(note)
Has it been three months already, two? I don't know I'm to lazy to check the last time up dated. Good lord. Time fly's dos it not? I tell you iv been trying to come up with stuff but iv had the worst case of writers block and I still haven't fully recovered. Oh well, first world problems ey? A few months ago I was inspired by a T.V. mini series called "Fargo", not the movie from the ninedys that was sort of hard to fallow, they remade it and somehow managed to make it Better WAY better. I know right? Billy bob Thorton can tern turds into gold...*sigh* that man is a god..anyways I was saying this chapter was inspired by that, particularly the early interactions between stien and spirit. I try to reflect in them various buddy duos like Starski and hutch or John Cheese and David Wong, while Lester Nygar and Lorn Malvo could hardly be considered "Buddys" it was to good of a theme to pass up and so I came up with this. So here you go, ill eather post something in the next couple of weeks or you wont here from me again for another three months. please edit the daft bits.~Dan
(1984)
spirit sat in the school nurses office, even after a visit to his favorite nurse he wasn't feeling much better but he couldn't shake his concussion. After the nurse swooned over him for a while she gave him a bag of ice. He was now in the waiting room in a miserable state, the ice didn't reduce the swelling of his busted black eye, soul eaters aren't generally as resilient as Meisters so they don't shake their hits off very well. He already threw up, his head was pounding and he couldn't stop sweating, this went on for an hour until he fell asleep. He woke up a couple of house later, he was startled awake with a sudden gag, a string of drule fallen from his mouth. He looked around, the waiting room looked deserted, he was startled once more to find that one seat down there was another student he didn't see at first. He was seated and waiting patently or perhaps he was waiting to be released, the white haired teen looked to be contemplating perhaps his situation but reamaind disturbingly still and quite. Spirit avoided eye contact with him. It was at least ten minutes until the boy finally did something, something that changed spirits life forever. He took a deep breath and let it out, he turned his head. "okay, I will bight. what happened to you?" he spoke with a thick German accent. "huh?" spirit squinted and felt pain I his eye. "your eye. It looks like someone..eh how do you say..bopped you one?" spirits head was numb and it took him a moment to understand. "none of your business man.." he covered his face and sunk in his chair thinking that was the end of it all. He heard a rustling as the white haired boy stood and took a few steps toward him and sat down next to him. Spirit removed his hand from his face. "no really, you look like your in tremendous pain." spirit shook his head and took a long sigh "it was in an accident alright. We were playing basket ball." the white haired boy tilted his head "ooh." it was quite again "funny though. This school dose not have a basket ball cort.." spirit sat up shaking his head, he looked over to the boy "seriously man why do you care?" the boy sat back in his chair and looked forward. "i know your body is in pain. But so is your soul. I just wanted to know know why." spirit looked at the floor. "if you really want to know..i was hit." the boy looked at him "someone hit you?" "yeah." "on the purpos?" he said with a foreign twinge that sounded overly peculer to spirit. "yeah on purpos. Guy's just a jerk that's all." "why is this?" he pried. Spirit didn't feel like going through the whole thing but he wasn't in the right state to tell someone off. "he just saw me talking to this girl he liked and next thing I know he jumps me." the boy seemed aghast "no.." spirit found it weird that someone he never met took so much interest in his situation. "worst part is he got away with it." spirit shook his head. There was another long pause "no,I'm afraid it isn't." "what do you mean?" the boy moved closer "because the worst part is that it will happen again." he said gravely, spirit looked at him and blinkd "it will happen because you are week." spirit didn't know what to say, his mouth was slightly open "he will hurt you again and again until you are dust. You did not defend yourself, and now he knows." "n-now hold on a minute I..there were no teachers around to supervise the fight." "you think that matters? He insulted your honer, he degraded you, he hurt you, and you let him because you are week." spirit felt a lump in his throat. He was always sensitive and this sort of thing could drive him to the edge. The white haired boy smiled. "but that's okay. Because one day you can be strong." there was a pause "and I want to help." "who are you?" spirit muttered "I am Franken Stien." the lights flickered, spirit learned later that the light allways did that but it was still eree as shit when it happened. "you don't deserve what happened to you spirit." "how do you know my name?" "it was wrong but I know you dont have it in you to confront him. So ill help you, just this once, ill make it right." there was a pause. "Franken." the nurse called him. As she poked her head out the door. Stien didn't turn his attention away from Spirit "just say the word and ill make it right.." the nurse raised an eyebrow. "Franken Stien, the sycotrest will see you now." stien suddenly turned to her with a smile on his face "yes of cores ma'am." he said with a changed more boyish tone. She turned away from them. "one word." he whispered holding up one finger. Spirit just wanted it all to be over, his hands trembled as he involuntary uttered "okay.."
