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The Meister with a Distorted Soul – Stein and Arusa are Old Friends?

"St-Stein?"

"Hello Arusa, how have you been holding up?" She stared at him, mouth a gape and eyes wide.

"Don't just sit there with your mouth open its not polite." Sid said putting his huge blue hands on his hips.

"I… what are you doing here?" Stein adjusted his glasses.

"Honestly, we came to investigate the Kishin outbreak, I had my suspicions but it is truly surprising to see you here."

"Hey, does anyone wanna tell us what the hell is going on!" Soul shouted angrily.

"You don't have to shout we're standing right here," Stein glanced at Maka. "I suppose you'd like to contribute as well."

"Yeah! I would like to get up now!" she tried to lift her head again but still couldn't budge. Stein sighed.

"Arusa would mind helping our dear little scythe meister?" Arusa narrowed her eyes.

"Why should I? They tried to kill me just now or didn't you catch that?"

"Don't be so immature, they obviously didn't have a chance against you,"

"HEY!" Maka, Black Star and Soul shouted.

"They won't be anymore trouble, you can relax." A tired look crossed his face. Arusa was still glaring at him.

"I don't know about you but I don't appreciate being assaulted in a dark alley way, especially not by children!"

"Don't be such an infant, just un-paralyse Maka, please," he paused then added. "And I don't think he was so appreciative when you assaulted him." he gestured to the bloody body still lying in the shadows. Arusa stared at him, she looked almost hurt. Suddenly a ghoulish smile stretched across her face.

"It was fun though wasn't it?" her head tilted at an unnatural angle. Stein gave her a sympathetic look. The smile faded and she shook her head.

"Damn it," she pressed her hands to her head. She muttered something then she grabbed a fistful of Lupis' fur and hauled her self to her feet. He didn't seem to mind despite the fact she was pulling his fur. She walked slowly over to Maka's paralysed body. Bending down she placed her hands on the girl's back. There was a loud crack as she pushed the heels of her hands down and twisted. Maka gasped at the sudden pain. Arusa, with surprising agility, jumped back flipping over and landing on her feet beside Lupis. Maka grunted pushing herself into a sitting position. She rubbed her shoulders.

"You ok?" Soul asked concern covering his face. She nodded.

"I must say I am surprised that you are here, I thought you were in Italy." Stein turned the screw in his head –click, click, click- Arusa laughed weakly.

"That was ten years ago Stein, you didn't think I would have moved? Didn't you?" He shrugged.

"No not really." She looked surprised.

"You're still in Death City? But I thought you wanted to go to the Amazon, something about giant frogs right?" Stein shrugged again.

"Things change," he looked her up and down, examining her. "You certainly have."

"I haven't changed that much." She countered. He smiled lightly jabbing her in the stomach.

"You're a lot thinner than I remember." She swatted his hand away giving a small laugh.

"And a lot stronger too so watch who your poking buddy." She grinned.

"Modest as ever," he smiled thoughtfully. "But I suppose the reunion will have to wait." He glanced at the students who were gaping at them.

"Uh… Professor Stein, what is going on?" Tsubaki asked nervously.

"Professor?" Arusa scrunched up her nose. "Well that's new." Stein smiled.

"Yes a favour to Lord Death," he turned back to his students. "These are some of my students, Maka and her weapon partner Soul, Black Star and his partner Tsubaki and this is Lord Death's son," he gestured to Kid.

"Lord Death has a son?" she looked surprised. "Wow a lot has changed."

"Yes this is Death the Kid and his twin partners Liz and Patty."

"HI!" Patty shrieked.

"Clever name." She gave Patty a shy wave.

"Students this is Arusa, one of the most powerful meisters ever to graduate from the academy." The young meisters and weapons responded reluctantly.

"Hey," Soul greeted awkwardly. "So uh… what's with the dog?" Lupis growled.

"This is Lupis, he is my weapon partner," Arusa patted the black creature on its head. "And he's not a dog he's a Lanimanunae."

"That's a mouthful." He replied.

"How can a dog be a weapon?" Black Star asked in a 'yeah right' tone.

"He's not a dog and like this," she held out her hand and Lupis transformed into a long black whip. Curved blades lined the tip like fangs. Arusa flicked her wrist forward, the whip snapped, the tip slicing millimetres from Soul's face. He jerked backwards.

"Ah! What the hell! You could have taken my face off! What the hell is wrong with you?" Soul shouted. Stein chuckled.

"What the hell is so funny!" all seven students yelled glaring at the professor.

