Stein sat alone at home, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him. He clicked the mouse twice and a small box popped up on the screen.

'Password' it read, with a small text box below it.

"Password..." Stein repeated to himself with yet another unlit cigarette in his mouth, muffling his words a bit, and typed it in, clicking the enter key on the keyboard.

After his desktop loaded, he clicked a word document in his H: Drive called 'Madness Serum'. After doing so, he got up out of his seat and walked up to a table with five cages in which one mad mouse was housed in each.

Number 1.

The mouse in the first cage lay on the floor of it's cage, it's eyes twitching a bit and it grit it's teeth.

"Ineffective. No signs of madness lost. Serum 1; Failure." He wrote what he spoke on a sheet of lined paper that was clipped to a clipboard that he held at his side.

Number 2.

The second mouse laid in a disgusting mess of it's own blood, it's insides dripping down the walls of it's cage like goo.

"Effect: Death. Broken bones and gruesome rapture of innards. No signs of madness lost. Serum 2; Failure." His writing hand froze for a moment as he thought and then he began to write again. "Make a note to get a new cage."

Number 3.

The third mouse within it squeaked loudly, ramming itself into the walls of it's cage.

"Effect: Overwhelming self destruction. Signs of madness gained. Serum 3; Failure."

Number 4.

The fourth mouse looked near to death as it twitched and squeaked in pain as it's teeth rotted out of it's head with a sick odor.

"Effect: Uncontrollable twitch of the limbs and rotting teeth. No signs of madness lost. Serum 4; Failure."

And finally, lucky number 5.

Stein studied the mouse carefully as it didn't move so much as squeak. It just sat there, blinking it's black eyes at him. This one seemed to appear normal. He narrowed his eyes and carefully noted every feature that proved the madness didn't exist. Before he can press pencil to paper, the mouse lunged forward with a viscous growl, causing the scientist to jump back in surprise.

"Effect: Misleading lust for killing. Signs of deepening madness gained. Serum 5; Failure." He growled slightly as he spoke and slammed the clipboard down next to his computer, throwing a massive black sheet over the cages so that he wouldn't have to look at the mice. He also covered them up because if he didn't, Marie would see them and rag his ass about animal cruelty and whatnot and he would have to spend hours trying to explain to her that it was out of science.

And that it was to save his sanity in case he went insane again. But he would never bring that part of his research up to her. He cursed at himself and turned the screw in the side of his head with a shaking hand.

"All failures. Damn it!" He sat back down and typed the first two words that left his lips in the word document under today's date. Then he shut the computer off and sighed, putting his head in his hands. It had been exactly one week after he had first heard Maka's thoughts in his head, and it didn't take him long to find that hearing her in his mind would drive him to near insanity. But during class days from that event, he often heard her and had to bite his tongue to keep himself from lashing out at anyone. Every time he remotely caught a glimpse of her, he found his control slip and he had to force himself to keep it. He couldn't take it. He made up an excuse to Marie so that she can sub for him so that he didn't have to deal with it. Marie believed that Stein was ill.

He stood back up with another growl and kicked the shit out of his desk in pure anger, wood shards shooting outward from where his foot connected.

"I can't lose it again! I can't!"

His computer beeped and made a horrid noise as it fell off the desk itself when it broke. Stein jumped back just in time when the monitor and everything that sat on his desk fell to the ground.

He grit his teeth, clenching his fists, and made a low sound of displeasure through his teeth.

"...God dammit..."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, causing the scientist to flinch and get knocked out of his frenzy. He looked up at the clock on the wall and then looked back at the door. With a small sigh, he walked up to the door and opened it, blocking the destructive sight behind him with his body.

"Marie, I-" He stopped and his body tensed up as he stared at the adolescent before him.

Maka had her arms crossed behind her back and she looked up at him innocently. Stein wondered if she knew...

Maka scuffed her boots against the pavement below her and tried to smile, failing to hide her small feeling of fear for the Professor in front of her.

"...Professor."

Stein averted his gaze and bit the inside of his cheek.

"...Maka."

"May I please come in? I have something I wish to speak to you about. It's serious."

Stein nodded and cleared his throat, avoiding to look at her.

