Chapter 1: New in Town

A/N: I thought of this awhile back, and finally got around to writing it. It's and AU story, because I want to be different and not follow the storyline like in another story of mine. It's rated M for violence, torture, sexual situations and themes, experimentation, abusive content, and other nasty things.

Marie stepped out of her hotel room, locking the door behind her. She took in a breath as she stepped onto the second floor balcony. Death City. She had heard about this place while growing up and now she was finally here. She didn't have an apartment yet, but she had gotten a job at a café and was saving up. The wind blew her long, blonde hair out of her face and she smiled. She was happy to be here. The city was so beautiful as far as she could see, considering that she could only use one of her eyes. She had lost the other so long ago. She ran her fingers over the silky black eye patch before turning towards the stairs. Today was her first day of work and she didn't want to be late.

…...

"Hello," The blonde smiled at her customer, "And what can I get for you today, sir?"

She hadn't ever seen anyone like him before in her life. He wore a stitched up white lab coat, stitched black t-shirt, and black pants. He even had stitches going across one side of his face, but that wasn't the strangest thing. He had a screw that went all the way through his head. Marie wondered if it turned or not. And how it had gotten there in the first place? What was with all of the stitches?

"I'd just like a cup of coffee please," His voice was smooth and a little deep, "Black."

Marie was too lost in his olive-gold eyes to hear him.

The man reached up and brushed some of his silver hair from his eyes, "Um…Ms." he glanced down at her nametag, "Marie?"

Her light brown eye widened and a small blush immediately hit her face. She had just been starring at this stranger, "I-I'm so sorry! What did you need?"

The man smiled as if he understood, "Just a black coffee would be nice."

"Okay," She smiled and walked over to get a cup, "That'll be two dollars. Do you need anything with it? Cream? Sugar?"

"No," He said, setting the money on the counter, "Just the coffee."

Marie poured the coffee into the cup and sat it on the counter in front of him. He gave her a mischievous smile and slid the cup from her hand, letting his fingers run over her own. Her blush went a little darker and she pulled her hand away and placed the money into the register.

"MARIE!" Her boss called from the kitchen, "YOU CAN GO ON BREAK!"

"Right," Marie smiled and slid her apron off before placing it on the hook and walking out from behind the counter with a small cup of coffee in hand. She crossed the front of the café and sat down at one table in the corner of the room. She looked up to see the stitched stranger only a few tables over. He sipped his drink and was reading a thick gray book, occasionally slipping Marie a sly glance. She'd just blush and look down when he did this. The next time she looked up, he was sitting across from her at the table. She felt as if she were going to jump out of her skin.

"So," He said, setting his book down, "How long have you lived here in Death City? You seem new. Probably because I don't know you."

Marie instantly felt her face go red. No one had ever been so persistent of her before. The thing was, she kind of liked it, "Um, about a week," she smiled, "I haven't even got an official place to stay at yet. I'm just in Black Death Hotel right now."

"Oh," His hand crept over towards hers, "Well, I guess that explains why I haven't seen you before."

Marie automatically wondered why she had told him that information without even realizing it. It was like his eyes just made her tell him. Those beautiful eyes, "Well, yeah. What do you do?"

His hand snaked it's way even closer, "I'm sorry? What do you mean by that, dear?"

"What do you do for work?" She asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Oh," his eyes had a glint of insanity that went undetected by Marie, "I guess you could say that I'm a doctor," A smirk grew wide on his stitched, pale face, "An experimental one."

"An Experimental Doctor? I've never met one before," She leaned forward on her elbows, "How many patients have you treated?"

He sat his cup of coffee down, "I have seven patients in my care right now, though I'm not sure if one of them will make it," his tone was almost bored.

"Oh my gosh!" Marie cried, setting her cup down on the table, "I hope that they'll be alright!"

"I hope so as well," The man seemed to be spacing out, "He has several injuries in his torso and chest, plus the one on his neck. I'm not too sure that he's going to make it."

Marie brushed a stray blonde hair from her face with her slim fingers, "Well," she leaned closer to the man, "Will you tell your patient that he'll be in my prayers?"

He smiled, and ran his fingers across her hand before picking it up and giving it a light squeeze, "Of course." A blush lit onto Marie's face, "Hey, Marie?"

"Y-yeah?" She asked, the blush growing deeper.

"I was wondering," He took a napkin and began to jot down something on it with a pen, "Would you like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" Marie's eyes widened, " I know, it seems sudden, but there's just something about you that I can't place. Something," his eyelids drooped a bit, luring her in further, "Intriguing."

"Um, well," He slid the napkin into her hands, "I guess…that we could…"

He smiled, "Great. My number is in there. Call me whenever you want me to come pick you up." He stood up from the table, "Goodbye," a small smirk played onto his face, "Ms. Marie."

"W-Wait!" Marie sprang up and grabbed the man by the sleeve, "I don't know your name!"

The man smiled, "Stein, Franken Stein," he shook her hand, "But just Stein is what I prefer." With that, the man left the shop with the napkin in the blonde's hand.

…...

Stein walked home with his hands in his pockets. The rain stuck his hair to his forehead and neck. He didn't seem to mind though. Rain was one of the few things that the Doctor didn't mind.

