Crona touched the water with the tip of her toes. She calmly rested her hands on her lap and watched the sparkling water below her and the young reaper. Meanwhile, Kid was just as quiet as her for a few moments, looking away from her.

"Sorry for dragging you all the way here," Kid said, finally without looking at Crona. "Please take this." He gave her his black jacket. Crona blinked a few times at the sight of Kid's hand with his jacket in front of her. She slowly took it.

"Thanks," she said softly. "And I-I don't mind if we talk here." She started putting on Kid's jacket.

Kid turned his head to her. "So she's really a girl, huh?" he thought as he set his eyes on Crona's face. "What a relief." He glanced down and saw her having a hard time with the zipper. "Here, let me help," he said to her." He leaned in closer and held the hem of the jacket. He held the slider and affixed it to the insertion pin boll. Crona kept looking down.

"There you go," Kid said. He pulled himself back and sat properly next to Crona who pulled up the slider.

"But how about you?" she asked consciously.

Kid smiled. "It's fine. I don't need it."

XXX

"See? I told you he's a girl," Black Star said, referring to Kid, then he grinned, putting his hands on his wait while Maka was holding up Crona's black bra that had fallen to the floor of the boy's room.

"You dumbass!" She shouted and glared at Black Star. "You probably stole this from a girl at the pool today!"

"Are you calling me a liar?" Black Star shouted back, making a fist. Tsubaki and Soul just sweat dropped.

"Hey, guys, don't you think you should stop shouting?" Tsubaki asked hesitantly.

"It's one of the rules here," Soul reminded.

Black Star and Maka finally shut up.

"Anyway, let's go find the owner of that thing before Professor Stein comes here," Soul continued.

"Did I just hear my name?" Stein suddenly asked from behind them which made them all flinch in surprise, their hair bristled.

"P-professor, good evening," Maka greeted nervously and hid the bra behind her back. "We were just discussing something."

"Marie and I heard some shouting from outside so she told me to check if it's you and your friends since the voices were familiar."

"She started it," Black Star said as he pointed at Maka. He received a glare from her.

"Well, whoever started it better ends it before all of us get in trouble."

"Yes, sir," Maka said.

"What's that you're hiding from the back?"

Maka twitched. "Uh… Nothing!" she said frantically.

Black Star took the bra from Maka and handed it to Stein.

Stein held up the black bra, looking for any marks or any clues that will give him an idea who it belongs to but there wasn't. "Maka, is this yours?"

"N-no!" She shook her head.

"Then who does this belongs to?"

Black Star smirked. "The one and only Lord Death's son of course!"

Stein stared at Black Star for a few seconds, speechless, looking skeptic while the others just gave him a bored look. "R… right. Give it back to him then." He handed back the bra to Black Star.

Black star grinned as he took the bra. "Come on, guys!" He rushed toward the door.

"Wait up!" Soul shouted and followed Black Star.

Tsubaki and Maka sighed after a strong wind passed them produced by Black Star and Soul.

XXX

Stein sat down on a chair in a restaurant in the hotel. Marie was sitting in front of him. She put down the menu and looked at her partner. They were surrounded by a lovely Italian music and the not so annoying sound of people chattering.

"So how did it go?" Marie asked.

"Maka and Black Star were just fighting. Everyone was there except Liz, Patty, Kid and Crona."

"Oh, I see." She took a sip from her glass of water.

"I told you, Marie, there's really something going on between the son of shinigami and Medusa," Stein said.

"Why are you so curious about it?" Marie replied, sounding suspicious. "It's not like they're more than just friends, right? That would make Kid gay." She chuckled.

"That's what they said."

"And you believe them?"

Stein smiled. "Just a bit."

"Well, don't. Anyway, here's the room plans. In room one; we'll have Spirit, you, me and Azusa. In room two; we'll have Maka, Tsubaki, Liz and Patty. And for the last room, we'll have Soul, Black Star, Kid and Crona."

"Hm. Funny. I thought you were going to put Crona in the girl's room."

"Why should I? In his enrollment form, his gender is boy but when I asked him about it, he couldn't reply. Or maybe he could, the question was just probably making him nervous and ashamed so I told him to forget about it."

"Oh, well. Who knows… I might get to dissect him someday… then I might find about his gender." An eccentric smile formed on his face. "It would be nice to learn more about the black blood using him."

"Please don't say things like that," Marie said and sweat dropped, her skin starting to have goosebumps. Stein laughed.

XXX

There was a few moments of silence between Kid and Crona. Even though Kid was acting kind already to Crona, she still felt scared while thinking of possibilities that he might get angry at her again. Darkness surrounded them and the only bright things were the stars above, the light from the hotel far away and the lights near the pool.

"Crona… I'm… really sorry for what I did yesterday," Kid said, looking away again.

Crona stared at him with wide eyes. "He's really… apologizing?" She couldn't believe what she just heard, making her speechless.

Kid turned to her, looking serious. "Well, aren't you gonna say anything?"

