First fanfic! I am so psyched (yes, psyched)! Read and review XD keep the criticism constructive, peoples. -Love, Maya

Chapter One

"Class, your attention, please."

The room went quiet in a hurry; no one wanted Stein to start throwing scalpels around like darts again.

Stein smirked, predicting their thoughts, and started adjusting his screw. "We have a new student joining us today." He scooted his office chair to the door and opened it. "You can come in now."

In stepped a beautiful girl with a big smile on her freckled face. Her hair was a bright red that made Maka Abarn's stomach turn; the color and texture were exactly like her father's.

Stein placed a paternal hand on the new girl's shoulder. "This is Eris."

Maka's hand shot up. "Professor Stein!"

The scientist smirked again. "Yes, Maka?"

"I have a question for Eris."

Eris turned her expectant eyes on Maka. The scythe meister noticed that one of the redhead's eyes was silver, while the other was gold. Kid would never be able to look her in the eye.

"Uhm," Maka began. "Do you know a man named Spirit Albarn?" She was going to skin her father alive, Lord-Death-style.

Before Eris could respond, Stein put in, "Close, but no cigar, Maka."

"What do you mean?" Maka asked, more than a little suspiciously.

Stein squeezed Eris's shoulder again. "Eris is my daughter."

Many jaws hit the floor. "Whaaaat?" came the collective cry, plus Soul and Black*Star waking up with a "Whahuh?"

Eris rolled her mismatched eyes and pushed her long, red waves out of her face. "That's not exactly true, Dad," she scolded Stein. He just grinned evilly. The new girl faced her new classmates and gave them a big, lopsided grin. "Dad was messing around with genetics—you know, cloning, artificial human gestation, usual stuff—and he only had his own and Spirit Albarn's DNA around. Mr. Albarn didn't know. A few chromosomes and gens got mixed up, lost, and gained, and lo and behold, here I am!" She turned her charming, asymmetrical smile on Maka. "I guess we're kind of sisters. Maka, right?"

Maka just looked at her, properly and understandably floored.

Eris addressed the class again. "So, hi," she chirped, bowing quickly. "My name is Eris Stein, and I'm a meister." She smiled again bashfully. "Please take care of me. (1)" Everyone stared.

Stein patted his daughter apparent on the back. "Great. We'll put you on Maka's resonance team, since that's where we put the weirdos, so go sit with them."

The new girl shrugged and made her way to the empty space next to Maka. She sank gracefully into her seat and smiled sheepishly at the blond meister, who just stared back blankly.

Soul leaned into Maka and whispered against her ear, "Awkward." His meister's response was to swipe at him until he pulled away, then rub her ear, blushing furiously.

When she was done doing that, Maka eyed the ginger next to her. Was her story true? Stein was crazy enough to do something like that, sure, but he was also crazy enough to make up and/or go along with a story along those lines, if only to get a rise out of his old partner, Spirit. Maka spent the rest of class tapping her pen on her desk and pondering her would-be sister.

The bell rang eventually, and everyone but Maka, Soul and Eris scrambled to gather their things and go home. Maka stood and went to Eris's seat, laying a hand on her desk.

Eris looked up and smiled at her. "Oh, hi, Maka," she said brightly.

"Hi," Maka answered, gazing down at her assessingly. "So you're my sister. Since when?"

"Seventeen years ago, silly." Eris began collecting her things. Maka placed her hand over a notebook as Eris reached for it.

"You mean you're seventeen years old?" she prodded. "You existed as of seventeen years ago?"

The ginger leaned back easily in her chair and met Maka's green eyes with her mismatched ones. "That's right."

"And where have you been all seventeen years of both of our lives?"

Eris smirked. "Europe." She yanked her notebook out from under Maka's hand and stood, placing it into her stylish bag. "We should get going. Our team trains today, right?"

Maka stepped into her path. "Not until we're done talking." Soul rose from his seat but didn't leave it; he just put his hands into his pockets and observed silently, ready to leap to Maka's aid if need be.

"I'm not lying, Maka." Eris crossed her arms over her chest, her strange eyes boring into Maka's. "Your father has nothing to do with this." She snorted. "Hell, I bet he still doesn't know. Dad probably wants to sneak up and hit him in the face with the news, but Spirit Albarn has no obligation to me whatsoever." She shifted her weight onto one foot. "But I really do think of myself as your sister. I want us to be friends."

Maka only looked at her.

Eris sighed tiredly. "Check my soul if you want, Maka. Ask Dad. Whatever you have to do, just know how serious I am." Her expression darkened a bit. "I'm no liar."

The scythe meister looked into her sister's eyes a moment longer, then at her soul. It was a strange patchwork thing, and Maka could tell that it was usually large and powerful, like the perfect storm. Right now, though, it was withdrawn into Eris's chest, timidly reaching out to Maka, soft like summer drizzle.

She looked away from the new girl's soul and back into her eyes. She maintained the stare a few more seconds, and the ginger bravely held eye contact, though not without squirming a bit. Finally, Maka smiled. "I believe you," she said firmly. Soul's posture relaxed.

Eris positively beamed; seriously, Maka thought she would go blind. Eris took her hands in her own and squeezed. "Thank you," she said softly, fervently.

Maka grinned, then looked past her at Soul. "What are you lollygagging for?" she called. "We've got training to do."

The scythe smirked down at her, then jumped over the flight of stairs to land in front of Maka, not a foot from her, his hands still in his pockets. He leaned in close to her, all up in her bubble, and said coolly, "Then let's go."

Soul stepped casually around his wide eyed meister and sauntered out of the room. Eris caught Maka's eye and raised an eyebrow at her.

Maka flapped her hand dismissively. "I dunno," she answered her sister's silent question. "He just… does that, stuff like that, sometimes; more and more these days. He fell when he tried that last week."

The redhead raised both her eyebrows at this. Maka didn't see; she had started toward the door. "C'mon," she said over her shoulder. "It's your first training session. You're on our resonance team, and we won't tolerate any less than the best."

Eris threw a lopsided grin at her sister's back. "Sure."


A/N: (1) I tried to use a translation of "yoroshiku onegaishimasu." I think it suits Eris.