A/N: Here we are, at the end of yet another story. I'm impressed you stayed this long, actually. So, I want to thank you, reader. Whether you started at the first word in this entire series (which, coincidentally, was 'Marie') or if this is your first time reading, thank you for coming with me on Stein and Marie's journey into parenthood. From bouncing baby girl to brooding adolescent, we've been here, watching, waiting, crying and laughing for Stitches. Well, I have. So, here we go.

I adore all of you. All of you :D

~Stitches – 13 years~

So, this is it. My last diary entry.

I pledged that I would give this to Stitches the day that she started at Shibusen. Today is that day. So, she's going to see what the first thirteen years of her life were like. Her first word, first steps, first act of violence towards Spirit.

So, for my final entry, I've broken my own rule and I'm going to let Stein write in here. Write nicely, Stein.

This feels dumb. Writing something like I'm saying it. Oh well. Marie, I can see you reading over my shoulder.

Stitches, I know that you're going to do really well at Shibusen. I'm incredibly proud of you. I know that you're not going to let your mother's, nor my reputation precede you. You'll blaze your own trail and you'll find your own way. I'd wish you good luck, but a) luck doesn't exist, and b) you wouldn't need it if it did exist. I'm handing the pen to your mother now. She's crying. I just thought I should point that out.

Stein! Thanks. I was trying to seem strong.

So, I just want to say that I am so very proud of you. I'm so glad to be able to call you my daughter. I know that you're going to do so well at Shibusen. You're going to pick a meister, and you're going to learn so much. I can't wait to hear about everything you do, everything you learn. I wish you all the luck in the world, baby.

Just remember, you're Shelley Yumi Stein. Don't forget who you are. Because that's when you lose control.

We love you, baby.

Mama and Papa x

"Come here." Marie said, motioning to Stitches. She walked over after doing up her jeans and pulling on a purple t-shirt.

"What is it, Mama?" Stitches asked. Marie stood up and smiled at her daughter, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Mama…Mama, I'm fine." Stitches smiled, looking at her mother. Marie sighed.

"I… I know. I know you are." Marie sighed. Stitches hugged her mother tightly.

"But… could you put my badge on?" Stitches asked, handing her mother the 'weapon' badge that she had to wear. Marie looked at her and sniffed slightly.

"You can put it on yourself." Marie said. Stitches smiled slightly.

"I know." Stitches said. Marie smiled slightly and pulled at the fabric of Stitches' shirt, pinning the badge on.

"There you go." Marie smiled.

"Thanks, Mama." Stitches said. Marie kissed her on the forehead and sighed.

"You're all grown up." Marie said.

"I'm not all grown up. I'm only thirteen, Mama." Stitches said. Marie smiled.

"You're always going to be my little girl." Marie said. Stitches sighed.

"Mama, I love you, but don't get all sentimental. Because then you'll cry, and I'll cry…" Stitches smiled and chuckled sightly. Marie hugged her daughter tightly, squeezing her eyes shut tightly so she didn't cry. However, this tactic didn't work as she had hoped.

"Mama… Mama, you're crying, stop it!" Stitches said, rubbing circles into her mother's back.

"Sorry, sorry!" Marie said, stepping back. Stitches smiled slightly and walked off into her room, grabbing her glasses and satchel bag off of her bed.

She slid her glasses on and looked in the mirror. She brushed her fringe down above her eyes. Her hair sat at shoulder length, and as her father had so kindly pointed out, was shorter than her Uncle Spirit's. She looked down at her bedside table. She grabbed her letter of acceptance and shoved it in her bag.

"Stitches?! We've got to go!" Marie called out.

"Coming, Mama!" Stitches called, running out of her room and shutting the door around. She ran out and stopped dead in front of her father.

"Papa." she smiled. Stein took a deep breath.

"Stitches, I… You're going to do really well." Stein said. Stitches smiled and wrapped her arms around Stein, burying her head into his chest.

"I love you, Papa." she whispered. Stein hugged the girl back before she stood back.

"Alright, are we off?" Marie asked. Stitches nodded.

"Yeah." Stitches said. She pulled a black jacket off of the small stand next to the door, pulling it over her shoulders. Stein, Marie and Stitches walked out of the laboratory doors. Stitches hung back with her father, and shivered slightly.

"Okay, now I'm scared." she said, quietly. Stein placed his hand on Stitches' shoulder and looked down at her.

"Just remember; you're a Stein. You'll do well." Stein said. Stitches sighed slightly.

"Except for the fact that most people presume I'm going to vivisect them when they hear my last name." Stitches said. Stein stopped dead and his eyes widened.

"Papa?" Stitches asked. Stein turned to Stitches and hugged her again.

"What is it, Papa?" Stitches laughed.

"Vivisect… oh, I've raised you well." Stein gave a sincere, albeit tiny smile. Stitches laughed and hugged her father back, all for the sake of family love and correct terminology.

It was Sid who threw Stitches under the metaphorical bus.

"What's your name?" the girl asked. Stitches smiled bashfully and replied.

"Stitches." she said, quietly.

And at that moment a big, blue zombie walked past and put his hand down on Stitches' shoulder. It was all in good jest, yes, but it wasn't going to end well for Stitches.

"I see you've met Stitches. She's Doctor Stein and Miss Marie's daughter, you know. Known her since she was just a baby, right, Stitches?" Sid asked. Stitches' golden eyes widened and he nodded, but she shook as she knew what was about to happen.

It seemed that it took about two seconds for everyone to find out who her father was.

It took about three seconds for the questions to start.

"No, he's never cut me open."

