I said I wouldn't. I suck at listening to myself.

So now, I have a Soul Eater-Ghost Hunt crossover. Great.

I don't own either wonderful series.

Souls

From the start I was suspicious. The case was just weird. It just kept getting more elaborate, almost like they were making it next to impossible to say no to. Still, it ended up with Naru, Yasu, and myself checking it out anyway.

It was at an old warehouse, apparently. The walls from the outside looked to be weak metal, and yet it almost seemed staged. Like it might be stronger than it looked. Or maybe I was just intimidated by its large size, if the size of the girl I couldn't quite make out in the image was anything to go by. There was also the fact that, while the road we were currently looked fairly new, it almost seemed to lead straight to the warehouse like a long driveway. There wasn't any other buildings or signs of civilization amongst the dense forest of trees that lined the entire ten mile drive from the main road. Heck, we almost missed the turn to this road, it was just obscure. Then it again, it might have just been that we really shouldn't have let Yasu drive. Ever.

Not that we had a choice. Lin was freaking sick, and that was all because Monk came in with a flu that I had caught earlier and had given to him. He proceeded to give everyone the flu, except for Yasu and Naru. Yasu, because he was gone at the time and I did thorough cleaning and sanitation after I got better, and Naru… Well, I speculate that it's because he probably scared the sicknesses away, to which he scowled when he heard my theory. And since I was already sick earlier, I didn't get sick again. But that left Monk getting Ayako and Lin sick, then Lin gave Madoka his diseases and Ayako pressed hers upon Masako, literally hugging the girl until she started sneezing, claiming that if she was to be sick, she was not going to be the only girl sick. I wasn't an option, so Ayako just substituted with Masako. This was, of course, before we realized Madoka was sick. In turn, Masako ended up getting John sick, since he drove her home that day.

Let's just say when SPR gets sick, they get sick. And I could have sworn I had gotten a flu shot this year. Naru wasn't pleased with me regardless since I kinda was the catalyst to getting everyone else sick (though I had honestly thought I wasn't contagious and my sickness was over).

That left three capable investigators to a case we already agreed to before everyone had started sneezing out their brains. I wasn't there the day they accepted the case because of aforementioned sickness, but if I was I definitely would have protested beyond all belief. This case just waved banners of suspicion in my face.

There was a week delay before we could go, due to road work apparently (which might explain the good state of the road here, despite its location), and all that week I tried to convince Naru to change his mind. Even so, he said that although we can legally decline after accepting, he wasn't someone to go back on his word.

Heck, I resorted to even to actually admitting that this was my instinct speaking, and yet he hardly cared. His excuse was that I was recently sick—physical things can affect psychic abilities to some degree, and that if my instinct was up to par this well, why the heck did I not avoid a sickness. I didn't want to admit that Keiko threw up all over me when I reluctantly escorted her to the nurse the day I was an hour late—a legitimate excuse for once on my lateness—and that's why I was sick, so I just backed down all together. It was plainly obvious I didn't want this case, but I just dealt with it and pouted while giving Naru a semi-silent treatment and making his tea a little sweeter than he usually liked. You know, like an adult.

Now, for why Yasu was driving… he technically wasn't street legal, but he looked it, and he had more driving experience than me and Naru combined. Plus, worse came to worse, he could probably charm his way out.

Naru and I quickly learned there is a very, very good reason why Yasu had never been given a license.

I'm pretty sure Naru and I were both on the agreement that, if we made it out alive, he would demand less tea and I would stop trying to poison him via sugar overdose. We didn't even say anything, it was just communicated between us as we finally left the city of Tokyo out into the country side and passed the last house that could offer us assistance if we crashed. I had looked despairingly out the window, as did Naru, and then our eyes connected, and we basically had a conversation with our eyes to make out our agreement in three seconds flat before returning out attention to surviving the car ride.

We did eventually stop, and for that I am thankful. And if you think for a second that Yasu is unaware of his bad driving, you should have seen the look on his face as he asked, "So how was my driving? I was trying to pay attention to the road, but Mai, you did kinda scream when we were near that cliff. Were you scared?" I swear, Naru and I had the same expression on our faces at that moment.

Quickly we unloaded ourselves from the van, slamming the door behind us as we got used to safe, nonmoving, non-Yasu-driven land. I tried to remove thought that Yasu would have to drive us around this entire trip and would probably be our ride home, instead filling it with the thoughts that there was a chance that Monk, a safe, responsible driver, might be well enough to join us later. Then I remembered that it was Lin that had the directions here, and if he didn't get well, the rest of SPR wouldn't be coming any time soon.

