Author's note:

Hello all! It has been a while since I have written and posted any fanfiction. I am moving away from it, wanting to focus more on my own original fiction, and I hope that you all will come and see what I have been working on over at my Patr-eon. I am also writing on Reddit and posting to Twitter- all under the same pen name I have here. Thank you so much for your time, and as always; I don't own any part of Soul Eater except for my plot devices here.

/LialaneGraest

The call was sudden, the voice nearly in tears, and Stein leaned backwards in his chair, hands laced behind his head as smoke drifted up to the ceiling from his cigarette. Of course he had agreed. Of course he hadn't slept in days, the experiment on the screen in front of him taking his attention away from rest and food. Of course the mission was on the other side of the world and he would be going there via mirrors with the help of their new ally, the Witches. Of course.

But he could never say no to Marie.

He closed his eyes, resting for a moment as the smoke continued to curl above him. He felt the madness even still; it was indelibly etched into his soul and he knew that he would feel it until the day he died. He believed whole-heartedly that it would be sooner rather than later that that fate befell him, though he had to hope for Marie's sake that it would be later. He allowed himself to feel the fatigue that raged through his body, to feel the hunger that surged as he focused on it. He allowed himself to take one last drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out in the ashtray.

Then he took a swig of the cold coffee on his desk and strode purposefully out of the lab and towards Shibusen.

Shinigami-sama stood before the mirror, the great witch Maba reflected in it as Stein stepped into the room. There were no words being spoken between the two and if Stein hadn't known better he would have assumed that they were in the middle of a staring contest. He cleared his throat though, causing Death the Kid, Shinigami-sama now, to turn and face him.

"I appreciate you coming so quickly, Professor Stein," he started. "I know you spoke briefly with Miss Marie on the phone; she has already left and is awaiting you in the witch's realm. I cannot stress to you how important this issue is. Maba-sama will bring you over if you are ready."

Stein nodded, turning the screw in his head as he turned to face Maba. He watched carefully for any sign of movement from the heavily clothed figure, but he saw nothing before a single "Nyamu!" escaped from her mouth and he felt his body pulled forward, through the mirror. He landed on his feet, Marie pacing worriedly just out of sight of the mirror.

Her stomach, hardly noticeable to most anyone else, drew his attention as he focused his sight on the small soul that resided therein. She darted to him, throwing her arms around his neck in a quick hug before standing beside him, giving all of her attention to the witch standing in front of them.

"You have at your disposal two of the most highly skilled individuals at Shibusen," Marie started from an obviously prepared speech. "Shinigami-sama is pleased to aid you in any way that you need; our alliance is an important step to healing the rifts that have formed over the centuries. We will reside here, in the witch's realm, as a sign of trust and respect."

Stein tensed slightly. He hadn't known that part of the assignment; Marie's fingertips just barely brushed against his as he stared stonily ahead.

"Nyamu."

A fox-witch, one that Stein had seen at Maba's side multiple times, stepped forward. "Maba-sama wants to inform you that she is aware of the child you carry. She wants to inform you that you will receive the best of care while you are here, and that the child will not be harmed from it's stay here. She has asked that you follow us and we will provide you a place to call 'home' while you are here."

Marie glanced over her shoulder at Death the Kid as they were led away from the mirror. He watched from the other side of the mirror long after they were gone; the courtyard they had been pulled to slowly filling with other witches before he severed the view.

The home was cozy. It was small, held one bedroom, a living area, a kitchen and a bath. Stein's hands itched as he took in the slightly odd architecture, the colors that, even to his eyes, were just slightly too muted, and the lighting that seemed to require no electricity. He desperately wanted a cigarette, but as Marie danced around the small abode he just sighed and settled for twisting the screw in his head.

"Why?" Stein's question hung heavily in the air as Marie turned to face him, a small cup of tea in her hand. "Why are we here, Marie? I was under the impression that we were going to be going half-way around the world for a 'mission of grave importance'."