"Yes you may. Please don't be offended for it is quite a mess in here."

Stein walked away from the door quickly, turning his back to her as she walked in. The soles of Maka's boots clacked against the pavement of Stein's home as she stepped in, making it all the more difficult to ignore her.

She gawked at the mess before her and took a seat on one of the loveseats Marie had put in.

"Hakase, what happened there?" She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head in the direction of the broken desk and the scattered mess of broken technology.

Stein continued to avoid her, willing himself to pretend her voice was someone else as he got out two beakers and poured tea into them with trembling hands.

"The desk gave out underneath all the weight. One second, I'm working, and the next... Well let's just say I shouldn't have smacked down the folder of papers like I did..."

"Oh. I see." She gave herself a moment to stare at the mess again before Stein walked towards her with his head bowed and sat across from her, setting the two beakers on the table between them.

Maka didn't touch one for she was afraid Stein probably did something to it. She looked up, expecting to meet her Professor's observant gaze, but was rather surprised to see that he was staring down at his stitched up lab shoes.

"What was it that you wished to speak to me about, Maka?" He spoke clearly, calming down a bit as he focused on his shoes instead of the young girl before him.

Maka sighed and looked away, relaxing into the cushions of the loveseat she sat on. Marie really did have excellent taste.

"Since last week, Soul and I haven't been really adjusting to each others wavelengths well. We get ready for battle alright, but my control over him seems to be slipping away from me. I can't hear him anymore. I can't even resonate as well, either. Its as like my body has gone all numb and its refusing to let me feel anything else except nothingness. Do you think it's because he's focused on another meister? I know he's began an obsession about another for quite sometime now, but... I wanted to come to you first because I was confident that you would know what was happening and what I can do."

Stein took his beaker and took a small sip from it, setting it back down as he thought. Maka noticed his hand tremble slightly.

"Well... That's what happened with me and your father. He became interested in your mother and I lost control over him. I felt our bond slip and he left me without a weapon. But it was alright, he wasn't much of a loss, you see. He always got me into unwanted fights with other meisters on campus. No offense."

"None taken. My father can be quite an idiot." Maka grumbled at the thought of her father, gritting her teeth slightly.

Stein smirked slightly but then it disappeared.

"If you and Soul lose your bond, I..." His mind began to swirl as Maka's thoughts mixed with his own. He swayed a bit and had to grip the cushions on either side of himself to stop. Maka stared at him questionably.

"What is he thinking?"

Stein felt like he had a hangover. And it swept over him like a hurricane. His mind ached as did every move he made.

"I..." He tried again and closed his eyes, panting now.

"He's looking sick..."

He coughed and dug his nails into the cushions and he gasped for air. Everything swirled around him and he bit his lower lip.

"...I will teach you how to harm your opponent with your soul wavelength without the use of a weapon."

Maka stood up and rushed over to Stein's side, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Professor, are you alright?"

Stein bit into his lower lip so hard that blood dripped down his chin like a waterfall. He didn't even feel the pain.

"Please leave..." He whimpered.

Maka, feeling confused, raised an eyebrow.

"Should I get Marie?"

"No." Stein quickly shook his head, his silver locks following every move his head made. The action only made him dizzier. "I'll speak to you tomorrow, Maka. I'm just..." Even the name made the demon inside him stir. "...ill. I need a while to sleep it off."

Maka closed her eyes and tried to study his soul. It appeared normal but there was a small pit within it that she barely recognized. She opened her eyes back up and nodded, bowing in respect to him.

"Yes, Hakase. See you."

She turned and hurried out, gladly embracing the cold night chill and the moisture in the air that sprinkled across her skin.

The lab doors shut quietly behind her, but to her and Stein both, the sound seemed to echo.

Stein felt relief wash over him and the feelings dull a bit, but he knew it was still there, no matter how hard he tried to will it away. He closed his eyes and let his body collapse to the floor, now laying on his back while his arms were sprawled out above his head, his legs spread. He stared up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, breathing heavily as he felt Maka's wavelength fade away.

"You drive me mad..."

Maka froze outside the gate that lead out of Stein's property, her eyes widening and her hand freezing on the latch.

"What... Was that?" She whispered to herself.