Okay, third chapter! And it's a bit long and depressing. There's a lot of shifting between Stein's and Maka's point of view, because I felt like it~

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or "Pistols at Dawn" by Kasabian.


"Bat Country"

"I've known it from the start

All these good ideas will tear your brain apart

Scared, but you follow me

I'm too weird to live but much too rare to die…"


Chapter 3—"Pistols At Dawn"

"Oh, temper, temper, Missy

Resorting to violence if you disagree

Oh, the rhythm is slow

Have to admit you're the star of the show

Oh, temper, temper, Missy…"


Surely she should be home by now… Blair has probably replaced her closet with lingerie and Soul has probably concocted some disaster in the kitchen in an attempt at cooking.

Maka doesn't care about any of that right now.

All she cares about is the fine line she walks between insanity and comfort.

And Stein isn't helping that one bit; he's just making it worse.

But she can't leave. Not when Stein's soul is still so insecure. She needs to stay here.

Maka hunches over a pillow that is pressed to her naked chest, hugging it to her tightly. She thinks of what to do.

Stein leans over her, brushing her hair over her shoulder so he has access to her neck. He kisses it softly, his hands resting lightly on her sides.

She's been here for hours. They've been corrupting each other the whole time. They haven't left the bed.

"What are you murmuring…?" Stein inquires, his lips meeting her shoulder now with a hum.

She doesn't realize that she was even speaking.

"Sometimes I like to come up with poems to calm myself down," she confesses. She doesn't mention that she does it when she's bothered by something. In this case, Stein disturbs her.

"Can I hear it…?" he asks. She can tell he just wants to hear it just to hear her voice.

She nods. Maybe, just maybe, it will help him.

Maka recites her little poem, taking her time to be slow with delivery. She talks about the thread they both walk between insanity and serenity in the simplest terms she knows how, making sure to utilize iambic pentameter.

Stein hums in approval. "Ah… no wonder you're my top student…" he utters. "You really need to stop impressing me."

Though he can't see it, she blushes. "Don't say things like that," she warns, closing her eyes. "You're my teacher, not my…"

She trails off. She knows Stein can fill in the blank easily.

"I don't know what to call myself around you," he admits softly.

"If it's any consolation, neither do I." She turns and smiles at him.

They don't say anything for a few moments.

This time she breaks the silence.

"You're a good person, Professor." She does mean this.

Smirking, Stein holds her a bit tighter, a bit more lovingly, for lack of a better word.
"Flattery will not raise your grade, Miss Albarn," he jokes back, kissing her neck again.

"That's okay." Maka decides to play along. "I'm sure my grade won't suffer too much." She shivers a bit at the feeling of those lips against her skin. "But I do mean it." Despite his flaws, he's on their side. The good side. It could have easily gone the other way.

Which means that he has at least some semblance of ethics.

There are another few moments of silence. Maka thinks up another poem and a reason to go home. She comes up with the former, not the latter.

She instead tries to think of why Stein is about to go insane.

She has a few theories, and she wants to know.

Maka goes with her first instinct. "Did you want to see me because you want to dissect me?" he asks softly.

Stein's breath hitches a moment, then he hums, amused. "Honestly, you could be considered a genius in some contexts," he replies. He takes a moment to think up his own response. "Does that scare you?"

She turns to face him again. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Again, he's amused. "You have too much faith in me. It's tragic, really. I'm no soul worth saving. I can—and probably will—turn against you at any moment."

Maka can't believe what she's hearing. She pouts and leans more into him. "Your soul is worth saving, and you know I'm not the only one to think this. What about Miss Marie? Your students…?"

"You'd have to really care about me, wouldn't you?" His lips trail up her neck to her jaw. "Perhaps even… love?" To him, it's kind of a joke.

Then again, he might mean it.

No.

He couldn't.

Maka knows he's incapable of loving her. He's just confusing lust for love.

"I don't love you," she answers truthfully. "And I know you want me to so you could have some sort of power over me, but that's just wishful thinking. I care about whether or not you'll go mad."

Stein smirks against her skin and holds her even tighter, almost uncomfortably. "If either of us loved each other, I'm sure it would mean the end of the world."

"It would." This isn't playful banter to Maka anymore. She slits her eyes slightly, pleading for Stein to just stop it.

He gets the hint, but doesn't comply. "And on that day, if and when that happens, my scalpel will finally get to touch you…"

Maka tenses. This isn't sweet anymore. This is scary.

"Professor. I need to go home."

"No you don't. You wanted to see me. You want to keep seeing me." He chuckles, and Maka's heart beats faster, afraid.

