A.N: This has not been beta'd, and i have no idea how too use this site. If i screw something up, please tell me so i can fix it. Notes about the story can be found at the bottom of the page. I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER.

The dream was always the same.

"Papa when's momma coming back" the little sandy haired boy would ask his father, tears in his eyes as he watched his mother leave the city behind. His father would stand behind him, in his immaculate black suit red hair ruffled by the breeze, silent for a moment before stooping down to his son's level.

"Momma isn't coming back son, it's…it's for good this time." He would answer his face carved from granite as he tried to be strong for his son, when all he wanted to do was cry. "But don't worry, daddies here, daddy will always be here." He would gather up the child in his arms, and as he began to wail the dream would end.

Michael Albarn awoke clammy, his body covered in a cold sweat and tears running down his cheeks. He was no longer the tiny sandy haired boy from his dream. The years had made him tall and strong, yet even now as a man the pain from his past could still make him cry. It had been two years since he had last had that dream, and he had hoped that meant he was finally past it. The time following his mother's departure had been hard, Spirit was far from a perfect parent, and Michael's eventual discovery of the reasons behind their shattered household had damaged his relationship with the man considerably. He had hated his father for a time, then he had come to pity him. Spirit had lost everything he ever loved, lost it because of his own foolishness.

It was from his father's failure that Michael had learned the most important lesson. When you found something you cared about, truly cared about, you grabbed it with both hands and you never let go. Not for anything. As he rose and stumbled to the bath, he could hear the morning bells. Silently he gave thanks to the lord Shinigami that he hadn't lost any sleep to the dream, he needed to be well rested this day. After he had washed, he pulled on his trousers and buttoned up his shirt, before throwing on his favorite mantled black canvas duster and walking out of his room.

Michael lived in a boarding house on the south side of Death City, a city famous for a single reason. It wasn't the architecture, it wasn't its history, it wasn't even the natural hot springs. Death city was famous for being the headquarters of the Shibusen mercenary guild. As was his wont Michael made a detour to father Justin's parish, when he was still two streets removed from the church he began to hear the organ and the priests shouted sermon. He's quite enthusiastic this morning Michael thought, usually he could only start to hear the sounds at one street away. Must have visitors he decided as he walked to the familiar building and pushed open the door. If the noise had been loud outside it was positively deafening inside, as the organ blared and the thin blond priest bellowed scripture.

"AND THUS DID SHINIGAMI CREATE MAN THAT THERE WOULD BE A CONTINUATION AND BALANCE OF SOULS" the priest quoted from the small book upon his pulpit " IN THEM HE WAS WELL PLEASED, AND THEN DID SHINIGAMI REST FOR THE WORK WAS FINISHED. AND AS HE DID REST ASURA, WHO WAS FIRST AMONG HIS HOST, DID GO FORTH TO THE WORLD THEY HAD CREATED AND HE DID LOOK UPON MAN AND WAS FILLED WITH TERROR. FOR GREAT WAS THE FEAR WITHIN ASURA, AND BEHOLD HE DID FEAR THAT THEY MIGHT GROW IN STRENGHT AND DISPLACE HIM AND HIS LORD. THUS DRIVEN BY FEAR DID ASURA RELEASE MADNESS INTO THE WORLD. AND BEHOLD HE DID CREATE THEN THE FIRST WITCH, TO BE A SCOURGE UPON MAN, AND TO PREVENT THAT WHICH HE FEARED. AND LO, WHEN SHINIGAMI DID AWAKEN FROM HIS SLUMBER HE DID BEHOLD THAT THE WORK HAD BEEN DISRUPTED, AND THE BALANCE LOST. GREAT WAS HIS RAGE, AND HE DID FALL UPON ASURA AND STRIP HIM OF HIS SKIN. YEA HE DID BIND THE MAD GOD IN A PRISON OF HIS OWN FLESH, AND ENTOMBED HIM FOR ALL ETERNITY. BUT BEHOLD HE COULD UNDO THE DAMAGE TO THE GREAT WORK, FOR SHOULD HE DIRECT HIS MIGHT TOWARD THE WORLD THE GREAT WORK WOULD BE DESTROYED ENTIRELY. AND BEHOLD HIS HANDS WERE BOUND, FOR HE COULD DO NOT TO STOP THE CREATION OF ASURA. THEN DID EIBON COME BEFORE SHINIGAMI AND SAY UNTO HIM 'LORD, SEND ME AND I WILL BRING BALANCE TO THE GREAT WORK IN YOUR NAME' AND YEA SHINIGAMI DID COMMAND EIBON TO GO FORTH. AND EIBON DID COME INTO THE WORLD, AND HE DID TAKE IN HIS HAND A MAN AND A WOMAN, AND BEHOLD HE DID CREATE THE FIRST MEISTER AND THE FIRST WEAPON. "