Her name was Marie Mjolnir. She was pretty. She seemed different. She seemed so alive. So unlike him in that way.

She could also be one of his grandest experiments ever to be accomplished.

She seemed like the perfect subject. Perfect body structure. Slim, curvy and strong. The only problem may be that missing eyes of hers. But that could be worked around. It could be replaced.

Or he could just remove the other one.

He liked the thought of that. All he needed was a spoon. A spoon could take out an eye if one had excellent aim. Stein did. Of course there were other ways to do it. He could simply hack it out with a scalpel. Or Pull it out with chopsticks. Even Liz's blue plastic hair bush would do. He could use the bristles. Each way, she would feel it. Her remaining eye being ripped out from it socket as the optic nerve was severed and she became forever blinded in this life. It would be sheer pain. Of course he wouldn't use pain killers. Or anesthetic. He lived and breathed for the pain of others. He new that it was wrong. But it made his heart pound. Sent a rush through his veins. The way with the spoon seemed like child's play compared to the others.

He had to gain her trust first. That's what the date was for. He would get to know her. Make her trust him. A little love. Make her feel safe. That he could do.

Just as he had taken the others before. They were young. He adopted them. Lured them in with his false charm. He had gotten Liz and Patty in California when Patty was six and Liz was nine. He had gotten Maka and Soul from an abandoned house a few miles from the city when they were both four. He picked up Chrona from and adoption center right here in Death City. Kid had shown up as a baby on his doorstep. Tsubaki had been his maid for a while. Then she got too close, and became one of them as well.

But Marie? Marie was different. He couldn't just take her. He had to let her in. Let her do things to him. Let her hold his cold heart in her own hands. Stein knew nothing of love. Not true love. He knew it only falsely. So could he do this? Could he let this young woman love him with all her being and then turn around and cut her open just to see what was inside? He had to. He had to. This madness inside of him was becoming more ravenous with each passing night. Each second. It got worse and worse.

Stein turned towards the front entrance of his laboratory. The building had been his for as long as he could remember. It was multiple shades of gray and stitched up with giant black stitches. It would probably only ever be called home by him. All of the neighbors had even moved away. They didn't like being around him. And Stein didn't blame them.

He pushed open the door with his pale hand. He stepped into the dark and still hallway before silently shutting the door behind him. A girl with long raven hair and deep blue eyes stepped into view. She was tall with scarred pale skin. She wore a simple white gown that fit loosely on her once well curved body. She gave the doctor a false smile before stepping closer and sliding off his white coat with tentative fingers and placing a dry lab coat onto his shoulders.

"Thank you, Tsubaki," the doctor said in a voice filled with mock kindness. The mock kindness of which he had been using for years, "Do you know where Maka might be?"

"She's with Soul," Tsubaki told him simply in as little words as possible. They weren't to speak unless spoken to. That is, unless they wanted a slap in the face. Tsubaki was eighteen now. She had been in this hell of a place for three years. She couldn't imagine what it must've been like all of this time for the others who had been here for so much longer than her.

Stein grit his teeth together. His lips pressed together in a tight frown before he walked down the hall with heavy heels. He turned at the last door and pushed it open in frustration, causing it to slam into the wall.

Maka felt her body jolt in surprise as the door crashed open. Her faded green eyes flew open and a small strand of her dirty mouse brown hair fell into her face. She bit her lower lip as she felt Stein's hard grip on her shoulder through her thing hospital gown.

"Maka," His voice was a bitter growl, "What are you doing in here?"

She felt tears welling in the corner of her eyes as his grip on her tightened to the point of pain. Her teeth sunk further into her lower lip as she glanced up at Soul, who lay unconscious on the table. A large slash went deeply across his chest, red with the fresh reopening of it. Messy black hastily stitched stitches wove across the wound. His chest barely rose and fell as he kept breathing.

"Answer me, Maka," Stein said, spinning her to face him. His breath reeked of cigarettes and black coffee.

The small girl remained silent.

"How many times have I told you," he clutched a wad of her matted hair in his hand and picked her up, dragging her across the room, away from he half-brother. She screamed and flailed as Stein slammed her hard into the far wall. She hit the floor with a soft thud. Dull pains raging through her body. He griped her throat and pulled her head up to face him, "TO DO AS I SAY?"

His voice edged in anger as he wrapped his fingers tight around the small girl's neck, choking her. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. Stein dropped her to the floor, allowing her catch her breath before slapping her hard across the face. She let out a small cry as he left her on the floor.

"Next time," he looked at her over his shoulder, "You are going to stay out of here and do as I say. Understand?"

"Y-Yes, Doctor Stein," The small girl choked out before the man walked out the door.

She bit her tongue to hold in words of anger. She hated him so much. After all he had done to them, he was no where near stopping. And Soul. Soul was dying. She let out a strangled throaty sob before curling up on the ground near the door where Stein had dropped her.

A/N: That would be the first chapter of Madness. I hope that all of you enjoyed. It is a challenge to write, because I don't normally do this kind of stuff, but it popped into my head, so I decided to work at it. Please Review. This story will not update as often as my others because my brain works slowly with this kind of thing, but I will update when I can. I hope that you will continue to read.

Love,

Tsukiko-Chama