AN: Yuni here! The name is based on Adelle's "Set Fire to The Rain". That song inspired me to write this. -head desks- I wrote another SteinxMarie fanfic! I love that pairing so much! Why...? I dunno... Maybe I just like the idea that Stein and Marie were made for each other. Literally. And if you don't believe me... look up the wiki to see what they have in common.
Then again... Here. Wiki trivia. I own nothing!
Marie's first name is said to be a reference the first name of the writer Mary Shelly... the same writer of "Frankenstein". Her attitude about marriage is related to that of the Bride of Frankenstein who married the monster and his creator. Also... Frankenstein is seen with a hammer in the book. They both deal with electricity, too... Stein's twist of the monster and scientist where the monster is brought to life by electricity and the fact that Stein's attacks are usually electric based and Marie's relation to Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor- the god of thunder.
Anyway... I've bored you enough with the trivia off of Wiki... (look up Soul Eater Wiki for more.) Enjoy the story~! -.^y
As the rain relentlessly poured over the city in the Nevada desert, fire spewed out of the building and a scream echoed through the surrounding area. One man stood at the gates of the property, drenched in the downpour and the fire reflecting off his glasses. He marched closer to the flames with only one thing on his mind: Get her out, before it's too late. He broke in the doors of his usually quite and dark lab. He boldly continued, ignoring the broken monitor and shorted out system that had caused this chaos to unfold.
He ducked below fallen and burning support beams, barely catching his lab coat. He avoided the smoke in the air, knowing it could be full of harmful chemicals he had made over the years.
The brave scientist finally was able to reach the person he was trying to save. She had collapsed from breathing in too much of the smoke and seemed to be covered in ashes from the burning building. She was surrounded by the cruel flames, dancing as they carelessly destroyed their home. He knelt down next to the woman and turned her over to face him. She opened her one golden eye and lightly brushed her rescuer's face. She whispered his name desperately, causing him to grab her hand. She coughed hard and slipped back into unconsciousness.
He knew she was still alive. He sensed her soul; her chest was rising and falling to a faint pattern. She doesn't have much time... I have to get her out. He thought as he picked up her frail body and promptly put her on his back. He maneuvered through the disaster carefully, the building becoming more unstable as time drew ever longer. The air was becoming toxic to him, even with all his years of smoking. He found himself coughing, and his mind becoming dizzy. Before he could make it to the door, his mind finally gave in to the haziness it had acquired.
He fell, and as he did, he reached out towards his only exit. His head hit the hard ground, his glasses now shattered from the small, yet fateful flight. The flames continued their cruel dance, reflecting off the brave man's shattered glasses that lay in front of him.
Stein awoke to the beeping of machines around him. His senses were coming back, and he realized that he must have been out for a few days, for his mouth was extremely dry. His mind was foggy with what had happened previous to blacking out. Then a thought struck him. Where's Marie? He felt his pulse rise in anxiety. He reached up to the screw in his head and gave it a good twist.
His mind was now a lot more focused as he looked at his surroundings. He was in a hospital, but instead of him looking over a patient, he was the one in need of medical assistance. This was something Stein detested greatly, but knew was best for his own health- seeing as how he didn't know what exactly had happened. There was a respirator mask covering his mouth, feeding him clean oxygen. The good doctor was attached to various monitors and an IV, as to sustain his life. He let out a sigh of irritation and turned his screw once more. Well... this is humiliating.
The room was white walled with the exception of a TV hanging in front of his bed. The only other contrast was the fine wooden chair that was next to his bed and the wooden door- both what he perceived to be oak or maple wood.
There was still one thing that really caused his mind to work, where was Marie? To the scientist's surprise, a large crash sounded from the door hitting the wall upon being opened by a familiar figure in the door way, was Stein's previous weapon, Spirit. He rushed to his former partner and looked over him with a worried face.
