Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki and Crona all sat in the large house/laboratory sipping tea with Marie. Most of the students preffered black tea with lemon, but Crona and Tsubaki wanted mint. After they had been sitting there for five minutes and no one had said anything yet, Marie looked up from her tea cup and studied her surroundings, looking for something to say. "Franken, don't you think you should put your shirt on?" Are. You. Freaking. Serious?! Of all the things I could say, I say that?! Ughh just shoot me in the face...
All of the students looked to the left to see Stein simply enjoying his coffee; he always preffered coffee over tea. He didn't even seem to notice the awkward atmosphere, or the fact that he was sitting shirtless caused everyone -even Marie- to feel uncomfortable. Stein adjusted the bolt in his head for a few long seconds and looked down at his bare chest and abdomen. He looked back up and nodded once then left to his room.
"So, how is Professor Stein doing?" Tsubaki asked.
"Well for the past week, he's only wanted to sleep. I had to wake him up every couple of hours so he could eat and take his meds. Maka, your father came by earlier." Marie said, her lips curving up a little at the corners. She could already barely hear Stein's heavy footsteps coming back down the hall.
"Let me guess, Papa wouldn't shut up about how I don't love him and it was irritaing the professor, so he blasted him across the house," Maka replied.
"Damn right, I did," Stein said, now he had a smirk on his face. "That little-" he was cut off by Marie clearing her thraot loudly. Stein stopped and remembered that his students were sitting right in front of him, so he chose better words. "Let's just say, Maka, your daddy learned how to fly today."
Maka, Soul and Black Star all started to laugh, but Tsubaki and Crona only sat their with 'oh my god whyyyy' written all over their faces.
After he had finished laughing Soul asked, "So I take it you're feeling better, Professor Stein?"
"Oh yes, very much so. I spent about two hours in the shower today and then went outside to enjoy a cigarette. To be honest, I'm kind of surprised how just this morning, I only wanted to sleep but now am feeling... better. A lot better..." Stein said as his voice trailed off and he began to think. I wonder if by saying "I feel better," one could mean both pysically and psychologically.
"Well I am glad to hear that," Maka said happily. "Everyone at the academy has been worried about you."
When she said that, something small flared up in Stein's chest. What is that? Why do I feel like saying "Thank you"? It seems like I am happy by what Maka said. "Really?"
"Yeah. Honestly, class is really boring without your fighting lessons in the middle of class and you throwing scalpels at students' desks, swearing that if they didn't shut up, next time you wouldn't miss." Maka giggled as Stein smirked.
Marie only sat back in her chair with her jaw hanging open slightly and her tea cup raised half way between her mouth and chest.
"Is something wrong, Marie?" Stein asked as he turned his head slightly to the left, although he knew exactly what her deal was.
"You throw knives at the students?!" Marie asked in shock.
"No, I throw scalpels." Stein stated.
"What ever. You throw scalpels at students; you shouldn't do that, Franken."
"Who said I threw them at them? I throw them at their desks." Stein smiled and chuckled a little, he knew she was trying not to laugh.
"Well, I need to go for just a moment. I'll be back in a minute," Marie said with a smile on her face as she set her cup down on the coffee table. After she had left, everyone had started talking about how Ox had challegned Soul to a fight because he thought he had cheated on a test, which he didn't. Soul had been laughing so hard about how he had turned his arm in to a blade then cut Ox's belt, causing his pants to fall down right in the middle of class. However, his clear memory and vivid explanation caused Soul's arm to turn in to a blade, and it cut Crona's arm, black blood dripping all over his clothes.
Stein stood up quickly and took one large stride around the coffee table to the demon swardsman. "Come on, that will need to be stitched," he said quickly and escorted Crona to a small den that was part of the living room. Although Stein had grabbed the boy's arm tightly to try to not let any blood spill all over the floor, a small drop landed in his coffee cup without him noticing.
"Crona, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" Soul exclaimed as Stein took Crona to get his wound stitched. Crona only looked back at Soul and smiled a little as he said, "I know yoou didn't mean to, it's ok."
As Stein pulled the needle and thread in and out of Crona's flesh, he observed how to black blood had never hardened. "Crona, why didn't Ragnarok harden the black blood to stop you from bleeding?"
"He tried to," Crona said nervously,"but he couldn't. It seems like ever since I joined the academy and got away from Lady Medusa, the black blood hasn't been able to harden."
"Do you still feel the madness in your soul?"
"Yes, which is what I don't understand. You'd think that since the black blood had lost it's ability to harden, then the madness that comes with it would go too."
"What the hell happened?!" Crona jumped as he heard Marie scream and walk in to the small den that Stein used as a personal clinic.
"Soul accidently turned his arm in to a scythe and cut Crona." Stein stated simply.
"Really, I didn't mean to. It was an accident and I feel terrible about it." Soul pleaded.
Marie turned around to see Soul standing straight up with his feet spread slightly. "Oh, Soul. It's alright." she said with a sympathetic smile. Ohh so much can happen in one day... Marie thought.
"Alright, you're all set. Come back to me in a few days so I can make sure there is no infection." Stein said as he cut the stitching thread and kicked his leg lightly so his chair would wheel to a small desk where he put all of his stitching and operation supplies.
"I will. Thanks, Professor Stein," Crona said with his small voice.
"Oh, and Soul?" Stein said as he stood up.
Soul had began walking back in to the living room before he turned around asked, "Yeah?"
"I want you to come back also in a few days. It seems you are having trouble controling when you turn yourself in to a scythe."
"Um, ok. But can't I talk to one of the Death Scythes too?" Soul asked. He liked Professor Stein and he thought he was a funny guy -even if he himself didn't even notice- but he also knew the doctor was mad and really enjoyed to dissect things.
"Well you could, but you should really talk to some one who has great knowledge and experience with a scythe, or a Death Scythe that actually is a scyhte. And I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to even go near Spirit..."
"Very true. I'll be back in a few days, then." Soul said quickly as he turned and walked back in to the living to Maka.
Marie took a step closer to Stein, observing how he had gotten black blood all over his hands. "Didn't you put any gloves on?"
"I didn't have time, he was bleeding pretty badly."
"Didn't Ragnarok harden the black blood?"
"He tried to, but couldn't. Ever since they left Medusa and joined the academy, he hasn't been able to. However, the madness still lives inside Crona."
"But if his madness comes from the black blood and the blood lost its properties of hardening, then shouldn't the madness go also?" Marie asked curiously.
Stein walked a few feet to a wall and leaned up against it. He began twisting the screw in his head. "Once the madness enters your mind and soul, there is no way to get rid of it. You can fight it all you want, but it still will never leave you." There was no emotion in the doctor's low, smooth voice.