Crona cringed as she pulled herself a little far from Kid when he faced her. "Uh! It was okay! No need to apologize! You saved me a while ago, didn't you?"

Kid closed his eyes. "That wasn't enough compensation. I'm embarrassed and sorry for what I did to you and I assure it won't happen ever again."

"Oh, okay…"

Kid looked into Crona's eyes. "Do I scare you?"

Crona lowered her head and pouted. "A little," she said as she clutched her arm and looked away. "… Ever since we met."

Kid went quiet after what Crona said. He stared at Crona for a while. He looked away. "Well, that's not much of a surprise. You're afraid of almost everyone and everything, aren't you?"

"Most likely…"

"Crona, I've been reading a book… and I'd like to share you with you a quote from it that reminds me of you…"

"Uhm. Go ahead."

"Fearful, frantic thinking takes an enormous amount of energy and drains the creativity and motivation from our lives." Kid gazed at Crona again. "Crona, you mustn't let yourself get beaten down by other people so easily… like me. You have to do your best and stand up for your rights."

"Why… why are you telling me this so suddenly?"

"Because I noticed that you didn't fight me back when I was rude to you. Sometimes people have to be angry at me when I'm being rude to them… and when they do this… I realize my fault."

"But I can't be angry at you, Kid."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean… you hated me… and when I was brought to Shibusen… you accepted me d-despite that we were enemies. I am more than thankful for that already."

"I see." Kid faced down. "But it took a few arguments between me and father before I changed my mind of letting you in."

"I can't blame you… I, myself, think that I cannot be trusted." She showed a sad smile. "And you didn't want someone so asymmetrical and troublesome like me to be in the institution that you'll someday inherit, right? So, really… I-I don't mind if you didn't want me in Shibusen…"

"Crona!" Kid, who was being serious, held Crona's shoulders while Crona was obviously shocked at his sudden action. "That was when I didn't know that you're a kind person! From the book I read, it's said there that as you begin to eliminate your need for perfection in all areas of your life, you'll begin to discover the perfection in life itself. You, Crona, had made me realize that asymmetry can be beautiful too!"

"Uh…" Crona could only look into Kid's intense yet mesmerizing, trying to think of what to say but it's almost as if her ability of speech got lost. All she could hear now was the sound of wind and water.

"I know this sounds crazy from me who hates asymmetrical things but it's the truth, Crona. Of all the asymmetrical things I hate, you are probably the only exception now."

"Hey, Kid!" shouted someone with a familiar voice behind them then suddenly something hit Kid's neck. He and Crona flinched and their eyes widened.

"What the heck?" Kid said. He held the black thing with strings at the back of his neck and raised it between him and Crona. "Hmm? He uttered when he looked at it. Crona gasped. They heard their friends rushing towards them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kid said as he looked up at his friends as he put down the bra, raising an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't we be the one asking you that?" Soul said.

"Well, Crona and I were just talking."

"Stay back, Crona!" Black Star said. "We're going to investigate Kid!"

Crona only looked clueless, gawking at them.

Kid sighed. "What's your problem now, Black Star?"

"That thing you're holding! That's yours, right? HAHAHA! I knew it! I knew you were a girl all this time! That would explain why you're such a perfectionist and a drama queen!"

Maka and the others just sweat dropped. "Does he always have to overdo things?" Liz said, sounding bored.

Kid slapped the bra at Black Star's face. "Idiot!" Kid shouted as he stood up. "This belongs to Crona!"

"Wh-what? But Crona is a boy!"

"Then why is he in the boy's room, huh?"

"That doesn't give enough proof!"

"Sshh! Guys, quiet down or Professor Stein will get mad at us again!" Tsubaki said, not being so harsh.

"Crona, you're a… a girl?" Maka asked hesitantly with a slightly shaking voice as she went closer to her.

Kid rolled his eyes. "Asking the obvious much, Maka?"

Maka slammed a book on Kid and then bent down in front of Crona. "Please tell us the truth."

Crona faced down. "Kid's right… I'm a girl."

Everyone gasped. "Then why is it that you seem to have a crush on Maka?" Black Star said.

"Yeah, and why are you in our room?" said Soul.

"More importantly, why is your gender male in your records?" said Liz.

"That's because…" Crona started while looking at the ground while Patty started poking Kid, who fainted, with a stick. "When I was young… I never actually got the chance to do the things that normal girls do… you know… play dolls and other stuffs? Instead, I have always been trained to become a kishin… and get locked in an empty dark room whenever I fail… so that's I never get to see myself as a girl except when I see myself naked, I guess… moreover… Medusa-sama told me to make my gender male… even though I'm a girl… so that people won't underestimate me…"

"Do girls get underestimated?" Soul asked Maka.

Maka glared at him. "You think?" she said sarcastically.

"Girls are usually second to boys," Kid said. His friends were surprised to see him awake already. "Man was created before woman. Woman was created from man. It's just natural that they're weaker than us sometimes and that men think of them lower than man."

