A/N: I should mention... This story jumps back and forth between some past and present events. I don't indicate when this happens with any kind of note. It should be easy to infer through the narrative what's going on. There will be a few times when the event is very past, which will be in all italics, but otherwise it's to be assumed that we're going between what's happening in the present, and...what caused the present situation. If it is too confusing let me know! Hope the story is enjoyable so far.

Part 2

The sun had yet to climb over the horizon when they reached the Forsaken Plains, but the promise of a new day hung in the atmosphere. It was a feeling Stein had never quite understood.

The plains were a little farther outside of Death City than he cared to travel alone, even for training, but at least it wasn't so barren as most of the desert landscape. In contrast to the region's name, there were trees and shrubs of varieties that thrived in the arid climate scattered in every direction, but especially near the butte that rose up to the north. Beyond that to the east was the slough that sat dry for most months of the year and gave the region its name, excepting when a monsoon chanced to pass over.

For those few weeks after the rain the land was green and colorful with flowers blooming out of seemingly every crevice and rock face as if to remind any who saw it that living things could still thrive beyond the city. But it was merely a glimpse, as most of the time the ground was dry and cracked and the slough grass and reeds rose up to nearly two meters in some places, thick and impassible for miles in every direction. None dared cross the plains, and that was how they had earned their name.

None but one, however.

"Every now and then I'll hear rumors about him," Spirit said, walking at Stein's side. "That he'll come and terrorize the homes and businesses on the outskirts of the city."

Stein took a drag from his cigarette and considered.

"Such a waste."

"Huh?"

Stein reached up and twisted the screw in his head once. It turned easily in the smooth channel he had made for the device. But that couldn't stop the sound—the unnatural high-pitched shearing sound of metal against metal, nor the vibrations that shook his skull in a mixture of bizarre pleasure and earth-shattering pain that made him feel as if he wanted to crawl out of his skin.

Every one of his nerve endings was electrified from head to toe in a brief moment, the conflicting sensations themselves a battle between madness and sanity. And as quickly as they had begun, they waned, his hand returning to his side where it remained still. Neither tremor from his fingers nor twitch of a muscle in his face ever betrayed the effects of his self-mutilation to anyone.

He grinned.

"I wonder if he ever finished the research he was working on when he left."

"Stein, he killed his meister. In front of other students. How can you think of research!?"

"I am a scientist."

"Sheesh. You haven't changed," Spirit said with a scoff.

A muscle in Stein's cheek did twitch then. Ever since their fight against the Demon Sword, he'd had vague thoughts of reconciling with his former weapon partner.

He forced those thoughts aside to focus on the task at hand.

"In the rumors you've heard, what are the reasons for his attacks?"

"Wait," Naigus said, "he did what!?"

Stein finished cleaning the last of the wounds in Spirit's chest. It was with a sweeping sense of illness and concern he realized that after each wound was properly stitched, Spirit would have to be carefully turned over to repeat the entire process for the matching wounds in his back. And those would be worse for having been lain upon for hours. And then of course...there was his head.

It was going to be a very long day.

"I never heard that part of it," Naigus continued, staring at him with wide eyes.

Stein prepared the first suture as he recalled the incident.

"Griffin's research was into the light spectrum, with the goal of turning himself invisible. He succeeded, but only in part. When he attacked, the part of him making contact with an enemy became visible again."

"Then what happened with his meister? An accident?"

Stein placed the needle next to the first of Spirit's wounds almost automatically, but then hesitated. As if their—his—failure in the battle wasn't enough to sever any remaining ties between them, this surely would. But, with nothing else left to lose, the very least he owed to Spirit was to save his life.

He took no pleasure in it when the needle pierced the skin.

"Stein?"

"No," he replied to Naigus's prior question. "What Griffin had kept secret from all of us, even from me, was that he was also using magic in his experiments. Things...took a frightening turn."

"You're, uh...very good at that."

Stein realized that during their brief moments of conversation he had already finished stitching the smallest wound, in less than a minute, with hardly a thought to the task. He tied off the threads and began on the next.

"Lord Death had told him to stop his experiments even before things had gotten out of hand. It was all too risky. But being denied the research only pushed him further into..."

"Into...?"

"Lord Death," Stein began. "I wish to make an appeal on Griffin's behalf."

"Where is that troublesome... Oh! There you are! I'm so sorry Sir, I tried to talk him out of this, but he's just too pig-headed to—"

"Now now, Spirit. I'll hear your meister out. Go ahead, Stein."

"It's not fair to stop Griffin's research. If he's successful, his discoveries could help weapons and meisters around the world."

"No thanks," Spirit interrupted with a scoff. "We do just fine without questionable magic tricks."

Stein ignored his partner and kept his eyes on Lord Death. "But if he were to agree to stop using magic. His research was already profound without it. It would be morally wrong to stop him."

Lord Death cocked his head to the side. "Morally wrong?"

"What's wrong is those pranks he's been pulling," Spirit said. "Even I could understand when he hid in the girls' showers, but the other stuff he's been doing isn't funny."

"What have you to say to that, Stein?"

Stein bowed his head as he thought. The 'pranks' were hardly that anymore, having escalated at a shocking pace. Eavesdropping on private conversations between students and teachers alike had turned into breaking and entering. Stealing. Leaving a gas stove on in the dorm of the boy who had called him a freak. Standing in a doorway in partial-weapon form, injuring the unsuspecting professor who walked into him.

"I know he's your friend," Spirit said, his voice softer. "I know it's been fun for you to have someone around who's as crazed about experimenting with things as you are. For awhile there I even thought you were going to dump me and have him be your weapon partner instead."

Stein's head snapped up.

"But he's crossed too many lines. He knows what he's doing is wrong, and he keeps pushing it. I mean, come on."

Spirit turned from the mirror to face him directly.

"You used to be like him. I used to be afraid..."

Stein's cheek twitched.

"But you know it's wrong. You would never hurt anyone on purpose again, would you?"

Stein tied off another suture and trimmed it, the scissors snapping closed for the force he used. His eyes fell to a very faint old scar just below Spirit's ribcage on his right side. It was neat, tidy, and hadn't been caused by any weapon. He sighed.

"Into madness."

'Was it, though?'

He began stitching another wound. "Though now I wonder if there hadn't always been a thread of evil running through him."

"Why didn't I hear about this?"

"Afterward, Lord Death forbade the three students who had witnessed him killing his meister from speaking of it. Griffin was going to be imprisoned for the murder, but he ran away. Ironically, it was only then once it was too late to change anything that he had finally succeeded."

"He killed his meister while invisible?"

"Yes."

The next wound was deeper, and consequently more difficult to secure. Stein gently pressed the flesh together and made each stitch one at a time, tying them off tightly to be sure the skin met together smoothly. Unfortunately this wound, like most of them, would definitely leave a very noticeable scar.

"You were one of the students who saw it happen," Naigus said with a soft gasp.

Stein glanced up at her and gave a brief nod.