At first he was confused by his surroundings, at least until his eyes began to clear. He was all alone in his house, lying inside his pot. It was dark out, but he didn't know how long he'd been out. He pulled himself up by flowing up the wall. From there, he slowly took on his solid form. It was only when he was half-way done when he realized that he was leaving something behing in his pot. He had been synthesizing chemicals in his sleep again.

Umbra sighed as he turned his pot into a gauntlet and found a container to pour a silver liquid into it. This was unusual for him, for he hadn't done something like this in several years. And he didn't know what to do with it as he didn't have a clue as to what it was in the first place. As he lost himself in thought, his hand twitched, snapping him out of it.

He was different from other weapons because of both his lifestyle and his soul wavelength. His soul could bring about changes by acting as a catalyst. There must have been enough materials in his body to create this new substance and his soul acted upon his emotions. But why now, what had caused his soul to react in such a manner?

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

He didn't recognize it as poison, but it did have a strange quality to it. He couldn't smell anything, but there were poisons out there that didn't have one. He thought about tasting it, but he didn't know what it would do to him. For all he knew, he had just created an elixer of immortality, or he just wet his pot.

The alchemy professor didn't feel like dealing with it and decided it would be easier to get some rest in his human form. Sleeping in his pot was doing strange things tonight, so he wanted to try and get some rest before work. His back still ached, but after stripping his shirt and opening the window, the cool air helped ease the pain a bit.

Sid, a knife meister, and Nygus, a demon knife. Those two were truly skilled when it came to combat. It was only because Umbra had experience on his side that he could fight them on equal ground. But in the years to come, their potential could grow beyond his. It didn't bother him, for he had his alchemy.

At his touch, a box opened to reveal several vials of clear liquid. He popped the cork off one and downed it in one gulp. He then braced himself as his body began to react violently. He tried his best to hold it down, but it was too strong for him. He screamed in pain as his blood boiled and his bones melted.

Then the alarm clock ran before he knew he had ever gone to sleep. He knew he didn't simply pass out last night because he was tucked away in his bed. But when he went to rub his eyes, he clobbered himself.

During lunch time in Shibusen, Spirit was the first to ask, "What did you do last night, catch more than just a feel of the new nurse?"

Umbra blinked at him and it dawned on him, he had come to school today with a black eye. "No, I had an itch and I forgot to put my pot away."

"You would have better luck trying to swat a fly with a hammer."

"Would sulphuric acid work better then?"

Spirit flinched at the question, "You keep that stuff around in your house?"

"I'm an alchemist, it's in the job subscription."

"Remind me never to have you babysit." Spirit looked like he was about to be sick.

"Oh ya, how is little Maka?"

"She's as tough as her mother, and just as cute."

Umbra nodded, he never had much of a family. He had kept to himself through much of his life, even during his time as a student here in Shibusen. All that changed when it came time for him to find out what he was going to do with his life. He chose to become an alchemist and some time later, became a teacher as well.

"I made something in my sleep last night," Umbra told Spirit when he realized that the younger man was lost in his thoughts of his family. He took out a small vial to show it to him.

"How's that possible?"

"I'm also a demon pot. How much do you remember the faces, figures, and names of almost every girl you meet if you can't remember who I am?"

"Selective memory?" Spirit replied, still looking a bit confused.

"You're wife told you that one, didn't she?"

Now Spirit took on a sheepish look, "Ya, you got me there."

"Never mind then. Anyways, I'm not sure as to what it is. I don't think it's a poison, but I can't smell anything, so that doesn't help. It didn't hurt me, so it couldn't be an acid, unless I suddenly became immune to the stuff. But I'd rather not test that theory out. Care to try?"

"There's no way you're getting me to try that!"

"Where's Stein when you need him?"

"Stein, last I heard he was out for training."

Umbra sighed, of anyone here, their friend Franken Stein could find a use for the chemical. Or at least he'd be willing to test it out. His methods were his own and Umbra respected that as a fellow of science. It was interesting to Umbra that Stein was such a renowned scientist and meister.

The two had actually gone on more than a few missions before, as their abilities complemented each other. Stein's ability to control his soul wavelenth could considerably enhance Umbra's shapeshifting abilities.