(the next day, the NOT class)
"Okay everyone sit down and shut up." Professor Churchill croaked from his desk, his hand over his face so the light wouldn't sting his eyes. The class watched as he took a bottle of liquor out from his desk. He tossed back a swing and took a deep breath through his gen soaked teeth. "aaaah magic..." the class looked at him silently and he looked back, the went on for a solid minute. "what? Who are you people?" the class was silent "oh! Oh oh yeah. School...uh" he opened up a file on his desk and flipped through the pages "uh..we got a new student today. From..well it doesn't say were their from.." he looked even closer "doesn't even say what their name is." he looked at the rows of children. "uuuh.." he pointed "you.." he pointed to Joe Butataki. Joe looked around "i been here three years mate." "oh..damn, why don't you talk more and id recognize you." "sir." Stien spoke up standing at the classroom door. "not now kid. Take a seat. And your late for class..whats the matter with yu?" Spirit gasped at the sight of Stien at the door, it was the beginning of more anxiety. "oh wait. You sound different. Your the new one right?" "afremitev sir." Stien nodded "alright, well take a seat next to... spirit." "noooooooo!" Spirit screamed under his breath. Stien silently walked up the row to the empty seat next to spirit. Professor Churchill cleared his throat. "yeah..you two look alright together. Thick as thievs." "wait. So-so were partners now? Just like that?" "yep just like that." "but we don't even know him!" Churchill kciked his feet up on his desk "don't be a baby. That's why you layed down like a pussy after Sid clocked you in the face." "he coght me off guard!" Churchill laughed "he caught...your face..with his fist...god I am so hung over.." he rubbed his eyes "now quit talking and start studding!" Stien took a seat and smiled maniacally at him. Spirit sighed "aw heck..."
Maka and the rest now enjoy a basketball court a few blocks away from the DWMA, back in the day it wasn't there, it was a small green space with a swing set and a couple of benches but no one ever hung out there except spirit and then apparently Stien. "hows your eye?" "its better, just sore." "do you know that boy?" Stien sat a little more closely than spirit would have liked. "well..well yeah iv gone to school with him ever seance my parents dumped me off here. Then dad left.." he avoided looking over at Stien, but suddenly the white haired boy seemed to turn his attention to a frog on the ground, he scooted forward and put his knees to the ground to observe it, spirit looked over to him as he did with curiosity. Stien was fixated by the toad not minding that his white pants were now stained at the knee with grass. "polypedates Leucomystax" he said after snatching it from the ground, pinching its body between his thumb and finger. "its just a stupid frog." "yes exactly, a stupid tree frog at that." spirit put his hands over his face "what dose that have to do with anything?" Stien opened his hand but the frog didn't jump, it stayed in place, stien sat back down on the bench. "think about how worthless this frog is. It contributes nothing but a nice meal to a snake or a bird and it doesn't even do that very well. And yet they are one of the earlyst forms of life and are still around, living as lunch for another." "yeah so?" "so you should decide, are you a snake or a frog?" Spirit got up. "im going home." Stien didn't seem to care. "tomorrows drilling day spirit, we'll fight together for the first time. Make sure your well rested." spirit didn't look back but a terrified sag came over his face, he took a few robotic steps and stopped. Stien still sat on the bench smiling at him. It was ether a yelp or a gulp but some inaudible nois was squeaked from his throat just before he ran down the ally way.
