Chapter One- 'All Aboard? Risky Business on the Night Train!'
(Soul Eater is owned by Atsuhi Okubo. The only things the author owns are the OC and story.)
Darkness fell across the vast Nevada desert, scarcely a creature to be found. A town of tumble weeds rolled across the expanse before them, aimless towards some unknown destination. Beaming down on the darkened sand and cacti, the moon gave off its light, bathing a path in aid of nighttime predators. Its laughing face gleamed, relishing the thrill of the hunt of all below. Coyotes gathered in the distance, howling their mournful cries to the silent desert, singing their dirge of a melody. Faint clanging was heard upon the glistening lonely tracks, a coal train barreling into the night, smoke intermingling with dry, scorched air as it made way towards a manmade canyon, the rocky cliffs overhead concealing the awaiting observers.
"There it is."
"About time."
The impatient pair stood at the edge, relieved that their long night was swiftly coming to an end. They had been staking out for hours, waiting for said locomotive to come around the bend. Everything was set in their favor. All that was left was to board the train and eliminate the target, completing their fateful mission. It was a fairly simplistic task, one that they had done countless times. The bandaged woman looked to her partner, waiting on her meister's command. "Nygus," he said.
"Right."
In an instant, the woman before him was no more, transforming into a military-style knife, a perfect tool for close range combat. Sid reached out, grasping it as the knife edge shone bright, placing his weapon into a sheath strapped to his back. Taking a step closer, the zombie prepared to jump. He sighed, thinking how the job was almost too easy for them, wondering why Lord Death tasked them with such a mission. This was something that could be easily handled by a student pair. His stomach growled, protesting at the late hour.
"Let's end this quick, we have a long way to go before we get back home."
"You got it."
The train finally made its way to their position, rushing past in a flurry of metal and smoke. The zombie contemplated the best time to jump board the railcar's top. 'There,' he thought. Just as he made his approach, landing in short order, Nygus picked up on another noise, alerting him. Nygus' innate hearing had picked up footsteps, heavy boots shifting through the sand upon the cliff as the noise was heard no more. Sid looked up just in time to see a figure careen off the cliff, howling out a screech similar to a banshee, joining in with the coyote.
"YEE HAW!"
"Crona, could you be a dear and pass the salt?"
"Yeah, uh, sure…"
The pink-haired boy struggled to grab the condiment, slowly handing it over to the blonde woman, finagling around his weapon, Ragnarök. Resting atop his head, he greedily snarfed down his meal, berating him for moving. Marie smiled, thanking him for the trouble. Crona returned to his dinner, glancing up to take in the scene before him. He marveled at much things have changed in just a year's time.
Stein sat next to the woman's side, nodding as she discussed upcoming lesson plans, careful not to give the boy too many clues so she wouldn't be accused of playing favorites. With the Kishin vanquished, everything had returned almost to normal, with a new development. Marie and Stein had announced soon after they had decided to date that they were getting married, the scientist proposing after the pair discovered they were expecting. The blonde weapon was getting all she ever wanted in life, a loving husband and a bundle of joy well on the way. There was just one loose end to tie up.
Knowing that Crona's continued presence at the academy was something he did with some anxiety. The boy had been apprehensive about a number of things, namely what would become of him after the destruction of the Kishin. With his mother gone, he appeared almost lost, going through the motions of life with hardly any notice. She smiled at the memory of sitting the meister down, asking her fiancé how he would feel if they adopted Crona. He had given a nod of approval, stating he thought it was a splendid idea. After all, while Crona and Ragnarök were a pair, they were technically the same person, restricting him to continue living in the dungeon, unable to get a student apartment, a privilege reserved for two people. The boy had been hesitant meeting them, anxious over what they could want to talk about. He had broken down crying when they told him, offering to adopt him after the wedding. Crona was overjoyed with the news, the sensitive child weeping happily over being apart of a family unit. Ragnarök had begrudgingly agreed, unable to take on his vast ideas of traveling alone.
Hearing a light cry from the other room, Marie had begun to stand to tend to the infant as the boy stopped her, telling her he could handle it, something he thought he'd never say. Walking into the nursery, Crona called gently to the child, picking her up and cradling her in his arms. The baby smiled and cooed at the pink-haired teen, lighting up at seeing her elder brother. Little Aura reached up, laughing as she yanked a stray chunk of his hair, making him flinch in pain.
"No Aura, it's not playtime. You need to rest now. Shh…" he said, rocking the infant, coaxing her to sleep. Though it was trying at times, he enjoyed his new role, being a sibling.
