A girl with bob cut hair as black as pitch, skin pale as the dead, and bright golden eyes hidden behind her round glasses stood at the foot of Death City. She was looking for a new start once again, but in the depths of her mind, she knew it would end just the same as before. After all, only the insane do the exact same thing over and over again, expecting the results to change.
"I don't see why this is of any concern to me, father." Death the Kid stood before Lord Death in what was seen as a sort of headmaster's office of the Death Weapon Meister Academy. "She's just a new student... correct?"
"I just want you to keep an eye on her, you don't need to worry so much!" As expected, Lord Death avoided specifics on a subject that seemed strange to Kid.
"Alright." He replied with a sigh. "You said that she would be here today?"
"Yup!" Lord Death turned to his mirror and brought up an image of a pitch haired girl walking through the streets of the city. "She should be here soon. Why don't you wait for her at the front doors so you can show her around the school?"
Kid simply nodded and left, still curious about what was so special about the girl. He walked past Professor Stein coming in, making his wonder grow.
"Ah, Stein! I'm sorry for making you leave your class, but I have a few things to talk to you about."
"I hope it's important. I was in the middle of a dissection."
"Of course!" Lord Death's tone soon took on a more suis serious sound. "The girl is here. I've asked Kid to keep track of her."
"Oh really? That's rather strange. I thought she would go to New York. Do you think something made her break the pattern?"
"That's precisely why I called you here. She had sent in an application to be a student here just yesterday." Stein was concerned now.
"And you're telling me now? Does Nikola know? Or Michelle?"
"I don't think so. Michelle is still in France, and I haven't gotten any report of Nikola moving."
With a sigh, Stein blew smoke in no particular direction. 'This could be the break we've been waiting for...' he thought.
"After the incident with Alex, Shi and Nikola have both been laying low, as usual. I've taken the precautions of keeping Alex away, but her family is here in Death City, so I don't know how long that can last."
"Okay. Have you told Spirit yet?" To that, Stein received a chuckle with Lord Death back to his normal, cheery demeanor.
"No, he might get in the way. Or give Alex a reason to come. Or spill something to Maka. Any number of things could happen, and I'm not going to risk any mistakes again. Anyway, you can go back to your class now, Stein."
Without another word, Stein turned and left, with both a feeling of dread and of excitement.