I originally did this because of how many sick fics I found that aren't that good in my eyes. Especially when they involve either or both of these two. So, I decided to try making one myself. Enjoy!

Coming Full Circle

Chapter One

"Why am I here?" Spirit asked himself, shaking a bit as he stood before the large building. It was eleven AM that Monday morning, and he was standing outside of Patchwork Lab: the childhood home of his former meister partner, as well as his former home of five years while attending the academy. How he had managed to keep an eye on Stein while they lived there was a miracle unto itself, but that was the least haunting memories of this place.

The death scythe groaned, raising a hand and ruffling his hair in a vain attempt to stop his shivering. "Seriously, why the fuck am I here?" He asked himself again, still not moving from his spot in the... "yard." It was a school day! He was supposed to be at work, ready to assist Lord Death with anything he needed! Why on Earth was he wasting his time going to get...Stein...

Oh, now I remember, Spirit thought, moving his hand to cover his eyes. Lord Death asked me to come here.

School had started as it should have, barring one major problem. The professor in charge of Class Crescent Moon wasn't present. There was no note on the board that said he wasn't teaching that day, and no one had seen him all morning. Spirit's beloved daughter took it upon herself to call the Death Room and asked the grim reaper if Stein was coming in, saying she had a few questions she wanted to ask about Friday's lecture.

This surprised the pair. So, after assuring Maka that lessons would continue with a substitute, they got to work. Lord Death sent Naigus to cover Stein's lecture while Spirit called the scientist's cell phone. It was on, but with each attempt at calling him, he only got the professor's voicemail. After a few more attempts, he moved to call his home phone while Lord Death tried using his mirror to contact Stein. They both had zero luck.

"Well, this is unusual. Even for him," Lord Death said before turning to his weapon. "I hate to ask, but would you check on him, Spirit? Make sure nothing bad has happened?"

And it was that request that led Spirit to where he was now. Death Scythe picked up pretty quickly after becoming Lord Death's partner that you did what he asked. He would sympathize with how you felt, but he wanted it done anyways. If someone else could be sent, and/or could do the job better, he would not have asked you first.

Spirit groaned as he stared up at the building. The luck of being his first weapon, he thought. He knew Stein better than anyone else, so if something was off, he'd be the first one to notice. It was completely understandable why Lord Death wanted him to pay the mad doctor a visit...

Still didn't make it any easier coming back.

Taking in a breath, Spirit focused back at the matter at hand. He approached the front door, noticing something off almost immediately. The outside lights were still on. This alone informed the ginger that his former partner was still home. Said albino was pretty uptight about not keeping too many lights on. The amount of times Spirit had to wake him up after falling asleep at his desk, only the desk light and lone hall light on, was too many to count. Every other hallway and room to get to him had their lights turned off. Always. Stein could walk the halls of his home blind-folded if he wanted to. Light was only a necessity for work and for finding equipment.

A scowl formed on Spirit's face. Stein always turned them off after he woke up. The fact he hadn't was concerning. With any luck, he was just in a corner struggling with his madness again. Unlike when the Kishin was awake, Stein had a few episodes where he struggled to keep hold of his own mind. They lasted for a day or two, usually, but nothing could really help them. As hard as it was to watch, all Spirit could do in those instances was make sure the meister ate and stayed clean. Compared to some of the alternatives Stein had to face due to his madness, though, it was arguably the kindest. Thinking of the others made Spirit shudder.

He proceeded forward and moved to open the door. One tug, and it wouldn't budge. Spirit's eyes narrowed at this before moving to the keypad by the door, hoping Stein didn't change the security code since they were kids. The scientist had a weird kind of open-door policy. He insisted that the doors and windows should remain unlocked from the time he woke up until after dinner, when he would be working on his latest experiment. If someone tried to sneak in during that time, he would gladly welcome a new specimen to cut into. Despite his best efforts, Spirit had a feeling they had quite a few intruders during the five years they lived together.

A beep and a green light brought the ginger out of his train of thought. Yes! He thought, opening the now unlocked front door.

The main hall leading to Stein's desk was covered in darkness, and his computer was off. Spirit turned on the hallway light and turned off the outside lights before shutting the door behind him. He shivered at the temperature of the house, remembering how much his old partner liked the cold for a second before turning around and begining his search for the scientist.

He approached Stein's desk, seeing a couple stacks of paper piled neatly next to each other. Each stack had a post-it note on them, labeling whether or not the stack was done, as well as a date on each one. A closer look informed Spirit that it was homework and class work that Stein had graded over the weekend.