Justin paused to take a breath and Michael slipped out. He didn't really believe in those old myths, witches? Really? It all seemed a bit ridiculous to him. Priests claimed they had existed, before being driven to extinction, but Michael figured they had never lived at all. He stopped by the church to try and talk to Justin. The man was a legend, a lone weapon who had achieved a place among the guilds elite the death-scythes, before retiring from the guild to devote his life to the church. Michael came by when he had time, to try and wheedle stories and combat tips from the man. He usually had to sit through a sermon or two to get any results, but it was worth it. There was no chance of a story today though. He had seen a few brave souls seated in the first few pews. Justin would be busy cramming doctrine into those unfortunate fools for a few hours at least, and Michael had work to do.

As he walked through the arched hallways of the guild he went straight past the job notice board, he didn't need any work at the moment and had a back log of paperwork to take care of. After quickly making his way to his office in the lower levels he closed the door behind him and sat down behind his desk. Thus seated he turned his attention to the to-do pile on the left corner of his desk, which had come to be at his eye level while he was away on his last assignment. Michael sighed and pulled the first folder off the pile, a dossier of new recruits including several weapons. He looked it over before tossing it into the open filing cabinet behind him, and then proceeded to move onto the other paperwork he had stacked up. For the next hour or so Michael looked over forms, evaluations, complaints, legal documents, and bills, marking where appropriate and sending replies when necessary.

What I wouldn't give for an office on the two star level he mused, they have secretaries to do all this crap for them. Michael was technically a two star meister, but he wasn't able to perform two star missions just yet, and as such had no place on the two star level. His thoughts were interrupted by a timid knocking on his door.

"Come in" he called out, and the door slowly swung inward. A nervous little slip of a girl stood framed in the door way, he could see her tiny soul flickering from her agitation. Her hair was black, her eyes canted, and when she spoke her English was clipped and accented. "Master call for you" she said" master said he have a job for you."

Michael sighed as he stood up another mission, great, now he would never get caught up on his paperwork. He forced a smile "well I should go see the boss then shouldn't i." The girl seemed to relax a little at his smile, that was good, Michael Albarn didn't want to be the kind of man who scared little girls. She followed him at first, until they came to the stairs to the second level of the building, and then she stopped and waved good-bye before running off. A pleasant girl, he thought to himself as he climbed the stairs towards the top floor, but she seemed unsuited to the life of a Shibusen mercenary. He didn't think she would stay very long.

The topmost floor of the guild consisted of the guild masters office, and the hallway leading to it. As he moved down the hall Michael couldn't help but note the eccentricity of the decorum. The pillars and arches of the halls support structure had been made to resemble guillotines. It went pretty well with the hall's crimson carpet he finally decided, but in his opinion the skull torch holders were a bit much. Finally he reached the end of the passageway and knocked, requesting entrance.

"Enter" a resounding baritone voice ordered from beyond the door, and enter he did. The old man smiled as he stepped through the door. "Michael please sit down" he said, and Michael sat. the guild head was a tall man, his hair starting to bleach to white, with only patches of its former coal black remaining. As he looked at the man behind the desk, wrapped up in the great dark cloak that was his preferred attire, Michael could see where the man's alias had come from.

Years ago a war correspondent for a major newspaper had called him the " Reaper", and said that it was as if the lord Shinigami himself had stepped onto the battlefield. The name stuck, and under that name he gained fame and fortune sufficient to create the Shibusen mercenary guild. Now that guild was one of the largest in the world, with influence stretching from its headquarters in Nevada to far flung outposts in Oceania, and though its master had grown old he was still hale.