"You wanted to see me," she clarifies, trying to break away. It doesn't work. "I wanted to see if you were okay."

"And I am."

"No, you're not," she says sternly. "And this is getting to be too much for me to handle, Professor."

He rests his chin on her neck and licks the outer shell of her ear, making her gasp and shiver. "Oh, darling. You can call me by my name in private."

Oh, God, what has she done? She's let her guard down and he's giving in to that insanity.

And for a moment, she realizes she wants her father, the only one who knows Stein better than she or Lord Death do. She wants to be in his arms, as a small child, as he reads to her and assures her there are no monsters in the closet.

She realizes she's just let one out.

And now he wants to devour her.

"Professor…?" Her voice is nothing but a small whimper now, letting the fear really get to her. "Please. If you care one iota about me, please just let me go…"

She feels so helpless.

"But if I let you go I won't be able to see your heart…" he protests, much like a child, with a childish grin and a laugh that sends shivers down her spine. "Just one snip… I'll make sure to stitch you back up, my dear…"

The pet names just creep her out. If she screams, no one will hear. She saves her energy. She also knows she can't fight him. She's much too weak, and he is brilliant, though demented.

"No, I need to get home…"

What can she say to make him change his mind or make him at least let her go…?

"I want tea!" she exclaims, frightened eyes meeting his dark, crazed ones.

He seems to snap back, his grip on her instantly loosening. "Maka…" he murmurs.

She can't do this anymore. Not when he's like this, at least. It's too much for her to handle. "Please. I want you to make me tea."

With a nod, Stein slowly lets her go. His soul wavelength has calmed. Maka knows she has gotten to him. Even at the cost of something she hates to admit she holds dear. Yes, she admits to herself that she enjoys these times with Stein, despite how wrong and unethical they are.

Maka takes a deep breath. Stein stares at her for a moment, then gently carries her down to the kitchen, even though she can walk. But she still allows this, still hesitant. He doesn't speak.

That is, until he sets her on a counter in his kitchen. "Excuse that, Maka. You know why I lost control so suddenly."

Maka bites her lip and looks in another direction. She sits on her hands, finally comfortable with not wearing anything while Stein is fully clothed. "It's fine. I'll leave after this." Forever.

Stein approaches her and gently cups her face. "Don't," he replies, his look pleading like a child begging for a Christmas present. "Maka… I need this. I need you."

She shakes her head. "No you don't," she says. "I know why you keep me around. We're only putting ourselves in harm." She has to put a stop to this.

He doesn't deny it, and she wonders why he still wants it. Wants her when he knows she doesn't believe in the thing he holds most precious. He lets her go and starts on the tea.

Maka looks away and lets her guard down again.

Big mistake.


Stein heats up water, but he's not making Maka the tea she wants.

No. Stein isn't letting her go. He wants her. He wants to keep her. She's even more perfect than her father, only because she's so brilliant. And female. And extremely beautiful, despite the fact that she's still growing.

Though Stein's heartbeat has calmed, he is not feeling composed at all. If anything, he has already gone insane. He just hasn't physically expressed it yet. In his insane mind, he knows just when to attack and when to show her his true colors.

When he senses Maka isn't looking, he slips something into her drink.

Odorless, tasteless, and she will fall under its influence within the hour.

Stein will have her right where he wants her. On his operating table.

And instead of making her tea like she requested, he makes her hot chocolate.

He hands her the tainted drink. "I'm sorry; I don't have tea."

It's a lie. Marie has left too much of it here and he should be making it as much as possible.

But he hates tea.

Maka nods slowly, and hesitantly drinks it. "Thank you, Professor," she whispers.

He casually sits up on the counter next to her, leaning his head on her bare shoulder. He's not one to do this, but in this state he can't stop touching her.

"Are you cold?" he asks after a moment.

She shakes her head. Stein knows she just wants to make him happy. And he is. She has such a nice, developing body. Seeing her like this only makes Stein want to look further into her. And he will.

It's all about seizing the opportunity, and they both know this well.

Yet Maka hasn't reached his level of brilliance just yet. She's close, but no dice.

She's not willing to take as many risks as he is. Not yet, at least. She's taking a large risk now, in being with him, but there's still an element she's not giving herself into.

Her instinct.

Her feelings.

"Will you still dance with me?" he asks, sitting up again. He adjusts his glasses and twists the knob on his head, calming himself down. Not yet…

She nods, hesitantly. "I don't have much of a choice," she admits.

"Oh, I may be leading, but you still have some influence over this. Let's not forget who started this." He smirks slightly as she blushes.

They sit in silence as Maka finishes her hot chocolate. She consumes it all, and Stein knows he has mere minutes, twenty at most, before she starts feeling those effects.