(that night)
Stien laid in his bed in the student dorm, as he slept he had a dream, as a chilled with a strongly active mind he drempt alot, his brain not knowing when to shut down, almost never getting the right amount of level five sleep. Tonight he had visions of his of not so long ago. He remembered the days before he left. In his memory he sat in a room on that first awful day they didn't let him go outside. There was a framed poster of Carl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin hanging on an otherwise gray wall. As a precaution to the soviet satellites of Russia all meisters and soul eaters had to undergo evaluation and processing before they could leave. Stien was anxious, he wanted to leave as soon a possible, the more anxious he became the more it seemed the people holding him there slowing their "evaluation". He could ether sit at the table or sleep, there were pamphlets about the dangers of living in the west and the capitalist way of life, he finished reading them long ago and was disinterested in such subjects that were crammed down his throat at school. Still he remained patent. It was half a day when a man in a sute with a military haircut. He held a clip bored in one hand and a lunchbox in the other. It was obvious that he worked for the east German government, Stien could see it, smell it even. "my name is Albert Schu." he said before he set the items in his hands on the table. He sat down."what would your name be?" stien looked at him for a wile. "Franken Stien, but you know that already." the man squented at him "my name is on that clip bored your holding, as part of your job I assume you read it already." Stien kept his hands in his lap. The man sat with a half sencear smile "its an ice breaker, makes people more comfortable.." "is keeping them in an interrogation room part of keeping them comfortable?" the man stopped smiling "its so you know who your dealing with boy." Stien kept eye contact with him. "and clearly it hasn't worked, your disrespectful, intiteld Jew pig." Stien stayed silent " Stien grew up hearing the same hate. "that's why you belong in the west, your to week to live like a man." he threw the clip bord down on the table "now sign the paper so we can throw you out of this country." stien looked down at the paper. The man put a pen down, jut to piss the guy off stien made sure to read the entire document as slowly as possible, he signed on the dotted line "good, you'll fit right in. if only I could throw you out with my own hands." Stien smiled, the man could sit there and insult him all day but he knew that was going to be free from that place, eather he would leav himself or the DWMA would come to collect him, and that man would be there, he would never see his face, never hear his name ever again. he could guarantee which would be happier in the long run.
(the next morning)
"spirit breakfast if ready!" his mother called to him. "okay!" he shouted back down. He looked at himself in his mirror with his shirt off as he did every other day . "okay, don't let him scare you. You and that psychopath are going to kick some butt..." he flexed in the mirror "and Asuza is going to to see it..man shes guna be all like...'oh spirit I had no idea you were so manly! Your so mature and mutch more developed than the other guys!'" "spirit your oatmeal is getting cold!" spirit turned and headed down the stares "coming mom!" his mother with her long red hair and smooth peach skin, held her coffee cup inches from her face. "sit up straight spirit.." she said not even looking to her son whom was slumped over, still without his shirt. The door bell rang making his mother flinch "aah! S-shoot" she hissed as a burning splash of coffee hit her lip. "are you okay?" spirit asked concerned. "yes I'm fine.." she looked at her reflection in the toaster. " I need to go re-aply my makeup. Go get the door pleas." she started back to her room as the door bell rang again. "coming!" he backed his chair out and went to the door opening it wide. Stien stood on the front porch smiling. "good morning spirit." spirit stared at him wide eyed without speech.
Stien winced as he ran his hand over the Bandaid on his cheek. He heard spirits mother pacing from one room to the other franticly, she stopped "I'm so sorry sweety, are you sure your okay?" she asked concerned of what might happen if he were to say no. "yes ms,Albarn I'm fine I assure you." spirit stared wide eyed at the both of them. Stien turned to him with a blank scowl. Spirit turned his gaze to the table in front of him. What happened was his fault, at the door spirit began screaming in terror. His mother quick to action in protection of her child sprang out into the hall and pushed spirit out of the way of the door and lept out attacking Stien with a hot curling iron. After she relised what she had done she began to have a panic attack of her own. Cut to ten minutes later after they had both calmed down Stien was nearly smothered by the frantic woman. "your such a trooper." she rubbed his shoulders, Stien was still blank staring at spirit. "ms. Albarn I think spirit and I should be getting to school." she nodded "if your sure your okay."Stien stood "come along spirit" spirit was hesitant but got up after him. "here's your lunch sweety." she handed spirit a paper sack. "share with your friend okay." spirit rolled his eyes. "yes mom." stien started out the door. Spirit ran to catch up with him though he wasn't sure why, he was terrifyed of him after all. They were quiet most of the way, spirit again avoided eye contact. "what sort of weapon are you?" Stien asked as they crossed a street. "i don't know.." Stien craned his head and lifted an eyebrow, a question mark burning in his face. "was meinst du?" spirit flew into a small panic "i dont know! Iv never been in my weapon form!" Stien sighed "oh spirit. You know at first I though I could help you.." spirit winced "your giving up?" "so that matters now? I had the impression that you were afraid of me." "i'm not!"Stien shook his head "you don't have to lie, but if your afraid of me then were doomed to be flattened by those who seek to oppose us." they came to the courtyard of the DWMA. "Its a new day Stien. Maybe we can learn to work together.." "we will see."
