I give my thanks and gratitude to anyone and everyone who has read my story so far, even if they found it dull and not worth their time. At least they gave a moment of their time to view my work, and for that I'm grateful. Now, for a new chapter!


Even after Nygus had left, Stein still sat on his chair, his arms hugging what was supposed to be the back of his chair to his chest. There was a small voice at the back of his mind nagging at him. It was telling him that the last comment Nygus had made about Karietta was closer to the truth than she could ever have imagined. "That wasn't just some generous hyperbolic compliment!" shouted the voice. "That was the absolute truth!"

Stein spun his chair around, paying attention to nothing; he was only listening to the voice and thinking about Karietta.

"Hey, Stein! Pal! You have to done something about this girl, Klarissa..."

"Karietta..." Stein whispered, correcting the voice.

"W-... whatever. The thing is, Stein, oh buddy, ol' pal of mine, you have to do something about this girl. There is no way in Death City, hell, the world, that she should be allowed to run freely."

"She's at the DWMA, where she is learning to control her potential and mold it for the betterment of mankind and th-"

"No, no, NO!" The voice screamed, interrupting Stein. "That's not enough! She needs to be kept at the Academy."

"You mean like Crona and the Demon Sword, Ragnarok."

"Yes!" the voice hissed excitedly, happy that Stein was now getting it.

Stein's eyes narrowed and his grip tightened on his lab coat. He stood, sending his chair off spinning, and swung his jacket over his shoulder as he stormed to the bathroom.

Stein closed the bathroom door, stuffed the crack along the floor with a towel, and turned the hot water on. Once the mirror was fogged up, Stein placed a fingertip on the reflective surface. He wiped his finger across the cool surface, smearing the tiny beads of water around.

"Forty-two, forty-two, five, sixty-four, to knock on Death's Door..." Stein whispered the rhyme. Lord Death's image appeared within seconds.

"Oh! Hello, Stein! Is there something you'd like to talk about?" Shinigami-sama asked bubbily, bouncing like a bobblehead.

"Yes, it's Karietta..."


"Man, I can't believe you pulled me out of Chupa Cabra's just to retrieve a student." Spirit groaned.

"It's not just any student," Stein replied monotonously. "Besides, I thought you were trying to make things up with Maka."

Spirit dropped his head at the mention of his daughter. "Come on. Let's just get this over with."

Stien knocked on the door. The house was silent. Stein knocked again. The door slowly creaked open. A small woman with curly blonde hair and a wizened tan face peeked out at them through with wide frightened eyes.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, we're looking for Karietta Jantomaso. Her student file says she lives here." Stein said politely, smiling softly.

"I'm afraid you have the wrong house..." trepidation clawed at the woman's words. She began to turn away.

"But her file says she lives here..." Stein insisted.

"I kicked her out years ago!" The woman snapped, whipping around.

"Why-"

"I couldn't keep her here anymore! Now leave me alone!" she wailed, slamming the door shut.

"Jeez, a woman kicking out her grandchild like that..." Spirit looked at Stein. "If she doesn't live here, then where do you suppose she does live?"


"Oh, hello Professor Stein and..." Maka smiled awkwardly. "...Papa... I-is there something I can help you with?"

"We're looking for Karietta. Lord Death wants to see her, but her address hasn't been updated. We were wondering if you knew where we could find her. You are friends, aren't you?" Stein asked, saving Spirit from having an awkward, tense moment of silence with his daughter.

"Um, I think she lives at the Picara Apartments. She and I actually don't talk much. I'm sorry I can't help you much." Maka apologized.

"It's fine. Thank you for your help. Come on, Spirit." Stein growled the last part as he turned around, grabbing a quivering, sobbing Spirit by the collar, and dragging him off.


"Karietta Jantomaso?" the doorman of the Picara Apartments asked. He looked at his monitor and typed the name in. "Yeah, we have tenet by that name." He looked back at Stein and Spirit. "What's this about?"

"Lord Death would like to speak with her." Stein replied.

"Oh, okay then." the doorman clicked on something. He turned back to them. "She lives on the fourth floor. Apartment D14."

"Thank you."


Stein knocked on the door marked D14. He and Spirit stood there silently for a few minutes, before Stein knocked again. Spirit, who was leaning against the wall, looked over his shoulder at the door handle. "I don't think she's in there."

Stein knocked again, ignoring Spirit. Spirit reached over and turned the handle. The door swung silently inwards. Spirit walked in as Stein watched. Spirit found the light-switch, and flicked it to the "ON" position. He walked to the partially open bedroom door.

"Told you she isn't here." Spirit gloated. He picked up one of Karietta's discarded articles of clothing and examined it with a purely critical and analytical eye. It just happened to be Karietta's panties.

"We're on a serious mission, and you still have time to be a pervert." Stein quipped, entering the room the squatting red-head was currently stationed in.

"First of all, they were the closest to the door, and second, it's a clue."

"Uh huh," Stein responsed doubtfully. He took the panties from Spirit, holding them between two fingers, and tossed them into the laundry hamper.

"I'm not going to have you snooping through one of my students' underwear drawer."

"I'm serious, Stein. It's a clue." Spirit insisted, standing. "A girl doesn't just throw her clothes on the floor unless she's having sex with someone. Yet, the bed is oddly lacking of bodies, and it's only her clothes on the floor."

Stein analyzed what Spirit had said. He nodded; it actually made sense. "What do you think, then? Some kind of foul play?"

"I dunno," Spirit shrugged. "Maybe." He looked out the open window into the night sky. He had a blank expression, but Stein could see the sorrow in his blue eyes.


A/N: I just wanted to get this up since it's 10:55 PM where I am right now. But don't worry! I hope to have another chapter up soon. Thanks again to Milkmuffin317 for reading and reviewing my story! Also, I have a poll posted up. I am tempted to add Slender Man to this story, but if people say no, then I won't have him as part of the official story. But I will add a bonus chapter with him in it.