A/N: I was having a major heart attack here when someone reviewed! And just because of that one review, I'm going to update. Hahaa! You better review faster next time! Btw, I've checked the other chapters for grammar and spelling mistakes again so 75% less mistakes! Also I think I already said this but LoM is going to be a short story (and I'm going very fast and simple with these chapters). I planned somewhere around 10 chapters so we're probably halfway there if I don't get a sudden urge - which I don't have right now - to make it longer. By the way, Merry Christmas.


Land of Morna

chapter 5.

The gates of Death city were closed and barren. Through the black bars the first rays of sun were to be seen going down. It was the best place for viewing the sunset, even though major part of the population believed it to be above the school - on the pointy towers of Death's castle. The shadows that were created by the bars were twisted and created a zebra illusion on people's skin who passed by them.

Maka wondered whether she could slip through the gates towards her unknown fate now that she had made a deal with the devil. The black water with its morbid deepness that promised never ending madness and quietness resided within her and its place was as sturdy as Soul's bright soul had been inside her just fifteen minutes ago. The musician always left a strong print on her whether she liked it or not.

"Come on, I don't want to be late," Soul urged her on as Maka snapped out from her daydream. A small touch occurred: fingertips reaching for her hand and she let them. Soul's hands were always warms and his long pianist fingers curled around her smaller ones.

The sweat that was beginning to accumulate between their hands reminded Maka of her own blood and how it had stained her hands. As they passed by the market place, arriving to Kilik's house, she didn't really mind her steps and let Soul guide her through everything.

"Who is it?" Kilik's voice asked from behind the white door that led to his and his pots' slightly bigger than normal accommodation.

"It's me. I've come for that LP record," Soul answered and Kilik's response stalled this time. It lasted only seconds but it seemed much longer. Kilik's locked door did the customary noise when opening its heavy mechanical safety measures and he let them to the lounge where Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder were relaxing, watching telly.

Maka was standing in the lounge taking off her shoes as Soul and Kilik conversed. She corrected her red berry porridge colored cardigan and tugged the falling black knee sock up.

"Excuse me...," she mumbled and went past the boys to where the pots were. They gladly gave way to her and Pot of Fire went to sit on her lap. Maka didn't really find the show they watched interesting so she tuned it out and enjoyed the warmth the twin on her lap produced.

Kilik and his partners had just returned from their mission in Peru. They had gone with Black Star, if Maka remembered it right. The unfinished unpacking and opened suitcases lingered around and the house was only partly clean. On the sofa's backrest were dirty clothes which were full of dust and smelt of sweat. She wrinkled her nose and rubbed Thunder's head absentmindedly.

"I'll give the record. It's in my room," Kilik gestured Soul the follow and they disappeared into the depths of the small apartment.

Maka didn't actually even know what she was doing here. Soul being his overprotective self, didn't want to let his eyes off from her and Maka was almost grateful for the attention. She never knew when Asura might appear and having a Kishin around wasn't nice, especially when this one specific clown decided to freeze the ground he walked upon. But then again she could use this. Having spent most of her free time in her room and their kitchen, she had had a lot of time to think about things.

First – Thunder nibbled her finger and Maka stopped her petting - , it seemed as if normal people could see Asura and that's why he was so secretive. This would lead to complications if she was witnessed with him.

Second, she didn't know what it was yet but he wanted something from the storage room of Shibusen. Maka didn't know what kind of mischievous thoughts he was having in that thick head of his but it couldn't be good. But then again it could be nothing and completely harmless.

She scratched the three eyed mark through her clothing and felt it move a bit. She winced at the alien sensation and took a deep breath before relaxing again. Perhaps she could somehow lure Asura into the waiting palms of Shibusen and Lord Death. Maybe it would be worth the try. If she wanted more bruises.


"I knew we should have removed the mark," Shinigami murmured mostly to himself but Stein and Marie heard him just fine.

"If you're in need of surgical operation I'll be more than glad to help."

"A tattoo can be taken away yes, but what if it leaves something behind. I'm worried over the girl's health if you remove the mark. It could set something on," Shinigami answered and rubbed the spikes coming from his mask. "And then I'd fear for us all..."

"Have none of you told this to Spirit?" Marie asked.

"Spirit is currently somewhere else," Death answered and held his words after that.

"Perhaps we ought to talk to Maka," Stein offered, "In fact we should encourage her to come speak to someone, preferably you, Lord Death."

"You think I can help?"

"Perhaps not but you can handle insanity if there's any contained in that marking. You can also use your wavelength to check it for unfamiliar presences or hostile intent in it. Perhaps it's a plague," The professor offered, choosing the academic way to treat this.

"Might be. But why would it only appear on someone with a grigori of all people?" Marie raised her eyebrow, "Her soul should be immune to madness."

"There are moments when the natural defenses, among those who have a grigori, fail or become disturbed. If we want a specialist, we could call her mother back. Spirit would rejoice," Death snorted and let out a good humored laugh. The thought made Marie smile a bit but then she became unsure. "I'm not so sure of that..."

She looked at them and the humor disappeared within seconds. The room became a thoughtful laboratory where each tried their best to think how to help Maka out of something when they didn't even know how that something would affect her in any way. Marie didn't bring up the conversation Soul had had with her yesterday but she guessed it didn't really matter. He expressed her worries the same way she did and she had taken them to these two. If Stein couldn't help then no one could.