Sid was a good kid, he obeyed his parents and generally made good marks in school and stayed straight when it came to drugs and alcohol. The fact is he also did some not so nice things from time to time. His little skirmish with spirit isn't something that he is proud of but they try and laugh at it now that their adults. Stien watched him on the training field when they arrived. He was quite large for his age, he didn't know the first thing about him but for he couldn't help but wonder what his inside looked like. "he is an interesting one is he not?" "how?" spirit asked tieng his shoes. "he has exquisite cheek bones. Certainly a specimen of of good lineage." spirit looked at him and blinked "you crazy Dutch bastard." "I'm German." Stien said clearly not taking it as the insult it was meant to be. "and look at him, he's clearly and alpha male. Is it not the function of an alpha male to be a jerk to get what they want? What every hormone driven man desires. Women." "yes hes a jock now can we focus on training?" Stien blinked in surprise "oh yes, I forgot where we were." they looked around clueless as to their next step. "so..i guise you should try transforming." spirit rubbed the back of his neck. "i..i don't know how too." "well why don't we just.." Stien took hold of spirits hand. They stood there for a moment silently just holding hands, people started staring "Stien?" spirit said with his eyebrow twitching. "huh?" "this isn't working." he shook his head. "agreed." Stien let go. "perhaps you should concentrate?" "oh like I haven't thought about that one." spirit rolled his eyes. "just try it." Stien insisted. "alright, alright." spirit sighed and closed his eyes, moments went by in silence. "well, do you feel anything?" "i feel like an idiot, this is hopeless." Stien shook his head "nonsense, maybe you just need some pressure." "pressure?" "ya pressure." Stien nodded, he turned and walked away, spirit stood their as he walked toward Sid who stood about thirty feet away talking to Nygus. Before Spirit could stop him he was right behind Sid. "Gutentag." Stien greeted him cheerfully. "huh?" Sid squinted at him "hello." Stien corrected himself. "oh, hay. What do you want?" Stien smiled "keen to be on point, no?" "what?" he shook his head utterly bumfuzzeled by the boy. "you hit my friend on the face the other day." stien pointed to spirit who had just caught up with him. "Stien don't start trouble!" spirit wined. "shut up." Stien said sharply. He turned back to Sid and smiled "what about it?" Sid tightened his already stone square jaw. "I had a proposition. You apologize for your actions or you will face our wrath." he smiled. Sid looked at him and spirit and back to Nygus. "are you threatening me?" "no I am giving you an ultimatum." Sid gave him another look of misunderstanding. "in other words, you give us the whole timatum or were going to kick your ass." "WHAT!?" that was the reaction that was supposed to come from Sid instead it was from spirit who seemed petrified at the thought of facing Sid again. "you got to be kidding me." Sid grinned. "Sid please this guy is crazy. Iv seen the look in his eye." Spirit took a step towards Sid, Sid shoved him back. "Sid what did it tell you about this stuff? This isn't like you." Nygus said shaking her head . "no, no look! This is their fault! They made me-" Nygus had already turned and walked away. "you see what you did!" Sid shouted "the hell are you kids doing over here? I told you to run laps!" Churchill approached limping along with his cane. "this is a fight. Were fighting now, get it?" Sid proclaimed. Churchill turned his saggy face to the German and the red head. "what with these two?" "sir, to preserve honer we must pursue this act of aggression." Churchill seemed to think on it a moment, he let out a liquor infused breath "it's the forty's all over again. Alright you little bastards sort it out yourself." "no! No you have to stop this!" spirit pleaded with him. Churchill propped himself against a tree. "no, now I'm curios." "give me a weapon." Sid demanded. Churchill spit on the ground "hay Asuza get over here." nearly fraction of a second later fun-size Asuza was at his side. He pointed at Sid. "you, weapon, now, chop-chop." Asuza nodded and ran towards Sid and lept into her weapon form (at this time a small crossbow). "my mom is going to kill you if we live through this." Stien laughed "fear not, if you don't achieve your weapon form now we wont be alive to worry." "your a lunatic!" a bolt of energy wizzed past their heads. "go, go!" Stien pushed spirit by the shoulders as they ran into the woods. "let your anger run through you!" Stien instructed "i am not Luke