh hey Maka." Soul greeted her as she came in through the classroom door. "Where were you?"
She walked up to where you guys were sitting, a timid, pink-haired boy you didn't recognize following closely behind her. "Today's Crona's first day here at the academy, and I wanted to show him around," she explained.
You figured that the boy, now nervously peeking around Maka's shoulder at you, was Crona.
You approached cautiously, not to scare him any more than he already was. "Hey there, Crona," you began in a soft voice.
He slowly emerged from his hiding spot behind Maka, his hands shaking slightly.
"My name is Alexus," you told him, holding out your hand and smiling warmly.
He just stared at your hand, then back into your eyes, saying nothing. Maka left you two to talk while she chatted with Soul.
You awkwardly dropped your hand and glanced around. "So... uh... how are you liking Death Weapon Meister Academy so far?" you asked him, trying to start a decent conversation.
"E-everyone here is so nice to me... I even have a few friends already..." he trailed off, his eyes moving to where Maka was standing; she was yelling at Soul about something, who just pretended she wasn't even there.
"Is Maka one of your friends?"
He nodded slightly. "S-she was my very first friend..."
Your eyes widened slightly out of shock, then they softened. "You... never had a friend before?"
He shook his head. "I didn't know how to deal with it..." He looked at the ground and shuffled his feet, then glanced up at you only to blush and look back down again.
The bell rang in it's usual high-pitched shrill to signal the start of class.
"Let's go join Maka and Soul," you offered, tapping his shoulder. He sighed in discomfort and quietly followed you as you took your seat in the third row.
"C-can I sit n-next to you?" he nervously asked, pointing to the neighboring chair.
"Sure," you answered, smiling at him. He grinned back, his eyes brightening with his mood.
When classes finally ended, you were still giggling about the facial expression Crona made while you were dissecting frogs. He giggled a little at it too, but he usually just made the face again at the mental picture that was sure to be burned into his mind forever, which just made you laugh even harder.
You and Crona walked out into the corridor with Maka and Soul, joining the other students in their weekly "Monday morning" attitude.
"See you tomorrow, Crona?" you asked the Demon Sword meister.
He grinned a little at you and nodded his head. "A-and, w-we are friends, right?" he asked, his voice happy and hopeful.
"Of course we are, Crona!" you smiled. "I'll talk to you later."
He smiled, showing a rare glimpse of his teeth, and waved goodbye.
The sun shone in through your window, forcing your eyes open from your restful sleep. And, of course, the first thing on your mind every morning for the past week popped into your head again.
'I wonder if Kid is going to be at school today?' you wondered, missing the son of the Grim Reaper. You sighed.
"Probably not," you whispered to yourself.
You took a quick shower to freshen up, then you got dressed in your favorite tee and skirt. You fixed your hair in its usual style and walked into the kitchen for breakfast, finding Maka at the stove preparing eggs.
"Mornin' Maka," you greeted.
"Good morning!" she cheerfully returned.
Other than Blair "accidentally" walking into the kitchen completely naked, giving Soul a nose bleed, the morning passed by uneventfully.
At school, Kid wasn't there. Again. You sighed.
"Alexus!" you heard someone calling from behind you.
You spun around to face who called your name. "Oh, hey there Crona! ...What's this?"
He held out a small flower towards you and looked at the flooring, blushing deeply. "Y-you look v-very pretty today," he complimented.
"Aww, thank you Crona! That's very nice of you." You took the yellow daisy and put it behind your ear. You hugged his shoulders, which took him by suprise. "You're so thoughtful."
He was quiet for a few minutes after that, the silence growing more and more awkward.
"A-Alexus..." he started, breaking the silence. "W-would... would you like to hang out with me after school today?" He shuffled his feet around and peered up at you with his black eyes, his cheeks a deep red.