The warehouse looked just as it did it the picture. Ivy strung itself up the walls as a gateway to other plants that grew near, on, or maybe in the warehouse. There was certainly enough holes, though the holes that were close enough to reach were only big enough for maybe a dog at most to fit through, the bigger ones not until what was probably the catwalk level and the roof. Rust covered the once somewhat nice metal sides, and I briefly entertained the thought that we may be disturbing the animals that no doubt took residence here. Did this place even have separate rooms? Or anything in it? We were assured we'd have electricity, but I was doubtful.

Regardless, we went through the old door. I was reluctant and Yasu pretty much dragged me in. For now we just wanted to see what the place looked like before bothering with the equipment. We assumed, of course, that the equipment was safe, seeing as Naru is kinda paranoid about his equipment when it's being put into moving vehicles.

If he gets info out of its destruction (like in the fire at Yasu's school) or if it was sacrificed to a bookshelf in order to keep an idiot girl safe (and can then use said idiot girl for free labor), then Naru doesn't actually give a damn.

If he can't get any info other than 'Never let Yasu drive' or 'We probably should have used the unpoppable bubble wrap' out of the equipment's destruction, then he actually kinda cares.

The inside of the warehouse is basically a walled-in impression of the outside of it. There was about as much grass peeking through. I wouldn't care if I was murdered and tortured here—I would have just left here and haunted a high school or something. Like Japan doesn't have enough haunted high schools as is.

Of course, we hadn't even been inside of here for more than maybe five seconds before the door slammed shut behind us.

We quickly turned. No one there.

"Well," Yasu chuckled nervously, "this is a haunted warehouse, right?" He looked desperately at me. "Mai, this your cue to say that this place isn't haunted."

Just because the universe just loves jump scares, my voice wasn't the next one to speak. "This place isn't haunted," the familiar voice said.

And no, it was not Naru. Nor was it Yasu. No, this voice belonged to someone new. A certain doctor. An insane doctor.

I quickly turned to where I could see him in the shadows, before unnoticed in the bad lighting plus short time of evaluation. Then again, he was also just emerging from his hiding place, rolling chair and all. "Professor Stein," I greeted.

"You seem to be doing well," the stitched doctor replied back. "Though I wasn't intending to drag your friends here, it would be rude to not introduce us."

"Oh, right," I almost laughed. Almost. My nerves were too high-strung and didn't dare look away from the man. I gestured to the slightly scared Yasu. "This is Osamu Yasuhara. Preferably called Yasu." I then gestured to Naru, who stood there suspicious and ready for whatever was about to come. If only he knew. "This is Kazuya Shibuya, but we call him Naru."

Stein raised an eyebrow. He knew just as well as I did who the man beside me was. "I see," he said slowly. "I guess I'll introduce myself. I'm Doctor Franken Stein. I'm Mai's teacher."

"Mai's teacher?" Naru questioned.

"Er, you know how I said that I stayed with a teacher for a while after my mother's passing? He's that teacher," I said. "Though I'm not sure why he's here." The last statement was obviously weighted.

"Ah, that," Stein said. "Since you are still technically an academy student, albeit under some special circumstances right now, we still need to test you periodically. That's why we summoned you here."

"Then why didn't you send a letter or something instead of dragging my friends with me. You know, like a sane person?" I said. "Oh, wait, I forgot who I was talking to."

"Real cute," Stein said back. "Don't worry, if it's that big a deal we can erase their memories or something."

"Erase memories?" Yasu said as he and Naru flinched slightly.

"Oh, it doesn't hurt," Stein said, his glasses catching the light as he smiled lightly.

"But it tastes awful," another voice joined in. I risked looking from Stein to locate the new voice. Death Scythe, AKA Spirit, was up in the crumbling catwalk. "That's the only thing I do remember about it."

"Well, it's not like you're supposed to remember," Stein reminded.

"If he's here," I indicated to the red-haired man above us and to the right, "then I'm guessing this is a physical exam. Though it would make more sense to use Marie, wouldn't it?"

"Marie is pregnant, mind you," Stein said. "Besides, Spirit's been your teacher longer, and it's been so long since any of us saw you. Marie didn't mind staying back in favor of Spirit."

"Right," I said. "Almost forgot. But it's not my fault about my situation. Blame that idiot partner of mine."

"I resent that," yet another voice joined in. I didn't have to look to know that there would be a boy practically formulating from the shadows with short brown hair that looked a heck of a lot like me. "In case you forgot, partner, this was partially your fault too."

"Mei," I said, meeting familiar brown eyes.

"Mai," he said, equaling my stoic gaze with one of his own. Then we both split into smiles. "Nice to see you're doing fine."

"Same," I said.

"I hate to interrupt the reunion," Death Scythe said as he jumped from the impossible height but landing without injury on the ground, much to Yasu's and Naru's astonishment, "but we do need to test you today."

"Yasuhara, Shibuya," Mei said, going past Stein's side of the dark warehouse to join me. "I would suggest getting somewhere safe and being prepared to move quickly."