Skywalker!" another bolt of energy cut a tree branch in half beside them. "oh man we are in so much trouble." "get ahold of yourself!" the slid down an embankment and to took cover from fire hiding from their assailants. "this is it, do or die." spirit shook with rage, his face turned red he tightened his fist and turned to Stien, he through a punch diled straight for Stien's face but at the last possible moment Stien grabbed his fist and grabbed his arm. Suddenly a shock wave through dust in all directions, an emasculate white flash engulfed them which blinded Sid as he approached. Spirit didn't know what he was feeling but he knew that he had done it. He looked around and saw the void of the soul realm around him, he could feel Stien's energy much clear now, and it was terrifyingly strong. "Spirit! You did- ah.. hell.." spirits measly weapon for was but a small grain sickle hardly fit for farm work "what? Whats wrong?" Sid started laughed as well as Asuza "what?!" "that's pathetic!" Sid said with a cackle of laughter. Stien pushed up his glasses, his expression calm and void. "good enough. You've done well spirit, now its my turn." Sid caught his breath "what are you going to do with that?! Harvest some wheat and back me some poisoned bread?" "BLITZ KRIEG!" Stien lept at Sid with the cycle raised over his head. Sid used the crossbow to block the swing, he Kicked Stien back but only a few feet, Stien countered quickly by swooping in low under Sid's arm rear. He slid past him leaving a deep gash in his leg. Sid immediately grimaced and covered the wound, he level his bow and hit Stien in the back, a lethal shot if Asuza was any stronger but he shook it off. Sid charged Stien to beet him down rather than using the tool he was given and as you would expect Stien took advantage. The quick agile Stien quickly outmaneuvered the raging bull. He stepped behind sid in the commotion, he stuck sid in the spine sending his soul wavelength into Sid's body, at this time his direct soul wavelength attacks were not at refined or as powerful but it was enough to drop the young Sid like a stone temporary paralyzing him by scrambling the electric impulses in his spine. "now spirit! All or nothing! We must use the soul resonance!" "there's no way!" "we are one!" Stien proclaimed "focus your mind and I will falow!" "i don't know about that." "to end this fight we must." spirit nodded. "lets go.." "Soul resonance!" the sickle sparked with energy and then slowly began to glow, Stien's hair blew in the violent wind that swept all around them Stien swung the sickle with a murderous ferocity.
Outside the woods only a faint shock wave could be heard, flowed by the faint sound of thunder. Birds flew from the treeline. Professor church hill who was drinking from his flask spit out his scotch as he saw the neon flash through the tree. He was a tenured professor but he couldn't have the children killing one another. He hobbled into the forest as quickly as his legs could carry him. When he arrived a large tree lay across Sid's chest. Lucky for him it was the light end, at least he could breath, it was far from comfortable but it held him down sure enough. Unfortunately Stien was taking his pound of flesh when Churchill arrived, he squatted next to Sid who looked up at him terrified, he lightly raked the blade of the sycle over his cheek. "you look to be a strong specimen but your nerves betray you." "okay boy you win, quit tormenting him." Churchill said tapping Stien on the shoulder with his cane. Stien glanced up at him. "pay me no mind, I'm mealy concluding our ordeal." he stood and steped back from sid, spirit retunred to human form and stood beside his partner. Stien passed another fond smile to Sid. "im sure we'll be excellent friends."
(Death Bucks, present day)
"and thats how the nightmare started.." spirit said. Crona gazed at him with disbelief. "that's defiantly a funny story dad." said Maka with a different more humored but still skeptical look. "you don't believe me." he laughed. "its silly." Maka shook her head still smiling. Spirit looked behind her. "yeah well you know as well as I do, its just another day, another time.." he looked on wistfully for a minute. "besides, if you don't believe me, ask him." he pointed to an old man across the way feeding birds at his feet. He was at least a century old. One of the elder meisters 'the old ones' as their more commonly known. "if I may quote my professor." spirit said a little louder than he was previously speaking. "Contentious effort, not strength , not intelligence, is the Key to unlocking our potential." across the way the old man looked up and over at them. He smiled and took a sip from his flask.