"You all need to relax, Arusa is very skilled she has a very small margin for error." Arusa coiled her weapon around her waist, the black leather contrasting highly with her pale skin. She turned pink at Stein's compliment but quickly shook it off.

"I just asked about her weapon, she didn't have to try and kill me!" Arusa grinned maliciously.

"Please, if I wanted to kill you you'd already be dead." She folded her arms glaring at the red-eyed boy. "Besides children who ask stupid questions get stupid answers."

"That doesn't even make sense!" Soul was fuming.

"Calm down Soul." Sid chastised the boy.

"I could always discernere his principiumloquendi." Arusa waved a hand her first two fingers extended.

"And I could always remove it, but that isn't going to get us anywhere." Stein took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Hey! I can hear you, you know!" Soul glared his pointed teeth showing in irritation.

"Oh that reminds me," Maka stood up and pointed a finger at Arusa. "How were you able to block Black Star's soul attack? And did you paralyse me?"

"How does this in anyway remind you of that?" Soul frowned at her. Arusa tilted her head to the side.

"My soul is very flexible, like Stein's. I can alter my soul wavelength to match or differ from the wavelengths of others in order to cancel out or repel them. As for the paralysis, my speciality is pressure points, part of the reason I was such a powerful meister at the academy."

"So if you're a meister, a former academy student. Then why are you covered in blood and causing a Kishin outbreak?" Kid asked narrowing his golden eyes. Arusa sighed. She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a strangled gasp. She clutched her stomach bending at the waist and coughing violently. After a moment she hung there in silence. She slowly began to lift her head, it suddenly whipped up. Her pupils were shrunken to an unnatural size and her lips stretched up in a deranged smile. She arched her back, looking at Stein at a sideways angle. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that she looked like a psychopath like this was normal. She flopped back over hunching like a cat, her insane laugh made the air vibrate. She shook and stumbled backwards almost tripping. She spun around staring at the sky.

"Look Stein, the moon is bleeding, LOOK! Look at all the blood…" She tensed and began rubbing some invisible substance off her skin. "Blood… blood… blood… BLOOD!" she screamed. Digging her fingernails into her skin she tore at the flesh. Scratch marks appeared on her arm, red liquid trickle over the pale skin. "I can't, it won't come off!" she screamed again clutching at her head. Her eyes went wide, mouth hanging open terror filling her eyes. Her fingers pressed into her skull. "Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!" she shook her head violently. Stein stepped forward placing a hand on her shoulder. She froze.

"Roo… calm down, it's ok" she turned her head to face him. Her eyes were distant, she wasn't looking at him. Suddenly she smacked his hand away.

"SPIRIT YOU PERVERT!" she shouted. Stein frowned in surprise. Arusa stepped back glaring at Stein but not actually at him. She made a sweeping motion and smacked Stein right across the face. His eyes widened and he fell back a pace. He raised a hand to his cheek where she'd hit him. She stumbled side ways a bit.

"You're such an idiot," she waved her arms in front of her like she was trying to push someone back. "Stein, make him stop." She whined. Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz and Patty were staring at the scene in complete confusion.

"Uh… What's this chicks problem?" Black Star asked rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, what the hell is going on?" Soul added.

"YOU'RE SUCH A PERVERT!" Stein managed to dodge the slap this time. Her cheeks turned pink. "Stop laughing Stein this isn't funny!" she took a step back still glaring; she actually kinda looked like Maka when she was mad. "I… uh…" she looked surprised now and almost appalled. "Umm… yeah that's right, yeah I uh… yeah…" She straightened blushing. Stein's eyes widened.

"Hmm… what is it Stein?" Sid asked.

"I remember this," he said. "It seems the madness is causing her to relive some of her memories, this particular one, is when we were at the academy and Spirit kept trying to get her to go to the Christmas dance with him." Suddenly her eyes stretched into saucers. She turned and look directly at Stein.

"Please don't hurt me… please I can't, not again, no… DON'T!" she screamed falling to the ground her arms pinning beside her. She writhed as though she was shackled to the earth.

"She's a little strange isn't she." Patty said curiously.

"A little, she's completely insane!" Liz shouted.

"Damn," Stein stepped forward kneeling down beside her. "The madness seems to have reached its peak, every year when she must consume a human soul she is over whelmed by madness for twenty-four hours afterwards, ironically she remains mostly stable for a whole year before repeating the cycle."

"So she would be like this all the time if she didn't eat a human soul once a year?" Tsubaki put her arms over her chest.

"Yes," Stein replied. He bent down placing a hand on Arusa's forehead, she screamed bloody murder and jerked.

"Stop it!"

"Roo…"

"Please stop!"

"Arusa."