"I guess I can agree with that since it happens sometimes," Soul said.

"Even so, I don't like the idea of men thinking highly of themselves over women," Maka said. "You men… like I said before… are horrible."

"Hey, Maka, don't let how you think of your father be the same as how you think of all men," Kid said. "Men are like women. They all have different personalities."

Black Star yawned. He was sitting next to Patty who kept playing with the pool water with her feet. "Are you old people done yet?" he said. Of course, they just ignored him.

"Yeah but it's rare to find a boy who has an unwavering loyalty to a girl."

"Isn't Soul loyal enough to you?"

Maka looked at Soul who only looked away, disappointed that Maka still don't seem to realize his efforts for her.

"If it isn't enough, I shall prove how loyal men can be by being loyal to someone."

"And how is that possible?" Liz said. "You don't even seem to have an eye for anyone except symmetry."

"You'll see someday, Liz." Kid smiled.

"Well… the on the other day, you said you'll find out Crona's gender and you did… so it shouldn't be impossible to see you in love with someone in the future," Soul said.

Crona looked shock at Kid.

Kid chuckled. "Exactly."

XXX

"I'm ready," Crona said after she picked up her suitcase and faced Kid who escorted her back to the room.

"Okay then, take good care of yourself now," Kid said and smiled.

Crona smiled back. "So I guess… bye for now."

"You're just going to the next room. Don't say bye like we won't see each other again anymore."

Crona sweat dropped. "R… right." She bowed, closed her eyes and smiled. "Thank you for everything."

Kid stared at her in surprise. "That smile… it's so genuine," he thought. "This is probably her real smile. That's right! This is what Maka told me about. That rare smile she makes." He slowly held her shoulders and pushed her against the wall.

"Uhh… Kid...?" Crona's face heated up. Her pupils reduced. Suddenly, she felt Kid brush away her bangs and she felt his lips landing softly on her forehead. Her widened eyes gradually closed.

"You're such a nice girl, Crona. From now on, you're going to be my daughter!"

Crona opened her eyes once again in shock. "D-daughter?" She accidentally dropped her suitcase on Kid's feet which sent him jumping around saying "Oww!" many times. "I'm sorry!" She picked up her suitcase. Kid sat on the bed and held his feet.

"Heh. I guess that was punishment for me."

"N-no, really, I didn't mean to drop my suitcase on you! My hands twitched when you called me daughter."

"You did hear me say that I'll show how loyal I can be someone a while ago, right?"

"Yeah but—," she tried protest.

"That someone is supposed to be you, Crona, "he smiled. "I'll be your loyal daddy from now on!"

Crona shut her mouth and her eyes started to fill with tears. She covered her eyes with her hands as she faced down.

"H-hey! Why are you crying?" Kid said as he stood and held Crona's wrist, looking worried. "Did I make you cry?"

Crona shook her head. "It's just that… you remind me of my deceased father… so it's kind of too kind of you to make me your daughter…"

"Uh. Ahahaha! You're such a kid even when you're so old already. There, there." He patted Crona's head with his hand. "Good thing I'm a swimmer or you could have died and be with your father already. I wouldn't have got the chance to take care of you anymore."

Crona uncovered her eyes and saw Kid bent his upper body and picked up her suitcase. "Dry your tears now. Maka will kill me if you don't arrive in their room at exactly 10:30 pm," Kid said and grabbed Crona's hand while his other hand held her suitcase. Crona obediently followed his lead. She finally dried her tears with her wrist and smiled while Kid wasn't still looking back at her in the hallway already. She realized something.

"He may be cold sometimes… but he actually has a soft side... which he shows to only a few people."

"Crona."

"Y-yes?"

"I'll teach you how to swim tomorrow, okay?" He looked back at Crona. "So it will be your turn someday to save me."

Crona sweat dropped and smiled at him. "Sure."

A/N: I was trying to figure out where these four chapters should be included in RFTA. I made this because RFTA seemed to lack chapters/plot development or… a story on how Kid and Crona understood each other more. When I was rereading RFTA a bit… I couldn't seem to insert these four chapters between chapters there. XD But anyway, this story happened before they went on the mission to Ireland. Now that's kinda confusing, even to me. But… who knows… maybe someday if I make a comic for this long story already… the story won't be so confusing anymore since I'll be changing it a bit. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this short story even just a little. ^^ Kid and Crona reminds me a bit of Tamaki and Haruhi so please don't wonder too much as to why Kid suddenly decided to be Crona's father. (Don't worry. He doesn't really mean it as much as Tamaki mean it to Haruhi. He's just doing it 'cause he cares like a dad but of course, that idea doesn't actually stay long since Kid eventually feels something more than a father does to Crona… in my other story, that is.) This short story is complete and the continuation is in RFTA. Now RFTA have 22 chapters. :o Oh, well. ~ Thank you, people, for reading. :) Now that this is done, I can go back to updating HWB again. It's been a long time already. Gomenasai, Chabeli. XD