"Forgive me…" The silver haired man in the mirror whispered. "Forgive me of my sins, God."
Shinigami-sama looked through the mirror, his heart breaking for the man reflected therein. "Stein-kun, only you can forgive you, because only you know the extent of them."
"Let me tell you. Let me release myself from them…" Stein's voice was broken and low, forcing the being on the other side of the mirror to lean in closer.
Even a shinigami can be startled. Stein lunged at the mirror as Shinigami-sama leaned in, hysterical giggle trailing from his throat, his scalpel quivering as he buried it in the mirror, pieces of glass hitting the floor as the mirror fractured.
"WHAT'S UNDERNEATH THAT CLOAK AND MASK, GOD?!" The scientist shrieked, giggles pouring forth from him. "ARE YOU REALLY THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE?! LET ME SEE! I'LL PEEL IT OFF YOU LIKE THE SKIN FROM A GRAPE!"
"Stein-kun, we've had this discussion. Think, focus." Shinigami-sama said gently, staring at the fractured image in front of him.
"I HAVE TO KNOW!" The man shrieked again, twisting the scalpel in the mirror. "CAN YOU FEEL THAT? YOU ARE ALWAYS IN THE MIRROR, CAN YOU FEEL THE MIRROR'S PAIN?!"
"ENOUGH, MORTAL!" Shinigami-sama boomed, and the scientist paused, staring up at the being.
"God speaks and I hear." Jerkily Stein mimicked a bow, wide eyes staring at the being in the mirror.
"Then listen, mortal. I am DEATH. I am not your friend; I am not your compatriot. All that you are will end with me. I will destroy you utterly."
Twisted laughter poured from the scientist. "You can't break what is already broken!" Stein's arms and legs twitched, and he flung them into the air. "The strings are cut, I've fallen down! A broken marionette is no use! Come then God, Death, the Devil, whoever you are, take your due!" A flash of sanity passed through the scientist's eyes, "keep your word, Shinigami-sama," before being devoured in a maniac's laughter.
"SILENCE!" Shinigami-sama's voice cut through the laughter, and the hair on the back of the man's neck stood up. "I DO NOT PLAY WITH YOU, MADMAN. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY WAY TO HURT YOU IS TO PHYSICALLY HARM YOUR BODY?!"
"Can you feel a mirror's pain? Can you feel the shards of glass that fall and embed themselves in the ground? Can you? Or are you as blind to that as you are to the world outside your bubble? The world that you can never see, God?" Stein's gaze was cold, his voice emotionless.
Shinigami-sama was quiet.
"I can see the world as you never can. You called me a madman. Who's more mad, you or me? I see what others can't. You see only what is shown to you through a fractured mirror. Can you truly believe the broken reflections therein?"
A sound outside of the mirror's view caught the man's attention and he turned towards it. 'Marie-chan has returned home earlier than expected!' Shinigami-sama realized suddenly.
"Franken?" Marie's voice echoed through the lab as she came closer to the man.
Stein's voice curved into laughter. "You sent your angel, God."
"You will not harm her, Stein-kun." Shinigami-sama commanded.
The scientist's head tilted to the side as Marie called his name again. "She's mine, not yours. I'll play with my toys however I want." A sadistic grin spread across the man's face. "I wonder if an angel bleeds."
"Franken?" Marie's hand fell on the scientist's shoulder and he stiffened, hysterical giggles leaking out of his mouth as he covered his face in his hands.
"Take the angel away, God!" He whispered hoarsely into the mirror.
Marie took a step back, suddenly realizing the danger she may be in before resolve crossed her face and she gently placed her hands on Stein's shoulders, spinning the taller man around. "Franken, look at me," she said as she plied his hands from his face.
Stein's eyes were darting every which way, refusing to focus on her. His voice was broken when she caught his face and forced him to look at her. "I don't deserve to see an angel," straining against her hands he tried to crane his neck backwards to look at the mirror as he continued, "tell her God, tell her that I don't deserve to even see her!"
"Stein-kun, the angel needs you to trust her. You can trust her, yes?"
His eyes finally met hers and Marie could see how hard he was fighting, how desperate he was to keep it contained, even as she felt his hand grab her waist almost roughly; the words escaping from him obviously not what he wanted.
"I want to know if angels bleed."
Marie stepped back then, but Stein's arms were longer than her stride and he just stepped with her, one long arm slipping around her back as the other slid into his lab coat, withdrawing a sharp scalpel.
"Franken!" Marie said sharply, fear suddenly racing through her.
He tilted his head as he smiled. The scalpel in his hand quivered and Marie could see the emotions in his eyes. Fear, desperation, near panic. Refusing to let herself think the death scythe stepped closer to him, wrapping an arm around his neck and stretched on her tiptoes, pushing her lips against his.
The scalpel hit the ground with a clatter. The man's eyes were open wide and the grip on her waist relaxed. Marie smiled into the kiss as she felt Stein's other arm wrap gently around her and he leaned against her. When she finally pulled away from him she kept his cheek cupped in her hand.
"You can trust me, Franken." Marie said sweetly, letting her thumb trace the scar under his eye.
Stein was silent for a moment, his gaze caught not by her but by the scalpel that lay on the ground. "I almost killed you, didn't I?"
Shinigami-sama answered. "You didn't, Stein-kun. Marie-chan is more resilient than you give her credit for." The robed being hopped away from the mirror. "Now, I think that you have something you need to tell her, don't you Stein-kun?"
Stein looked down at Marie then and she could see the hesitation in his eyes. "Marie…"
"Franken?"
"Marie… I love you."
A/N: Another in the same vein as A Marionette's Dance. I hope that you enjoyed. Also, my 50th story contributed to FF. :)
/Lialane