He was about to ask Spirit something else when a student came running up to him while yelling, "Professor Ouroboros, a group of students were ambushed and need help!"

Instead of getting up from his seat, Umbra used his liquid form to launch himself. He slithered down the hall at break-neck speeds until coming across the hospital wards. Medusa was hard at work with another nurse, trying to bandage their wounds while keeping them from thrashing about in their pain.

"I require a meister, preferably a two-star!" he demanded of the students in the hall. Most just looked at each other, not sure about what to do. But it was Sid who came forth. "Good, you'll do nicely. Quick, put me on and steady yourself!" Umbra threw himself into Sid's arm, becoming a gauntlet. "Alright, Soul Reaction!"

Upon saying those words, the two souls came together, like chemicals creating a new composite molecule. Umbra's liquid form enveloped Sid and slowly became a mixture of the two. But because Umbra was stronger, his memories and personality was able to remain.

"Alright, get out of the way!"

Medusa was quick to move as the new Umbra breathed a powerful gas that put the students and the other nurse to sleep. He then took hold of the deep, bleeding wound on a boy's torso, forcing a reaction that cleaned the wounds and began the healing process. He then left a piece of himself behind to act as a bandage while the process was in effect. He did his with the others and left Medusa to make sure they were still stable.

As he stepped out into the hall, his soul wavelength suddenly became too unstable to retain its form. The two violently split, leaving Sid unconcious and Umbra panting for air. It was a dangerous process, combing their soul wavelenths like that. While Soul Resonence combined powers, Soul Reaction bonded the two together until it was just one body, mind, and soul.

Of course, the sous weren't actually combined, they simply attached to each other, like hydrogen molecules bonding with oxygen to create water. Unfortunately, it was draining and Sid was untrained in the proces. If he had, the two might have been able to seperate at will and without the great loss of energy.

Umbra tried to stand, but he was winded to the point that just holding himself off the floor was a challenge. He couldn't let himself fall unconcious like Sid, for he had to learn what had happened to the students. But his mind felt like he was floating.

"Hey, are you ok?" cried Spirit as he came running down the hall.

"I-I'm ok," Umbra breathed, "Just worn out. I had to use Soul Reaction to make the proper mixtures."

"Well, by the looks of it, you did good. Nobody's screaming anymore."

Umbra shook his head, "Medusa was doing good. So good that I think I'll...um..."

"Are you sure you're ok? You smell like you've been drinking."

"Wh-what I say? I had to make a...cleaning agent and alchohol was the quickest one. I already had the materials from lunch, but...I guess...I didn't use it all. Goodnight..."

With that, he passed out.

When the students came in, Medusa and the only other nurse on duty had to rush to help them. She was quick to bandage their wounds, but each screamed in great pain. It didn't bother her if they screamed more if her bandages were too tight.

"Alright, get out of the way!" Medusa reacted before she knew who was yelling.

A man walked in, his features strangely familiar, and breathed some kind of gas that put the students to sleep. It was interesting in how quiet the room became. Then the man walked up to each, laying a hand on their wounds and leaving behind a black patch.

She was about to ask who the man was when he walked out without another word and split in two. It came as quite a shock, but she thought it would be best to remain and tend to the students. She had an image to maintain if she wanted to stay here. If one of the students died now, it would only look suspicious now that they were supposed to be in recovery. Instead of worrying about who that was, she did a quick examination of the wounds and the material covering them.

Each were suffering from deep lacerations, which meant that they had come across one of three possible things. The most likely had to be: an evil human, a dark weapon, or a witch. Of the three, it had to have been a witch. Most evil humans and dark weapons, those who have become corrpupt for devouring a pure soul, typically couldn't take down several meisters and their weapons. She would know all about that. She had fought students like these, as well as the corrupted, and won with a crushing victory every time.

That was why the students of Shibusen spent their time hunting 99 corrupted souls, or kishen eggs as they were known. The battle practice was typically enough for just one meister and weapon to take down a weak witch. Medusa didn't care for those who were defeated, for they had no business doing magic if a mere student and their weapon could take their soul.