He has to distract her, as if she really is tired out.

"Come here," he murmurs, pulling her in for a gentle kiss. She complies and sighs into it softly, her eyes fluttering shut. Stein cups her face again with one hand, and the other wraps around her waist to draw her close. Doing this on the kitchen counter is kinky; maybe they should move somewhere else…

Maka gives in, he sees. Good girl.

Gently he lifts Maka into his arms, and she wraps her arms and legs around him.

Time to go to the lab.


She pants, clutching to him tightly. Why does she feel so tired all of a sudden? Maka holds tightly to Stein, struggling to keep her eyes open.

She's been here too long, that has to be it. She should have gone home hours ago.

She shouldn't have worried about Stein so much…

"Shh…" he whispers in her ear, placing her down on the operating table. And Maka tries her hardest to stay awake but she can't…

Has Stein done something to her?

"Professor…"

Stein smirks, stroking her face as he pulls out, then tucks himself away again. He places a kiss over her heart and then her neck. Then her lips.

"You can take a rest here; it's fine."

If she's so tired, why isn't he? Is it because he's used to that sort of thing, unlike her?

Sex, she thinks. Even you can say it in your head.

Right, no need to be embarrassed.

Is it because Stein has more experience with sex, unlike her? She's only starting to explore this side of her, after all.

But it's never made her so tired before. Is it because she's been here so long?

Maka convinces herself that it's just her, that she's just tired and she should just let sleep take her over, because Stein isn't the cause of it.

She hates denial.

"Professor… please tell me something…" she ekes out, eyes staying closed even longer. Her eyelids feel so heavy…

"Hm…?" Stein raises a curious eyebrow and twists the bolt on his head a few times, waiting for what she has to say.

"Tell me you don't love me." If she has that assurance, she knows she is in no danger at all. Then she's just tired.

Stein smirks and Maka is scared. He produces a cigarette from his pocket.

"I thought you were out…" Her heart beats faster. She can't even move. And she's pretty sure that's not just nerves.

He shrugs, and the smirk just grows. "Looks like I lied." He chuckles softly.

Maka's eyes slit, and it's not just because she can't really keep them open.

She's been tricked.

"Damn you…" she curses, and those are her last words as she starts to fade into the blackness.

His chuckle becomes an uncontrollable giggle. The last thing she sees is him hovering above her with that absolutely insane grin.

"Oh darling… One more thing. I realize I'd be lying if I said I didn't love you…"

He kisses her until she fades into that blackness and completely loses consciousness.


But it's not true.

Stein doesn't love Maka.

His insanity does, though. It craves for her stability and brilliance and beauty.

Because it is his total opposite.

Knowing he has no time to spare, Stein begins to restrain Maka, strapping down her wrists to the operating table to make sure she can't get away. He ties down her ankles as well, wanting to ensure she won't leave him. Stein makes sure her restraints are secure, then chuckles to himself as he sees just how perfect she looks. Nothing could be more amazing than to see her so helpless, so needy…

So dependent. It's a rare occurrence.

"Maka…" he whispers, kissing her limp lips again. This is much better than doing this to Spirit; she's so tiny and perfect and pretty... Stein gives himself over to the madness without any realization—it's so seamless. There's no gap between where he contemplates his ethics.

He has no time for tedious, frivolous matters.

Stein sedates Maka and makes her numb, so she can't thrash about once she does wake up. She's going to witness all of this, and not feel a thing.

Ah, modern technology.

She's going to wake up in a few minutes.

Even still, Stein takes his time, sanitizing his hands, his tools. They will be stained permanently with her blood—he doesn't intend to wash any of it off. He wants it thick and red and messy.

He can't stop giggling at the idea. It's uncontainable. He wants it, wants her.

And he's going to get her, no matter the cost.

Though Stein has the one cigarette, it is tucked safely away. No need to calm down right now. He is composed. Cool. Collected.

Yet at the same time his insanity brewing inside him is almost unable to be controlled. It boils, begging to be released tenfold.

Stein has to have Maka. He's waited too long for this.

He sanitizes and cleans his hands and tools, preparing everything to be perfect.

As her eyes flutter after a few minutes, Stein smiles maniacally, ready for this.

Nothing will stop his scalpel from making sweet, sweet love to her.


Maka follows the light at the end of the tunnel and wishes she hadn't.

She wakes, blinking slowly and languidly to see Stein smiling down at her like an experiment.

She can't feel anything.

She can't move anything.

She is his experiment.

Her eyes try taking in her bound wrists and ankles, how she is hooked up to sedatives. Her heart beats rapidly in her ears.

She can't speak.