Marie swallowed a bit and smiled. "Well, technically, I think we are half-way around the world or so, but no one really knows where the witches' realm is sooo…" her voice trailed off. "And we're here to… to prove…" Marie took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. "We are here to prove that Shibusen holds a great deal of trust in the witches. I… may have volunteered."

Stein twisted the screw in his head, his hands itching for a cigarette, madness rushing up. He cursed Kid silently, flexing the fingers of his other hand. His experiment sat on his desk, in his lab, and he would be here for months. His time was wasted and the experiment was ruined. Marie looked worried and he could sense the almost palpable fear in her soul.

He forced a laugh, spreading his hands wide. "It will make for a grand experiment, to what this realm will do to a developing fetus."

The days passed slowly. They received updates of the "normal" world from one or another of the professors or weapons from back home every few days. Kim would frequently be the one to host it. They entertained guests from both home and the witches' realm. Stein quickly grew tired of being a curiosity and found himself more and more often sitting cross-legged on the bed in the small bedroom scribbling notes into a thin notepad that one of the witches had given to him.

Try as he might, he couldn't fill the pages; it was a marvel, that was for certain, and he did enjoy the seemingly endless amount of pages in the thin notepad. Within those pages he kept notes on who visited, Marie's progress, and more mundane events. It was one of the few highlights of his days.

He grew bored, and fought the madness that always came. He had no opportunity to engage in any of his previous hobbies, Marie saw to that, and so he spent his time either notetaking or wandering the streets near their small home.

It was during one of his outings in the near perpetual twilight that and elderly witch pressed a small package into his hands. He met her withered gaze, and she gave him a toothless smile.

"Yes, yes, for her babe. I can see it, yes. You and her. Her and him. Him and you. The babe is important, yes? This is for the babe." Then she was gone and he was left holding the cloth wrapped package.

Marie was thrilled. It was the first "baby shower" gift they had received as she put it as she excitedly pulled off the cloth wrapping.

A gem sat nestled inside what appeared to a hand-carved box. Deep red (like blood, Stein thought), the gem seemed to absorb the light around it, glinting deeply. Marie's eye was wide as she reached out and slowly touched the gem.

It flickered, the red changing to a bold yellow, and Stein lashed out, his wavelength dancing up and down his hands as he knocked the box and gem to the floor and away from Marie. The gem spun across the floor, bouncing against the wall and sliding to a stop inches from the box itself. Neither item was cracked or marred, but as they watched the stone's color seeped back to that dark, blood red.

"Marie, do not touch it," Stein's voice was cold and Marie just nodded, hugging her hand to her chest. "We will contact Kim."

"A finding stone?!" Kim's voice was excited and Marie couldn't help but return the smile. "She gave you a finding stone?!"

Stein adjusted his glasses, looking through the mirror at the young witch. "If that is what this is, then yes."

"And you left it on the floor?" Kim took a moment. "It's perfectly safe, I promise you. It was just attuning itself to Miss Marie when she touched it. A finding stone is meant to keep you safe- it finds luck. They're very, very rare."

Marie's grin was bigger as she stepped away from Stein and retrieved the stone and the box. It shone brightly for a moment in her grasp before settling into the bold yellow. She held it up to the mirror and Kim leaned in with a look of astonishment on her face.

"Definitely. That's a finding stone. Who gave it to you?"

Stein shrugged. "An old witch. We hadn't spoken to her before, just said it was for the 'babe'."

Kim nodded. "It's common among the older ones for each witch to be responsible for a different part of a child's development. I didn't know they were going to try that with your baby though. That's so cool!" She gave a little fist pump as she stepped back.

Shinigami-sama, Death the Kid, leaned into the frame.

"It certainly is interesting and the stone is beautifully symmetrical. I knew this would be an intriguing mission. I look forward to hearing from you later."

The mirror cut off as he leaned back and Stein sighed. Marie leaned against his arm, holding the stone out for them both to look at.

"I can't wait to see what's next!" She said as she smiled up at him.