He took sight of the stack at the far right. By the note on top of it, Stein had intended to hand them back to the students today.

So, he planned on coming in. What stopped him? Spirit thought, putting a hand to his chin. He knew he'd have to go hunting for the scientist to get an answer to that question, but it just made him more on edge. He seriously hoped Stein hadn't succumbed to his madness, but if he didn't, what would have caused him to not come to school without notifying anybody?

He gritted his teeth, taking in a sharp breath through his nose and letting it out. Come on, Death Scythe, pull yourself together! He thought.

Spirit moved slowly, searching each room with a light on and leaving no hiding spot unchecked. Kitchen, dining room, the small living room, all of them were clear. This left the bedrooms, bathrooms, and varying lab spaces to search for the doctor.

He sighed again, mentally bracing himself for whatever horrors Stein had been, or was currently, working on. He was still praying it wasn't any of his worse alternatives to his madness episodes, but he was now starting to expect it.

Opening the door into the east corridor, Spirit turned on the light to move forward again. He paused near the stairs, hearing a faint noise coming from that direction. It was repetitive and somewhat jarring, but it was more of a sign to him than the silent hallway.

Deciding he'd be better off checking the bedroom first, Spirit climbed the stairs, still flipping on switches as he continued. There was a small seating area at the top of the landing, which stopped before the lone hallway on the second floor. Looking down said hallway, Spirit noticed another sign of the meister. The light to his bedroom was on, and from the sound, he hadn't slammed his alarm clock yet. Stein could sleep hard after a long night's work. A wrecking ball could hit the wall near his bedroom and he'd still sleep through it.

Spirit sighed with relief before walking down the hallway, allowing himself a half smile. He forgot about that. This wouldn't be the first time Stein just passed out after hitting the mattress, not even bothering with the light. He usually took the day to rest and relax, then he'd be back in working order the following morning.

He knocked softly before pushing the door open, his smiling soon disappearing. The alarm clock was blaring still, but there was no one there for it to wake up. Stein's bed was still made and was never slept in. His glasses were in the nightstand, his shoes were by the bed, and on the closet door, he had his clothes hung up so he could just get dressed.

The death scythe walked forward, turning the alarm clock off. Where is he? He thought, feeling some of his earlier apprehension return to him.

A small groan echoed, making Spirit jump. After doing a few double takes, he found the entrance to an en suite bathroom. The light in there was on. Blue eyes narrowed as their owner moved towards the room.

"Stein?" He called for the first time since coming. "Stein, is that you?" He asked. A smaller, weaker groan answered him. He was so caught off guard by it, he stopped for a second, eyes wide with concern.

Spirit ran straight into the bathroom, finding the man he as looking for on the floor, slumped up against the wall closest to the toilet, body curled as close into a fetal position as it possibly could. The ashen skin on the man's face had less color than usual, and his cheeks were bright pink. He was sweating profusely, his skin was clammy, and his breathing was quick and uneven. He was wearing sleep attire, a simple tank top with a pair of lounge pants. These clothes were soaked in sweat, and he was shivering more than a bit.

The weapon dropped in front of the man. "Stein!" He called before kneeling down and looking him over. He first checked his pulse, noting it was faster than what he would consider normal before putting the back of his hand on Stein's forehead. Death Scythe didn't even need to compare it to his own temperature, the scientist was way too warm.

Another groan came from the sick man, his eyebrows furrowing together at registering the cool touch on his warm skin.

The sound alerted Death Scythe, and he attempted to wake the scientist. "Stein?" He called again, using his free hand to hold his old partner's shoulder and the other to lightly slap his face.

He was met with some success. After a few more moments, Stein's eyes fluttered open. His vision was hazy. Nothing abnormal, he was a bit near-sighted. Even so, it took him a moment to see the person in front of him clearly. Longer to get himself to speak. "S...Spirit?" He questioned, his voice weak and raspy. He had other things he wanted to say but couldn't bring himself to. Trying made him feel like his head was being crushed with rocks. Large, hot rocks.

The ginger smiled at him. "Yeah, it's me. I came here to check on you," he said softly. He didn't know where Stein's head was. The scientist had a few sick spouts when they were younger, and each one was a unique experience, one way or another. Best to gauge what he was dealing with before trying to coax the scientist into bed.