She is completely helpless, and she has no one to blame but herself.

Eyes half-lidded, she realizes that she has no way to really communicate with Stein and tell him that this is wrong.

She has underestimated her professor.

And now she is about to pay for it.

Maka tries to send any sign she can to Stein to signal that he is not right in his mind right now. He would never do this sane. Think about it, yes. But never would he act upon it like this.

As he occasionally chuckles and smiles largely at her, Maka tries to think of any way she can make Stein see the error of his ways.

Please, Professor, she begs in her mind. I know you don't really want to do this…

Stein comments about how beautiful she is, how much more beautiful she will be when she is cut open.

Maka cannot hear his words over the rapid, pounding beating of her heart.

Please… I know you care about me enough to not do this…

Her eyes plead for her, convey every emotion she can't express. It's work, but the last thing she wants is to be Stein's next experiment.

If he reads her soul, maybe that will be the trigger for him to stop…

But the scalpel is so close and he hovers above her, so close, so close…

She doesn't know if she can stop this. The last time she felt so helpless was the first time they battled, and she had Soul to help her out.

This is so much different.

Please read my soul…

The blade of the scalpel grazes her skin.


For the most part, Stein's eyes are focused on Maka's beautiful, pale, perfect, unblemished body. His scalpel and fingers graze that numb skin, feel how warm and soft she is.

"Oh, Maka, Maka, Maka…" he murmurs, kissing her skin again.

His scalpel is poised, ready to cut into that skin and start to be intimate with her.

His eyes continue to wander over her body. Not once does he look at her face.

He does not read her soul.

It's like his insanity is forcing his eyes to not read her soul or her face.

It knows that he's subconsciously trying to fight against this.

After what seems like forever Stein finally makes his first move, starting to cut a bit into her skin.

He hasn't even gotten an inch.

Something inside him snaps, and Stein sees that, as he cuts, he reads her soul.

She doesn't want this.

She wants him back.

She knows that she can fix him, even like this.

Horrified, Stein pulls away slowly.

The scalpel drops to the cold floor.

He can't do this to his star student. Not even when she's this helpless.

Quickly Stein unstraps her from everything. In around half an hour she'll regain all consciousness.

Shaking, he starts to clean the one incision he's made. Luckily it isn't enough to permanently blemish her skin. He bandages her up and makes sure she's as perfect as before. His lips kiss her new wound in apology, though he's sure she'll never see him privately again.

He brings her in for a tight hug and just holds her, feels her shaky breathing and stunned expression. He hasn't expected this either.

He can't find any words to express how sorry he is.

Stein's face buries itself in her neck. He inhales her perfect scent deeply, his breathing just as shaky as his hands.

Until she starts to move again, he's going to hold her, just like this.

Slowly, slowly, her hands start to hug back, only hesitantly.

A few more moments.

Stein pulls away slowly. He can't even look at her. She is so disappointed in him letting her down, he knows.

He can read her soul.

Finally he lights his last cigarette and starts to inhale. Already he feels better.

"Go home, Maka," he says solemnly, unsteadily. "I'll see you in school."

She can't get out of there fast enough.

She's so disappointed in him. He let her down.

He will never do this to her again, he vows.


As soon as Maka can feel her legs she starts to dash upstairs, gathering her clothes and throwing them on as fast as she can.

She is haphazard. By the time she runs out the door and slams it behind her she is not wearing her shoes and her hair is down. Her leather jacket is bunched in her arms though it is chilly out.

Maka keeps running, even after Stein's house is out of view.

She keeps running until she gets home, her feet scratched, her face sweaty.

The door slams as she enters.

Blair greets her from the kitchen. "Hi, Maka!"

Maka says nothing. She goes straight to her room, avoiding Blair and Soul at all costs.

Running a hand through her disheveled hair, she finally lets a few tears shed. She is dirty and sweaty and defiled in every way.

Even the most scalding of showers won't wash her clean after everything she's done.

Maka cries softly to herself, making sure she locked the door so no one will pry.

What has she done?

She blames herself for Stein's insanity. There's no way he could have gotten there all on his own.

And now she must continue to face him, as if nothing is wrong.

That will be her hardest task to date.

Professor Stein… I'm so sorry…

Though she is defiled and filthy, she falls asleep like that, her jacket clutched tightly to her new wound.

She's never seeing him in private again.

Even with no tea, she knows this is over, because nothing can fix this.

Sad ending yes? Well, what did you expect with this pairing? Nothing can have a happy ending with these two together. Luckily, it's not over just yet.

Last chapter: Epilogue. Maka and Stein contemplate their parting, and realize that staying apart is harder than they ever imagined.