The Price of Resonance

Chapter One

With the cackling sun overhead, blazing its scorching rays toward anyone victim in Death City, Stein and Deathscythe spoke in the privacy of a deserted classroom in Shibusen. The laughter of his daughter, Maka, right outside the window a few stories below, set the red-head crying and off topic.

"She doesn't love me! No, she doesn't even like me! Not even that- she doesn't acknowledge I exist!"

Stein's hand slammed the table in front of his temporary weapon and took the moment of silence and his comrade's facial expression into consideration. With a soft clearing of his throat, Stein stared into his weapon's eyes, "You know my theory is near accurately correct."

Deathscythe's eyes gazed out the window and away from Stein's penetrating glare, all seriousness returned, "I wish I didn't."

Through the window and to the park bench stood Maka, desperately attempting to get her book from Soul's clutches.

"I told you not to bring this with you." He scolded, dodging every one of Maka's thrusts.

Scrunching up her face, she countered, "I brought it in case you were boring!"

"Ho ho ho, so that's how it is. In that case, you really aren't getting this back." He tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide and rested the corner of the hanging book on his tooth.

"Soul! Don't you DARE!" she cried, this time thrusting her entire body at him. Surprised and out of time to move, collision occurred, throwing Soul to the concrete ground, hard.

Head throbbing and blinding his vision, he tried to sit up but had trouble due to Maka atop his chest, stopping him. Long and behold, she had her book back in her hands, a huge grin on her lips and her eyes pinned to the pages already. He couldn't believe it. "You know, you could at least get off me before you get lost in it."

"Too late, I'm in." she replied, half zombie.

With a sigh, he rested his head back to the concrete, about to look at the sky but nearly jumped out of his skin when instead, he was face to face with Maka's father.

Face completely distorted and rage emanating from his body, Deathscythe nearly stomped Soul's face into the ground had he not jolted upright like Sid from the grave. "I'll kill you. I really will." he growled, the sound coming out more like knives than a voice.

Soul was already roughly eight feet away, holding Maka by the arms in front of him for protection. Maka's face was bland, unenthused, her eyes still glued to the book's pages, yet she managed to mutter her say, "Papa, what do you want?" Her eyes lifted to him, showing a glare filled with sinister evil. Taking a step back, 'Papa' mumbled, "I was only coming to my darling daughter's rescue."

"Rescue?" she echoed, the sound identical to her father's knives.

Soul's fingers slid quickly off her arms in response and took a few steps away from her. Papa did likewise.

"Apparently there was no need for Papa this time." He shivered, walking backwards slowly. "B-but always know that Papa will be here for you…"

If her eyes couldn't get any scarier, it didn't matter, for they did. The horror scared Papa off and she turned to face Soul as she gently closed her book. Her expression quickly changed as she tilted her head to the side and allowed a large smile, "Didn't you plan on taking me somewhere?"

Having retreated to his study, Stein stared complacently at his computer monitor. Bars and graphs blinked simultaneously, reflecting on his glasses. His grin grew wide across his face, eyes thirsty for more knowledge. His desire, his need for experiment was growing rapidly. Every fight his two guinea pigs fought, the more he would know, the closer he would be to finding out the conclusion. Too excited, he leaned forward in his chair as if bringing his face closer to the monitor would be of any use.

In doing so, the wheels on the chair slid and the chair flew from under him, his face slamming the keyboard. Lying there, a fit of laughter escaped his lips. His body shook to match it and the study echoed, repeating his insaneness.

A few minutes passed and as it did, he calmed. Slowly, he rose from his odd position on the floor and grabbed hold of the chair. Before sitting, he stared at the empty wall. Suddenly somewhere in his own thoughts, he whispered to himself, "I really am insane."