"No, my own father doesn't scare me."

"No, a family outing in my house is not finding small animals to dissect."

"No, he's not always insane."

"No, my conception was not one of his experiments."

"Yes, my hair has always been this colour."

"No, you can't make any jokes about screws or hammers."

The entire E.A.T class that were beginning that year were all congregated out the front of Shibusen, most of them with parents in tow. Stitches hand met up with Mina and Thomas, who were both equally as nervous. Stein, Marie, Mina's father, Albert and Thomas' guardian, Martha, were all standing around.

"He's a very nervous little boy." Martha said. Martha was an older woman with cropped, white hair. Her brown eyes were round and warm, and she still had a generally baby-faced appearance despite her age.`

"I've heard a lot about Thomas at home." Marie smiled.

"Really?" Martha asked.

"Indeed. We just don't tell this one." Marie said, motioning to Stein. Martha laughed slightly.

"Fair enough." Martha smiled. The guardians all walked over to their children. A boy with brown hair and gold eyes was talking to Stitches as they approached.

"Weapon, eh?" he asked.

"Meister, eh?" Stitches replied, crossing her arms. She knew who her meister was going to be. Well… she was pretty sure, anyway.

"What's your form?" he asked. Stitches threw her forearm out, forming into a hammer.

"Ah, a rarity." he smirked.

"Indeed." Stitches snapped.

"I'm Kane. Maybe you can hammer me some-Ah!"

Before Kane could finish his sentence, Stein grabbed him by the front of the shirt and lifted him up, a death glare on his face.

"Hi." Stein growled.

"D-D-Doctor S-Stein?" Kane trembled.

"She's thirteen and I'm her father, so I suggest that you stop making suggestive comments like that if you wish to keep all of your limbs." Stein said, sternly. Stitches' head was in her hands.

"Papa, put him down." she said, embarrassedly. Stein looked over at his daughter and dropped the boy, who scuttled away.

"Papa…" Stitches put her hands on her hips.

"But-" Stein began. Stitches crossed her arms.

"Doctor Stein, I can fend for myself. But thank you." Stitches said. Stein raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"Don't Doctor Stein me." Stein replied.

"But, sir, that's how I'm supposed to address my teachers." Stitches grinned facetiously and Stein trolled his eyes.

"Go on." Stein told Stitches and she smirked and ran back to Mina Thomas and Joseph. Stein turned around to see Marie looking at him in a highly discerning fashion.

"I'm sorry, Marie." Stein said. Marie shook his head.

"If I'd dealt with that, that boy would not know what hit him." Marie said. Stein shrugged and nodded before Marie's face changed. Stein's face dropped.

"What is it?" Stein asked.

"They keep asking her about you." Marie said. Stein raised an eyebrow.

"Jealous?" Stein asked. Marie crossed her arms.

"Try again, Stein. I want her to have the chance to forge her own path." Marie said. Stein sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"She'll get there." Stein remarked. Marie gave a small smile before looking up at her partner.

"She is a Stein, after all." Marie giggle. Stein smirked and shook his head, and he and Marie turned as they saw Shinigami-sama walk out of the front doors of Shibusen.

"Hiya, hiya, hiya!" he said. The students all turned to him and waved.

"Alright! You guys are the best of the best; you're the most skilled little meisters and weapons in all of Death City. It's with great pleasure that I welcome you all to this fine institution!" Shinigami-sama said. The group all applauded and cheered. Mina turned to Stitches.

"You ready?" Mina asked.

"Yeah." Stitches took a sharp breath out.

"I'd like to introduce you to the woman who will be your teacher for your journey here at Shibusen; Maka-sensei!" Shinigami-sama said. Maka stepped forward and looked out at the near thirty students that she'd be taking through Shibusen.

"Students of Class Crescent Moon. Some of you I know quite well. Some of you I'm meeting for the first time. But, what I do know is that you're all incredibly gifted, and it's a privilege to get to teach you all." Maka said. The class all applauded once more. Shinigami-sama bounded forward and clapped his hands together.

"Alright, so, without further ado, I invite all the students to come into Class Crescent Moon! And, parents, friends, guardians, don't worry! We keep them safe, for the most part!" Shinigami-sama laughed.

The group murmured slightly and watched as their children all started to walk through the front doors of Shibusen.

Stitches looked back at her parents. They both looked incredibly proud; and that's because they were. Marie grasped Stein's hand tightly. He tightened his grip on her hand in a similar fashion.

Stitches took a deep breath and walked through the doors of Shibusen, walking next to the red-headed, fiery girl who she called her best friend and the fair-haired, soft-spoken boy who she didn't quite know how to define.

The next few years of Stitches' life were going to define who she was, what she would achieve, who she'd achieve it with and what her life was going to be like.

But those years weren't for the daughter of Shibusen's strongest meister.

They weren't for the daughter of Oceania's former Deathscythe.

They weren't for the girl who had connections with pretty much everyone who was anyone at Shibusen.

They weren't for the girl who attended her first Deathscythe function at three months old – no.

Those years were for Shelley Yumi Stein. A girl. A weapon. Just one of many students in the E.A.T class. And she would find those answers behind the doors of the academy.

Those years were just getting started.

A/N: And so, we say goodbye to Stitched Together. Thank you so much for reading.

The next story is a lot more Stitches and other O/C's centric. Stein, Marie, Maka, Spirit, Kid, Azusa and Naigus will feature (and I apologise profusely for the lack of Naigus in this story, she'll be in the next one more) but it's mostly about Stitches. So, I once again thank you for reading, and I hope to see you back for the next story :)

(with all of your friends :D)