The albino blinked a few times, nodding slowly, his mouth partially opened. His head hurt too much to think. He didn't register much of his surroundings, nor did he question why Spirit was in the bathroom. He was quiet, waiting for his head to stop throbbing so he could find words to say to his former partner. He wasn't seeing things, that much he knew, but the pain never went away. If anything, it only got worse.

Stein let out a whimper, lowering his head. "Spirit, I don't feel good," he said, curling his body more inward.

Said weapon's eyes widened a fraction, his face turning serious. He's admitting it outright? That's never good, he thought, putting his hand back on Stein's forehead. He then moved it so the back of it was on the scientist's cheek. He received a weak moan in response. Must feel worse than he looks. Hopefully he won't fight me about resting, he thought, knowing how difficult Stein could get. It was rare that he'd submit to bed rest. The meister preferred action and study, which required all his faculties to do. Stopping to rest simply wasn't something he did much of at all. If he could always remain awake, he would.

Spirit removed his hand. "Feels like you have a high fever. Give me a second," he told him before standing up. He went into the medicine cabinet and, thankfully, found a thermometer. He knelt back in front of Stein, who raised his head once Spirit was back on the floor. "Let me take your temperature, Stein," he said, holding the thermometer out.

Stein complied, nodding before opening his mouth. Death Scythe got to work but his worry didn't lessen. He could categorize the different ways Stein was like when he was sick, and only two of them made him cooperative. The fact he was now told the ginger that leaving his old partner in someone else's care would not end well.

The beep of the thermometer snapped Spirit out of his train of thought. He removed the device, eyes widening again once he read the numbers it displayed.

103.6

Shit! Spirit thought, trying to remain calm, at least visibly. Any stress he expressed could make Stein stress out and worsen his fever. "You're really sick, Stein," he told him, keeping his voice level.

The albino raised his head, staring at his old partner for a few minutes of eerie silence. "...can you make it better?" He eventually asked, his voice quieter than before.

The question caught Death Scythe off guard, but he soon nodded, helping Stein stand up. He assumed because of his fever, Stein might have thought they were still kids. Stein had said something similar to him the first time he got sick, so it wouldn't surprise him. Even still, feeling the sweaty, shivering meister struggle to move was more than enough to make him worry further.

Calm down! You've done this before Spirit, he told himself as he helped Stein into the bedroom. He then looked at him. "I'm gonna get you fresh clothes. Can you dress yourself?" He asked him. Stein looked at him for a second, his eyes half open. Then he nodded.

Spirit smiled down at him. "Okay, just one second," he said, steadying the scientist before raiding his dresser for new clothes. He found a set of pants and a matching button up shirt. He also grabbed a set of socks for him. Warm or not, he was still shivering. Sweating all night, combined with the air conditioning being on, did not do the albino well. He had to bundle up.

"Here ya go!" Spirit said, handing Stein the clothes. "Get in these and climb in bed. I'm gonna get you some medicine and some water. Okay?" Stein nodded again, looking down at the clothes Spirit chose for him. The latter smiled. "Alright. I'll be right back," he said, leaving the room.

It took Spirit a few minutes longer than he wanted to find where Stein kept his over-the-counter medicine. Not surprising, the scientist was usually working on his own. He kept the other stuff in a small closet outside the dining room, so small that Spirit had initially missed it when he first walked in. He decided it best to grab the medicine and water now and leave the rest of the stuff for later.

He returned to the bedroom to find Stein under the covers, changed out of his sweaty clothes, his eyes half open still, fighting the urge to sleep. "Here we go," he said, putting the stuff down on Stein's bedside table. He gave the scientist the medicine and water, then told him he could go back to sleep. As he got comfortable, Spirit adjusted the blinds in his room, blocking out the sun so he could sleep more easily. He then turned off the lights, hearing a small, content moan in response.

Spirit looked down. Stein was now asleep, lying on his back, one arm to his side while the other laid across his chest. He still sounded awful, but his face was calm and relaxed. His breathing was also more even, which were all good signs to the Death Scythe.

That was fast, he thought, a small wave a relief coming to him. Hopefully the medicine helps him sleep, he added.

Another moan caught his attention, noticing Stein's face contorting in a bit of discomfort. With that, Spirit went back downstairs to get more supplies to help the professor's fever. With any luck, this would just blow over in a couple days.

New story. I have no idea what I'm doing, ngl, but I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be coming soon...ish. See ya then!

~ K. Fang-sama