As the silver-haired baby closed her eyes, nestling against his chest, his heart felt warm, knowing the child was calming his overly anxious wavelength. Even at only a couple months old, Aura was showing skills similar to her mother, her soul radiating a golden hue. He smiled, placing her back in the crib, heading back out to the dining room. Crona had been in awe when he first held her as a newborn, thinking of all the possibilities the future held for her. Conversations were regularly held between her parents over whether she would be a meister or a weapon, both voicing their hopes and dreams for their child. Crona had kept his opinions to himself, content that either way, Aura would be just fine. He had a feeling she would grow to be as powerful as either parent, stronger even. The teen had just sat back down when a knocking was heard at the door, causing the baby to cry yet again. Marie excused herself as Stein opened the door, looking to sooth the child back to sleep.
"Nygus, how can I help you?"
"Actually, I was wondering if you could help our little friend here…"
Pointing behind her, Sid met his gaze, holding an unconscious girl. Her hat barely clung to her head as her bright red hair flowed over the zombie's arm, her right arm tightly bound in a makeshift splint. He noted that the teenager was drenched in sweat, huffing heavily as her flushed face burned red. Stein looked the man over, looking as though he had been in a brawl. He put two and two together, groaning as he asked, "Geez Sid. Just what'd you do to her?"
"Trust me, I had no choice."
"Come on in. Head back to the clinic, I'll be there in a minute."
Thanking him, the pair heading back with the young woman in tow, Crona glancing up as Stein approached him.
"Hate to ask, but I could really need some help with this one. Feel up for learning how to put a cask on?"
"Sure, no problem."
He smiled at his son, always willing to help others in need, something that had given him the original thought of teaching Crona about medicine. Due to his keen interest in perusing Stein's vast collection of medical books, asking him random questions on procedures, inserting new terms he had learned into conversation, the scientist had inquired into what Crona wanted to do after he graduated the academy.
"Honestly, I hadn't given it much thought," he had replied to the question.
"Really? Cause it seems you have an interest in medicine. I'd be more than happy to show you some things if you are."
The offer had caught the teen off guard, unsure whether to accept or not. Stein had put a hand on his shoulder, seemingly reading his mind as he stated, "It's not something you have to decide now. Just figured since you had said you wanted to help others, the medical field's a good way to go." Crona had looked up, a determined look in his eyes, eagerly accepting the doctor to teach him. Stein had grinned, giving the boy a look of warm encouragement, thinking that with his gentle, caring nature that Crona could make a marvelous doctor someday.
As father and son entered the clinic, they set right to work, the doctor asking him to apply electrodes to the girl's torso as he prepared an IV line and a sedative, lest they risk the young woman waking during the procedure. Crona complied, gingerly removing the dusty button-up shirt and leather vest on her. Though awkward, he went about his task, knowing that he would need to get over his modesty if he was going to be a successful physician, or nurse, he wasn't certain yet.
He glanced over the feverish teen, chest heaving heavily against her tightly bound chest, locating the source of the fever, notifying Stein. Just below her left collarbone, a two inch gash stretched out towards her shoulder, haphazardly held together by a navy blue string. The wound was inflamed, puss oozing out as irritated, reddened skin snaked out from its origin, part of the red streaks webbing down her chest, partly covered by the constrictive binding.
"Well, she's not going to like this, but." Stein stated, swiftly cutting the fabric away, Crona blushing as he turned from her, her chest bared for all to see, "it had to be done." He gagged at the smell coming from the infection, mingling in the air with the smell of someone who hadn't bathed in weeks. It was enough to make the boy's stomach turn, at risk of losing his dinner.
The doctor looked to his son, sighing as he put the bed sheet over her chest, encouraging him to apply the monitors. Completely his chest, he looked up to see Stein filling two syringes, one with a liquid he noticed as the sedative, another with a different colored fluid he hadn't seen before.
"What's that?" the teen questioned. The scientist turned around, replying, "Penicillin. We need to get ahead of that infection before it progresses."
He nodded as Stein approached the bed, preparing to plunge the IV's needle into her arm. Right before the shiny metal met pale flesh, his wrist was gripped by a dust-covered hand, the girl's emerald eyes glaring him down as he stared blankly back at the girl. Her voice shook as she struggled against the fever.
"Touch me wit' that and yur pullin' back a stump."
The doctor cleared his throat, his voice taking on a neutral but calm tone.
"Hello. My name is Dr. Stein. You are in Death City at my clinic. You have a broken arm and a bad infection in your shoulder. I need to start an IV line so I can treat you."
The girl stared back at him skeptically, finally replying, "Watcha usin' for th' pain?" He answered, stating he was using morphine. The girl relaxed, releasing him as she reclined back onto the pillow. Her exhausted eyes looked to the clear fluid, eager for something to take away the pain as she gained her bearings.
"Th' good shit, huh? Well in that case, hit me up. Come on, time's a wastin."
He complied, inserting the needle in, taping the line in place as he prepared the penicillin.
"Wait, wait, woah. Watcha doin'?"
"I can't set your arm until I give the antibiotic and get that infection under control. If it spreads and gets to your heart, game over kid."
She chuckled, starting to shake from the chills ravaging her taunt body.
"Thinka' broken arm wud take priority over a little cut."