The two guys seemed to just be going with it, too shocked and curious to disagree. They probably thought this would be some sort of martial arts match or something. Oh how they would be wrong. Nevertheless, the quickly moved to the sides.

"Alright, as we know you two are independent without need of a partner, like Justin Law," Stein said as we all grimaced at Justin's name. "However, due to your similar wavelengths, you make a strange partnership of being able to depend on each other if needed, filling the roles of Meister and Weapon as needed. Not unlike Death Weapons the Thompson Sisters, if Kid can't be there, to be honest. Since you both were eligible, you went after two witches and now can't seem to fully reach either Weapon or Meister abilities, making you completely independent. Of course, she was unaware that you both usually worked like that and was swiftly defeated along with her partner witch. However, due to their spell you two can't become Death Scythes until we can break it."

"Yeah, you're stating the obvious," Mei said. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I was sent to Japan to separate from Mei and see if that fixed it, but it didn't. Then the whole Kishin thing came to be and I was stranded here," I continued. "But now that's over, isn't it?"

"Yes," Death Scythe said. "And we may be able to break the spell soon. However, testing for students is before then, and so we have to test you as is, no exceptions."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I asked.

"Come on, let's get started," Mei said, almost tiredly. He really hasn't changed much.

"Alright then. See if you can beat me," Stein said, standing up from his chair and kicking the rolling object away. "Spirit?" he said to the scythe.

"Ready," he said before he glowed and transformed. Before he was even fully transformed Mei and I had made mirror-image battle stances and called forth our own scythes. The glow of transformation shined away sharply on all three of us at the same time.

I ignored what the two guys on the sidelines yelled. Thankfully, they seemed to realize that they really should keep their distance and didn't try to come out here. Still, they seem distressed.

Stein wasted no time to start, charging forward with Death Scythe. Mei and I ran forward, splitting up as Stein struck Death Scythe down where we both were a second ago. Mei and I rejoined behind him, calling out blades on our feet as we both tried to strike-kick Stein from behind. Of course, Stein dodged quickly, trying to slash us. He succeeded in separating Mei and myself from our in-sync fighting. Mei crouched below to avoid the swing while I had leapt up, retracting my foot blades and ending of on top of Death Scythe's blade.

I quickly jumped up and behind as Mei's still-out blade tried to slice out Stein's feet. Stein jumped and dodged, jumping back quickly, causing Mei to be between myself and the professor.

Stein paused for a moment as he started to move the screw that went through his head as Mei and myself stood up and ready. "Hmph, I'm not disappointed," he said as his screw clicked into place. "I won't go easy then."

With that, he charged again, this time aiming just for Mei. I knew he was expecting me to attack while he was distracted. So I didn't. Instead, I rushed like I was going to but instead heading straight to the shadows when he was distracted by the close up fight with Mei. I quickly retracted my blades and found my way up to the catwalk, much to Naru's astonishment as Yasu looked steadfast at the fight. I smiled and held a finger to my lips. Reluctantly, Naru brought his attention away from me to the fight in front of him.

The two guys separated again, both jumping back from each other. Stein immediately noticed my absence, as did Mei, and Stein immediately closed his eyes to try to find my soul. Mei quickly and quietly went in to attack. Unfortunately, Death Scythe noticed a bit too late. "Stein, look out!" he yelled, but it was too late. Stein's eyes snapped open as Mei was an inch from slashing a new scar into his face. Stein was barely able to dodge.

I took this chance of distraction. I jumped down, and Stein moved quickly to dodge my blades from my legs using Death Scythe's blade. I stood there, crouching to look straight into Stein's face. "Checkmate, Professor," I said. Before there was time to react, one of Mei's blades was at Stein's throat. Stein assessed the situation and smiled.

"Indeed, checkmate," he said as we all simultaneously relaxed our positions. "You guys win. Of course, if that was a real fight, I could have easily gotten out of that."

That was true. And despite what Stein said, he was kinda going easy on us. Oh well. I will not question a victory. At least, not this one.

Yasu and Naru walked, or more like stumbled, over to where we stood. They were shocked as they both stood in front of us.

"I've decided this is a dream and Yasu crashed the car and I'm currently in a coma," Naru said with an almost dreamy haze to his voice.

"Don't blame me," Yasu argued in a similar daze. "Mai probably screamed too loud and jerked the wheel straight off the cliff."

"Hate to break it to ya," Death Scythe said as he came out of weapon form, "but this isn't a dream."

"Your friend here is more than you thought," Stein said, indicated towards me. "She's not only one soul away from being a weapon used by Lord Death himself, but also an excellent student of the DWMA along with her twin brother Mei."

"DWMA?" Yasu asked.

"Death Weapon Meister Academy," Mei and I said at the same time.

"I can't do this," Yasu said as he fainted.

Naru just looked at the boy at his feet for a moment before looking me straight in the eyes. "You better start explaining fast."