Her Past

Chapter Four

The Man of Madness

Maka and Soul followed the older man to his old partner's house. Professor Stein was Spirit's original meister. He was also one of the most powerful meisters she's ever known. He didn't need a specific weapon. He could resonate with anyone. He was a strange man though. He loved to dissect everything thing, including himself. That was how he ended up with a screw in his head and stitches everywhere: on his body, clothes, even his house. Very strange man. Maka had to admit she kind of liked him, though. He intrigued her. Right now, he was one of her professors at her school and he always pushed her, making her do even better than her best.

Spirit, on the other hand, wasn't entirely fond of the man. Quite frankly, Stein scared the crap out of him sometimes. He still had nightmares of Stein dissecting and testing on him. Stein knew it, too. He got a kick out of giving Spirit a hard time.

"Spirit?" Stein said opening the door. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Finally going to let me finish my experiments?"

Spirit paled. Maka stepped in front of her father and looked up at the stitched man. "We came here to ask for your assistance."

"Oh?" Stein asked intrigued. He twisted the screw and looked at the girl, "What is it that you need?"

"We need to find my mother."

"Hmm, Kami… Yes, this seems interesting. Going to try to win her back Spirit?" the scientist asked with a cruel smile. "It won't work. She's much too smart to come back to you."

Tears poured down the redhead man's face and he curled up in a ball off to the side. "Why Stein? What do you have to be so mean to me?"

"So, can you help us?" Soul asked keeping the subject straight.

"Well, I believe this could be interesting so I will help," Stein replied twisting the screw again.

I wonder if he does that mostly out of habit now? Maka thought.

They followed Stein into his living room and sat on the facing couches: Soul and Maka on one, Stein and Spirit on the other. There was silence for a moment then Maka spoke up, "What do you think we should do?"

"Hmm, honestly Maka, I'm curious to hear your opinion."

"Well," she started, "I got a postcard about a month ago saying she was in London. Papa doesn't think she would still be there and I agree. With her training, I'm sure she wouldn't leave any traces, but that's all we have to go on now."

"With a gang as powerful as Starkweather, if she could be traced they would have traced her," Soul added.

Maka looked next to her at Soul. "Yeah, but there has to be something. I think we should go and ask around to find where she was staying. Papa and I know her better than Starkweather's goons. Maybe we can find her."

Stein nodded. "Very good. Perhaps we could also ask Lord Death if he has heard anything. As a meister of his death scythe, maybe he has heard something from her. Then on the way back, you two can pick up Kid, the Thompsons, Tsubaki, and Black Star."

"What for?" Maka asked.

"As a professor, I am obligated to make sure you stay as safe as possible and your friends are talented in their own ways. I believe they can help," Stein said calmly. He looked next to him at Spirit. "You're being awfully quiet."

Spirit frowned. "We're just going to stay here and let the kids run off?"

"Unlike us, they don't have jobs. Plus, I can talk to Death and say this is an extra credit assignment for them."

Spirit's eyes grew and sparkled with unshed tears. "But… what if my Maka gets hurt?" he whispered.

"Maka will be fine. She has been training for this," Stein stated once again twisting his screw. "Plus, she'll have Soul with her and I'm positive he won't let anything happen to her."

Maka felt her cheeks heat up a little. She glanced at Soul and saw a small smirk touch his expression.

"What do you mean she has been training?" Spirit asked confused.

"She has been training with me after school and on her own time in assassination. She's very good. A real prodigy, just like her mother."

Soul and Spirit were watching her. Maka shrugged. Standing up, Stein said, "I'll walk with Maka and Soul till we reach the academy. Lord Death won't be there today. You should be able to find him at his house."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The walk to the school was a quiet one. Only small talk was made but it didn't last very long. None of them really were ones for small talk. Honestly, it seemed pointless to them. They knew the only real reason Stein volunteered to walk with them was for more protection. Maka didn't believe it was necessary, but there was no point in arguing. He had to go to work and it was on the way. The conversation picked up once Stein left, though.

"So, when were you planning on telling me about training with Stein?" Soul asked frustrated.

"When I found it necessary."

"So basically never." Maka shrugged. "Maka, I thought we were partners."

"We are," she replied.

"Then why the hell are there secrets about you coming from left and right all of a sudden?!" he yelled.

The only time Soul really raised his voice was when he was mad about something and half of the time it was when he believed Maka was doing something really stupid. Somehow, in the time they've been together, Soul had become her guide against the stupid. This wasn't stupid to her though; so she didn't know why he was mad.

"Because I didn't think they were dire subjects to bring up. Why are you getting so upset?!" Maka yelled back.

"Because I thought you trusted me better than this! I thought that we could tell each other things and always be cool with it. Obviously you don't trust me."

"I do trust you, Soul. But like I said, I just didn't think this was something that needed to be brought it. I thought it was over," the girl replied softly.

"Over enough to still train all the time?"

"I don't know. The main reason I do it is to make sure I can protect myself when the time called for it. And I want to be as strong as my mother one day. That's why I train." Soul sighed and stuffed his hands in his pocket. "I promise that it wasn't that I didn't trust you. You are probably the person I trust most in this crazy messed up world." He didn't say anything. Maka stopped. Stopping as well, Soul turned and faced Maka. She held out her hand to him. "We cool?"

He looked at her hand. Then with a smile, he pulled out his hand and took hers. "Yes, we'll always be cool."