"Michael I know your busy, after all I gave you the work, but I have a job for you. A request arrived yesterday from an English baron in the Ohio territories. He wants to hire a meister to guard his daughter for her journey to a convent in New York. "The boss sounded like he should be happy about being offered this job, but Michael didn't see the appeal of babysitting some spoiled brat on her way to visit a bunch of nuns.

"That sounds interesting" he replied diplomatically " but I'm a little busy, maybe It would be better as a training mission for one of the green horns" he suggested. It seemed to him that this sort of job didn't really deserve his attention. The boss frowned and his reply, his expression becoming more dour.

"We can't send any trainees" he replied "the baron specifically requested, and is paying for, a two star meister. You wouldn't suggest I send a trainee on a two star mission would you" Michael couldn't believe his ears, a two star mission. The boss was finally offering him a two star mission. He smiled at the thought of moving up to the two star floor, it was a pleasant mental image. The master's next words called him back to reality.

"Speaking of trainees did you look over the dossier I sent you" he asked innocently. Michael's eyes scrunched up, he knew where this was going and he didn't like it. "Yes" was his reply, and if he had his way that would be the end of it. The boss wasn't willing to let it end at that however "and?" He asked.

Michael sighed, he knew what the man wanted, and though it was perfectly reasonable Michael couldn't give it to him. It was the reason that this would be Michael's first two star mission, his one flaw. While it was true that Michael was a two star meister he wasn't…complete. Michael Albarn didn't have a partner, didn't have a weapon. It was why he visited Justin so much. The priest had made it without a partner, and Michael saw no reason why he couldn't do the same.

It wasn't that he didn't want a partner, the problem was he was determined to wait for the right one. Michael had been trained as a scythe meister, and scythes were incredibly rare. He probably could have made due with a different weapon like the boss wanted, but he couldn't do it. He would have a scythe or nothing at all.

As he watched his subordinates face lock down the "Reaper" couldn't help but slump his shoulders a bit. He already knew what would happen. Michael Albarn was one of the most talented meisters he knew, and possibly the most stubborn. His abilities with soul perception were frankly amazing, possibly the best he had ever seen, but his talent came with a stone skull.

The man simply couldn't realize that he didn't have the talent set to work without a weapon. True, there were some who could, but Michael wasn't one of them. He had made it this far by using his soul perception abilities to predict his opponent's movements, but the older man feared that someday the headstrong young blonde would get into a fight where he wouldn't be able to stay one step ahead. It would be shame for such a promising meister to die like that. He decided to try and convince him one more time.

"Some of those new recruits are quite promising, like that young woman I sent to get you, Tsugumi. She's a halberd, that's not that different from a scythe. Why don't you at least try resonating with some of them, see how it feels?" He asked, hoping that the scythe meister might see reason.

But Michael refused to budge. "Thank you for the job sir" he said, blatantly ignoring the guild master's last statement. "Is there anything else, or may I leave?" the old man sighed, it looked like today wasn't his day, perhaps when Michael got back from this job…well he'd try again then.

"Very well Michael, here is your ticket. Be sure to get plenty of rest, your train leaves tomorrow morning. "He said handing him a small envelope. " When you get there seek out the manor of Barron…Evans. He will give you further instruction when you get there."

A.N: And there's chapter one, thanks for reading till the end. I was always curious what would happen if Shinigami wasn't around to regulate the Weapons and Meisters, and that's where this came from. Now the big question i know you all have, why in the name of all that is good in the universe would i make a male version of Maka? And why does he have a western name? The reason is pretty simple, I've always kinda related to Maka. I relate because my father is a womanizer, but the way i handled it was different, because I'm a guy. Obviously i'm not going to have issues trusting men. Between my desire to put a little of myself into the story, and the lust bit of the salvage arc in the manga i had all the inspiration i needed for Michael. Who is named Michael because Albarn is a western name in my opinion, and i couldn't think of a male Japanese name similar to Maka.

I know the first chapters kind of short, but bare with me, they will get longer as i get into the story. I ended it here because it seemed like a nice place to cut off. Regardless of whether or not people like this i'm going to keep writing it. That being said if you do like it, or have something you want to say, please leave a review. Just in case anyone's wondering, i rated it M because of what i have planned in a latter arc. For the record its gore and violence, not lemon, though i won't make any promises that lemon won't find its way in at some point. thank you again for reading.

Sincerely

Contaminated Angel.