"Stein, I heard what happened, are you all right," the red haired scythe questioned in his usual idiotic manner. Stein huffed and looked towards the wall next to his bed. It was no wonder Maka despised the man. He was a complete fool, sometimes. "Spirit, can I ask you something..." Spirit straightened up as if he were in front of Lord Death, himself... but then again, he'd still do the same dense things he always does. "Yeah, what is it," he put in a slightly serious tone. "If I'm laying here, awake, attached to a bunch of machines, what in Death's name would make you think that I'm 'all right'," the younger man interrogated.
Spirit put his hand to his chin in thought. He took in a short breath before he said, "Good point..." Stein tilted his head to the side, feeling his mind fog even quicker without the aid of his handy death sticks. He then asked with small smirk, "I have two more questions. A, where is Marie? I don't sense her soul within the hospital. And b, do you have a cigarette I can chew on...?"
Spirit shoved his hands in his pockets and looked serious for a moment. "Marie, according to the doctors outside, was moved to another hospital because of her condition." The older man handed Stein a pack of the poisonous sticks. "Don't let the staff here find these or you'll be in some serious trouble," Spirit ordered as he held out the pack for his ex-partner to take. Stein accepted them with a small smirk on his face as he turned his screw some more. He hid the package under his pillow to keep them a secret.
Once he was sure he had cleared enough of the disturbing mist from his mind, Stein's smirk changed to that of a warm smile at the thought of Marie. "At least she's alive. I tried to save her, you know..." Had Spirit had anything in his mouth at the time, he'd choke on it, but instead he had a slightly shocked expression. "You what...?" Stein's face was now somber and he looked down at the sheets covering him. "You know I couldn't leave her there. She would die if I did, and if I didn't do something about it..." Stein looked up. "I would be responsible for letting her."
Spirit tilted his head to the side with a slightly interested look. "Y'know something, Stein... I think there was another reason." Stein blinked. "And what would that be," the madman pondered alloud. "You love Marie," the able man simply stated. Stein's expression immediately changed from serious to annoyed. "I don't know what you're talking about. Emotions like that confuse me, therefore I lack that particular one," Stein stated factually. Spirit placed his hands on his hips with a pout on his face. "You don't understand, Stein."
Stein raised an eyebrow. He glanced at Spirit with a sarcastic and curious glance. "No... I don't. Enlighten me..." Spirit turned his nose up at the scientist with an annoyed glare. "For one, you risked your own hide to save her. The building was on fire, and there was little chance of you going in there and making it out alive, yet you still tried to get her out," Spirit tactfully pointed out. Stein stared at him in indifference. "And...? Wouldn't I do that just because it's the right thing to do...?" Spirit huffed in irritation.
"Stein, you act differently around her. You seem less cold. If you really didn't care, you would have never let her stay with you in your lab. You would have pushed her away the moment that she started adding some touches to your place. You know you need her, Stein. And when you combine that with the protection you've displayed-" The meister raised his hand abruptly. "Stop! Enough. I couldn't care if she left, not at all. I wouldn't care if she took all her things and decided she had had enough of living with me. She's just another person that needed to be rescued. That's all Spirit!"
Spirit, who was initially shocked, now looked down with a straight face. He balled his fists up and cursed under his breath. He turned around and began to leave, only to pause at the door. He glanced back at his former meister. "That's fine... suppress your emotions like you always do. Dissect them, analyze them, do what ever you want with them. Just know that no matter how much logic you place behind it, you'll never be able to explain them. They're just there, Stein," the healthy man preached before shutting the door behind him, leaving the madman to his thoughts.
Stein pondered a little bit on the argument. He thought back to when he was saving her from the burning laboratory that he once called home.
He knelt next to his current partner. "Marie...," he asked, fear edging his voice as he turned her limp body over. The golden haired woman had soot marks all over her face and the rest of her body. She coughed, seeming to register Stein's voice. She opened her one good eye and reached up weakly to her partner's face. "St-St-Stein...," she managed to rasp out, soon feeling the comforting hand grab her outstretched one.
"Yes... I did do it because I cared about her," Stein muttered. "Her and the DWMA are the only two things that have made my life meaningful thus far, and I won't lose either." The madman turned his screw some more. "And Marie is my only treasure in my mad and sadistic life," he realized as his screw clicked into place and he lifted his head.
Set fire to the rain...