"STOP IT!" Her eyes flung wide and she stared up at the sky frozen for a moment. Her body relaxed and she blinked. Tears started to form in her eyes. Stein sighed. She glanced up at him.

"Stein?" she asked nervously.

"I'm here Roo." Her lips quivered. Sitting up she flung her arms around the scientist burying her face in his shoulder. Stein tensed. She shook violently; small gasps and sobs escaped her. He hesitated before patting her back awkwardly. She clutched at his lab coat.

"Make them go away…" Though he had no idea who she was talking about he answered simply.

"They're gone Roo, No one is going to hurt you." Lupis transformed and rested his head on Arusa's thigh. He growled softly.

"So what now?" Soul asked.

"Yeah, what are we gonna do with her?" Black Star inquired.

"We can't just leave her here." Tsubaki said.

"What do you want to do Professor?" Maka asked staring at the two older meisters.

"We will take her with us," He sighed. "If we leave her here there could be some trouble so I suggest we bring her back to Lord Death and have him decide from there." Arusa tensed clenching her hands.

"No…" She mumbled. "Stein… I don't think I can…"

"Don't worry nothing is going to happen to you," He laughed quietly. "Now are you going to get up and stop acting like a baby or do the children have to watch you throw another fit?" She smiled against his shoulder. Stein always called her immature, it was just something he did to sow he cared, though it was just a nice way of saying 'get up you're embarrassing me' she still felt better to hear him say it.

"Sorry." She said quietly, leaning back she looked up at him. Tears still trickled down her face but despite that she gave him a smile; not a sadistic crazed smile like earlier, no; a warm smile, her eyes closed and her pale lips spread in a sweet smile that made her look like a completely different person. She put a hand over her mouth over her mouth and laughed, no it was more of a giggle. She giggled like a little girl. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"What could possibly be funny?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just remembering our first Christmas party." He shook his head.

"I'll never understand you."

"Neither will I." There was a moment of silence, which was broken by Maka.

"Ok… So uh, what just happened?" Sid sighed.

"It's best you just forget about the whole thing." Stein stood up offering his hand to Arusa who took it. He pulled her to her feet. She slouched against Lupis who was standing at her side again.

"So I guess I have to go with you huh?" a 'please say no' look crossed her face for less than a second before she smiled weakly.

"After an episode like that, defiantly." Sid said folding his arms. Arusa looked at the ground.

"Yeah, I'm sorry you had to see that."

"What's wrong with you?" Maka asked. Everyone looked at her.

"Maka…" Soul reached out trying to stop his partner before she said soothing stupid… to late.

"I mean one minute you're hiding in shadows and the next you're laughing like a psycho, then you some how manage to keep a straight head and talk to us like a normal opponent would. Then you are all friendly and the next minute you are completely insane, hallucinating and freaking out, then you're fine again." Arusa sighed stroking Lupis' head.

"That's simple, I have a number of mental disorders such as bi polar syndrome, schizophrenia, OCD, paranoia, insomnia… the list goes on." Maka looked as though she had just realized that she asked a blind person why they couldn't see. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" Arusa shrugged.

"You don't have to apologize I'm the one who's acting like a psychopath."

"I have a question." Kid announced narrowing his eyes.

"Yes?"

"Why can't I see your soul?" Arusa hesitated, she saw Maka staring at her.

"You're right I can't see it either."

"You cannot see my soul because it is absorbed in madness right now." She winced returning her arm to its place around her stomach. "I don't really think you'd want to see it though, it's quite a piece of work."

"What do you mean?" Maka asked curiously. Arusa gritted her teeth biting down hard on her bottom lip. Glancing at Stein she flicked her head, gesturing for him to explain. He gave her a sympathetic look.

"Arusa's soul is quite unique, in that it isn't classified into any of the main categories. Neither Kishin nor witch but not quite human." He twisted the screw in his head –click, click- "It is a mostly human soul wrapped in madness and terror. Very powerful and flexible but sometimes it has a mind of its own. Also her soul is merged with Lupis' soul, when they became partners it was a permanent commitment. The courage and protectiveness in Lupis' soul have a positive effect on the terror in hers." He focussed on her trying to sense her wavelength. "A soul that is kind and harsh at the same time, loyal and cautious, paranoid and tempered, calm and thoughtful. It seems impossible for a soul to contain such a diverse personality." He paused. "We should get you back to the academy before you have another fit." She glared at him.

"Fine, but don't you dare even think about looking through my insides, got it Stein?" He gave her an innocent look.

"Would dream of it."

"Right…" she muttered before straightening up and taking his outstretched hand.