"There's something...," Death suddenly said, attracting all the attention. He raised his head, meeting their eyes with his empty sockets. The sight was, as always, something they had gotten used to.

"You do remember the time when Maka was injured and made a stunningly fast recovery."

"Of course, I treated her."

"I have my own suspicions about that. If the data is correct, then the mark appeared right after she woke up from immense blood loss. There could have been that one moment inside her when she thought she'd die and perhaps felt fear. Perhaps she was infected then."

"Infected?"

"Assuming it is a plague of some sort," Death shrugged. "Anyways it's not a problem that can be solved by surgery," He added playfully, lifting some of the academic atmosphere.

"Didn't Medusa say something about Kishin?" Marie asked from Stein.

"She did, but it can't be real," Stein frowned. "Why would a Kishin want a grigori?"

"I hear they have a special flavor. For other reasons: Don't ask me." Death raised his white hands to defend himself. Both professors had enlightened him about their little encounter with the obnoxious witch yesterday night. "Asura has never eaten a grigori since they cause stomach problems for him. Otherwise I think we'd all know. The weather might change if he did." Shinigami looked out from the little window in the Death Room. The sky looked normal for now with its blue colors and laughing sun.

"The anti-demon wavelength." Marie nodded.

"For now I think we should let this be. Maka should come to me if anything weird happens and I'm inviting her here tomorrow. She'll tell me if there's anything wrong. The safest route is to make sure no other student has the three eyed mark. Also Stein," he turned towards the professor, "I want you to go and invent a new anti-madness drug."

"Will be done."

"And Marie,"

"Yes, Lord Death?"

"I want someone to keep an eye on Maka. You could talk to Soul about it. I'll discuss things with Spirit when he returns." he got a nod and Death chirped happily, "Excellent! Well I think this was it."

"We'll call you if anything happens," Stein patted his coat and turned the screw in his head around.

"I'll be here," Death waved when the duo started going down the small steps from the platform towards the guillotine alley. Exiting Death Room, Marie asked Stein for a meal.

Stein nodded, "Anything to get my mind off this."


The sound of Jazz reverberated in their shared apartment. Soul had gotten the records he had come looking for and Maka had honestly been grateful to return home. Kilik had cast a weird glance at her abdomen, eyes searching the rumored mark, as if it would have shown through clothing. Maka had placed a palm on top of it and he had stopped staring, and searched her eyes instead.

"Get it treated." Was all he had said and then they had left. Maka honestly agreed but the way the Pot meister had said it was like she herself was unwanted in the house - or at least her side was. Ridiculous.

"Do you want an ice cream?" Blair asked when Maka had washed the dishes. She was wearing her yellow apron with a panda head between the breast.

"Not now. By the way, I want you to cook something for yourself the next week. Soul is leaving for a solo and I'm going somewhere." Blair agreed.

"Tests coming up?"

Maka smiled scornfully, "Something like that."

Asura didn't visit her that week. She eased a bit after Sunday morning passed without any big fiascoes; yet a foreboding feeling churned in her stomach every time Maka glanced at the calendar which showed August 5th. It had been a fortnight ago when she had signed the contract to agree upon their sessions (her treatment, as Nygus called it), she had dutifully, though reluctantly, went to them always and arrived on time this day too. Nygus gestured for her to sit down onto the infirmary bed while Maka took her shirt off.

"It has moved again," The nurse muttered to herself. Maka sighed; she had already known that from yesterday when she'd taken a look at a mirror. Now the third eyed mark rested on her left arm, going around it. Absentmindedly, when Nygus went to write her report to a computer, Maka touched her abdomen.

´Shouldn't it be on top of the wound or something,´ she stared the ceiling. Nygus finished whatever she had been writing and gestured for them to continue. Maka was subjected to blood sample taking, body check (truly the bravura of the school nurse!) and lastly she was asked to perform a Soul Resonance with Nygus.

That didn't end too well as ultimately it was Maka who was lying on the ground with her face contorted in pain. Nygus herself didn't look very surprised when it happened.

"I thought so; You cannot perform your normal resonance anymore," Their eyes met and suddenly, when Maka was clutching her abdomen, she got an urge. It was her body and brain telling her to do something which her instinct fought against.

She wanted to cut this woman to pieces. She wanted to hurt her for doing this to her, for reducing her to a lab rat. Perhaps it was Medusa once again operating from behind the scenes so perhaps she'd be doing Shibusen a favor. Her latest failure was carved into her mind, always bugging her, not letting it go and be forgotten.

"Don't look at me like that. You have to do this." Nygus retorted and helped her up. Maka realized what she'd just been thinking and blinked.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Ultimately this isn't your fault...well maybe it is but we don't mind now. You've been summoned to Death Room by the way."

"Shinigami-sama?"

"He'd like to talk to you before your father gets back," Nygus said and waved the blood sample she'd taken.


A/N: I've made a vow with myself to update almost everything before or on Christmas. So beware. Hope you enjoyed and please! Give me a present in a form of a review. I'll wish you all a peaceful and nice eve. Hope you lot get presents :)