Stein grabbed the medicine, coming into her line of sight as he spoke.
"Not when you could go septic on me. No offense, but I don't feel like putting your system into shock and having you die on my table."
The young woman groaned, apparently in no great deal of pain, paying no mind to the fractured arm, using the splint to scratch her head. Crona stood on the other side of the bed, flinching as the girl turned her attention to him.
"So, Ol' screwhead introduced himself. What's your name, pink hair?"
"Uh, Crona. Nice to meet you."
The girl laughed, stating, "Eh, give it some time..." Stein narrowed his eyes, asking to get some basic information from her, like her name, for instance.
"Jesse McCoy."
Scribbling down some notes, Stein went on, asking her age. "Sixteen, and that's all you're gettin'," the young woman stated, clearly done with the conversation. Exhaling sharply, he motioned her to release him, taking out a pair of scissors.
"Watcha' got those for?"
"I need to cut off your jeans. The penicillin needs to go in your thigh."
"I can get em off," Jesse insisted. "Sure you can manage?" the doctor asked.
"Yeah…"
The young woman glared at the men, unwilling to undress in front of them. Stepping back, Stein pulled the curtain, blocking the girl from view. As he turned to discuss some things with Crona, they heard a loud clanging, ripping open the curtain to see the girl on the floor, collapsing as she knocked over the sterile table of tools and syringes, shoving the sharp instruments away from her.
"Miss?"
"Git away from me!" the teenager yelled, dragging herself across the tiled floor.
"Just where are you going?" Stein inquired, curious over the child's change of heart.
Crawling the other direction, she called back, "If ya ain't gonna knock me out, then I don' want it! I hate needles!"
He sighed, stating, "Fine. Crona? Help me get her into bed."
"Oh. Okay…"
As the boy reached to her, she slapped his hand away, giving him a death glare.
"Don' touch me," she grumbled, breathing heavily from the fever, "I can git up myself…"
Standing, her knees buckled, giving way as she fell, the men catching her.
"I told ya I can do it by myself."
"Yeah, I can see that," Stein replied, ignoring her as they helped her back into bed. Preparing another sterile set of instruments, he asked, "So, mind telling me what you were doing hopping on a train in the middle of the desert?"
Jesse reclined on the bed, closing her eyes as the doctor inserted the IV line into her inner elbow, noting the clean circle of flesh left over from Crona wiping down her arm.
"Someone I needed to pay a long overdue visit."
"Oh?" he inquired, "And who might that be? Sid?"
"Whose Sid?"
"The meister you attacked."
"Oh, the zombie. No, he jus got in my way. I wanted the bastard inside the train. O'Malley. Yeah, I've had it out for 'im for a while…" Jesse trailed off as the sedative was injected, lulling her into a much needed sleep. The girl hadn't rested in days, tracking her target down as the infection spread, having its way with the frail, injured body. The girl's weakened and sleep deprived state made a perfect breeding ground for the wound to fester.
The doctor and apprentice went to work, cutting off the girl's jeans and injected the much needed medicine into her thigh. Stein, asking Crona for more light, set about cutting away the hack job of stitches, sickly puss emanating from the wound. Debriding the wound, he brought the ends of the cut together, replacing the old stitches with clean, concise sutures, hoping to give the girl a better looking scar. After that was taken care of, he excused Crona, stating the boy needed some rest before school the following day. The anxious boy begrudgingly agreed, asking him to call if the doctor needed any more assistance.
Giving Jesse an X-ray, he pleased to find that Sid had given the girl a clean break, albeit straight across the radius and ulna. Stein's eyes narrowed as he saw other light breaks, curious as he deciphered their possible causes. Fighting, perhaps? Abuse? He prayed not. Either way, the girl had a hard life, deeming it highly probable he would find other fractures if he'd examine the rest of her. Setting the arm, he called back Crona, remembering he had told him that he would show the boy how to make a cast. After their work was done, the two went into the main house, settling in for the evening.
The doctor walked through, locking doors and windows, checking in on his infant as he walked across the hallway to his bedroom, his wife fast asleep. He sighed, looking at the clock. Stein was thankful that he wasn't one who needed much sleep, additionally grateful that his son wasn't one for much either. Getting dressed, he sat on the side of the bed, glancing over at his bride, her resting face putting his mind at ease. Groaning, he swung his legs over, cursing his overly used body for its complaints. No time for complaining, he needed sleep. Between teaching class and caring for his new patient, the next day was going to be a long one. Spooning Marie, the blonde woman stirred, smiling as she mumbled to her exhausted husband.
"I love you."
"Hm, love you too."
Author's Note:
I hope y'all enjoyed chapter one!
I find the new family dynamic between the four kind of sweet.
So, what kind of person is this Jesse McCoy, and how will she react in the morning?
And why was she after this O'Malley character?
Stay tuned!
As always, reviews are encouraged and greatly appreciated!