Her thoughts returned to the condition of the students and the cause. These were just one-star meisters, so they never stood a chance. They must have thought that their combined abilities would suffice for their lack of proper soul resonence. It was unfortunate that all of them, weapons included, had survived.

But since she was trying to stay below the notice of the Deathscythes and Shinigami, she had to help save them. She wasn't going to blow her cover so easily for a little bit of entertainment and the deaths of mere children. She had a reason to be here, and if she had to save their lives to remain, so be it.

Of course, there was a chance that they would remove a few annoying witches from the picture. None of her fellow witches knew of her dealings here, as of yet, but that would change in time. With her Soul Protect, she could easily remain amongst them. While her magic was sealed, her soul appeared as a human's, adding to her image of a normal nurse. And she needn't worry about being attacked by another witch either, as they wouldn't risk being found out be Shinigami.

It was the perfect setup, but she had to work to ensure that her secret was kept. She just wished that she had an opportunity to remove a certain Deathscythe without risk of being noticed.

The man with red hair, the one who called himself Deathscythe. She was almost surprised by his ability to find her, wherever she went. If it wasn't for the fact that he did so because he found her attractive, she would have thought that her cover had been blown.

Once she was finished, she excused herself and left the room, only to find that exact man hovering over Umbra's unconcious form.

"What happened here?"

Deathscythe looked up in more surprise than interest, a surprising change. "Oh, I guess you didn't know."

"Know about what?"

"Well, our friend Umbra here can bond his soul with another."

"Isn't that what meisters and weapons do with Soul Resonence?"

Deathscythe shook his head, "No. He can perform that too, but he used Soul Reaction."

"I never heard of something like that." Medusa knelt down to examine Umbra. But one whiff of his breath showed that he was drunk out of his mind. How could he be drinking at a time like this, and pass out right outside the door?

"You wouldn't, it's something only he can do. Because of his unique soul, he can merge himself with his meister, but not just his soul wavelength. He bonds with the body too. Here, help me pick him up."

Medusa did as she was told and lifted his legs. He was heavy, but she was strong enough to move him. It did take some effort to make it look like she he was having trouble.

Deathscythe continued as they went down the hall, "I'm not entirely sure about the process, as a weapon, but it allows him to use the combined soul wavelength to create chemical reactions in his body. From what you might have seen, he's quite effective for different situations."

"So he can simply mix together any chemical he desires?"

Deathscythe shook his head, "No, he uses bits of himself to make them. He used the sugers in his system, along with a few other things, to mix together a form of alchohol." The two cringed when Umbra let out a burp. "Phew, as you can probably smell, it's still in his system. He must have gone overboard becaues of the urgency. Now he's drunk as a skunk."

After some effort, the two got Umbra to the dispencery. From there, Medusa could watch him while handling the medical needs of the students.

"Alright, I'm off to make sure someone helps Sid. He's the one Umbra combined with. I'll return soon."

"I'm sure you're wife won't be happy to hear that."

Deathscythe shrugged and left, leaving Medusa to curse her luck that it didn't work as well as it should have.

She turned her eye to the sleeping professor. Now this one was differnt. He was a well of secrets, that much she knew. When she had first met him, she sensed something that she hadn't felt in some time.

Then she noticed something in his pocket. As she slowly removed it, Umbra shifted and put his hand on hers. She quietly cursed again for leaning over him to get it. Then muttered, "You smell nice," and fell back asleep.

She relaxed her free hand, which had been ready to break his windpipe if he discovered her. Now that she was safe, she gently pulled his hand off and pulled out a small vial. Inside it was a silver liquid she had never seen before. It didn't have anything to identify it, so she took a chance and removed the cork.

All of a sudden, she felt hot under her clothes, and the sensation made her tingle. She quickly put the cork back and moved to the window to get some fresh air. After a few breaths, it faded. Whatever it was, it was potent. Just the smell was enough to have her lose all focus. Five minutes had passed in what felt like only seconds. She thought about putting it back, but decided to wait first. She noticed something else, he was chuckling to himself while he slept. Chuckling to a joke only he knew of while lost in the depths of his own mind.

Her time her was going to be interesting.

"I'm back!"

Or not...