Well, that didn't take long! I actually finished this during school today :)

SOUL EATER IS NOT MINE

People were staring. It was making Mari very uncomfortable. It was worse than when Death Scythe had lead her through on her first day back. Now she felt completely exposed; her disguise gone and her reaper wavelength completely uncovered. Now they were staring and whispering about how she had changed her appearance and how she was a reaper. Once again, she had left Jaden back at the apartment. She didn't need to have him with her all the time since she wasn't on a mission anymore.

"Mari, hey!"

Mari smiled as Liz and Patty came over. Liz was finally out of her cast, which means she was ready for action again, and Patty was as chipper as ever. More than usual actually. They had both expressed how happy they were that she wouldn't be hiding her identity anymore. Patty gave her a hug, which Mari awkwardly returned.

"You're coming to class right?" Liz asked.

"I have too. The old man said I'd be getting in trouble with Screw Head if I didn't," Mari answered, rolling her eyes.

"You sure have a thing against authority," Maka said as she approached with Soul beside her. "So this is what you really look like. You look a lot like Kid."

"Well, seeing as we are twins doesn't really help her case." Kid had taken the pleasure of showing up at that moment and putting an arm over Mari's shoulder. Mari glared at him and he put his arm down. Maka and Soul both looked dumbfounded.

"You two are twins?" Maka asked, although there wasn't much surprise in her voice, but more quiet understanding.

"Dude, Kid. Why didn't you say something?" Soul asked.

"Didn't know. We had forgotten about each other when Mari moved away," Kid answered smoothly. Mari looked over and saw Tsubaki walking over, but noticed she was very much alone.

"Tsubaki, where is your meister?" Mari asked. Tsubaki looked to the side, which only then did Mari notice a small amount of blue hair hiding around the corner, "Ah yes, the great assassin on the hunt again. I can only guess what he's after."

"Black Star, you aren't fooling anybody. Come out," Kid said. Black Star came out, glaring at Mari intently. Even Mari, who knew very little about the blue haired assassin, knew this was not how he normally acted. Black Star approached Mari, looking her over.

"So, you're not a meister. You're a reaper," he said. Mari nodded even though he didn't phase his sentence as a question. There was a long pause and then he stepped back and pointed at her dramatically. "Then I challenge you to a dual!" Everyone was slightly shocked by this except Tsubaki, who had known his intention the whole time.

"Um, didn't I already kick your ass the first day we met?" Mari asked, raising an eyebrow at Black Star.

"You caught me off guard! And you also were disguising yourself so I underestimated you! That wasn't a fair fight, so I want a rematch!"

"It wasn't really a fight. You charged close to me and I defended myself. You were the one who was stupid enough to charge into a situation without thinking about what repercussions you would receive."

Black Star fumed and punched at her head. She swiftly dodged and hooked him in the gut. Black Star coughed and went to his knees, clutching his stomach. Tsubaki stepped forward, but Kid held a hand up to halt her advance. "He started this fight, let him deal with the consequences," he whispered to the flustered weapon. Tsubaki nodded, watching her meister worriedly. Kid was staring at Mari, who was looking down at Black Star with a bored expression on her face. Mari sighed after a moment and grabbed him by the scarf, lifting him to his feet.

"Listen. You want a real fight? We'll meet after school with a professor present. No weapons. Just you and your intense wavelength." Mari let go of him. Black Star just glared at her.

"Well, Miss Death. It's good to finally join the class," Professor Stein said, looking at Mari as she entered the room with Kid and the sisters. Mari narrowed her eyes at him.

"Call me Mari, not 'Miss Death'," Mari said to him.

"Alright then. Please step forward and I'll introduce you to the class." Mari nodded and stood next to the desk as the rest of the class filtered into the room and took their seats. "And I would also like to test your abilities, now that I see what you truly are," Stein added quietly. Mari glanced over at him warily.

"You'll be able too after school. Black Star challenged me to a fight and we'll need a professor present," she told him in the same low volume. Stein smirked.

"I will gladly attend," he said. He lit a cigarette and then addressed the class. "Everyone, this is our newest student, Marilyn Death. Please refer to her Mari, that is her preferred title. I'm sure we will all welcome her, as well as her extraordinary reaper gifts, warmly and help her grow stronger along with the rest of you."

Mari regarded Stein suspiciously. She was very cautious of the half-mad scientist. He stared at her like he would want to cut her open slowly and examine every inch of her from the inside out down to her very soul. It didn't help that he could do so, making her uncomfortably exposed. Stein locked eyes with her and she could tell he looked at her soul because a creepy smirk slid across his face. He took a drag of his cigarette and turned his screw a few clicks. "Take a seat, Mari," he said to her.

Mari gladly listened and took a seat next to her brother, who was looking between her and Professor Stein almost warily. He could sense her unease, and he was just as uneasy. Stein studied her more than he studied any other student. He didn't even look at Kid like that. It made him very suspicious of the Professor's sanity and sick thoughts.

The rest of the hour consisted of simple lessons and whispering voices. People continually shifted their gazes between Mari and their friends, gossiping and gawking at her. Mari learned only one thing that hour. School was going to suck.

Mari walked out to the front of the school with Kid, Liz, Patty, and Professor Stein behind her. She had her hands in her black coat pockets, her face a mask of nonchalance. Outside, Maka and Soul were talking with Black Star and Tsubaki was standing to the side. As soon as Mari and her group stepped outside, Maka and Soul stopped speaking and went over by Tsubaki. Black Star stood with a look of complete confidence and calm.

"I'm here to moderate the fight, you two," Stein said very seriously. He then smiled. "So go ahead and go nuts." Mari nodded and stepped forward, stopping a few paces away from Black Star.

"You know, you can always back out Black Star," Kid called over, sounding more than a little amused.

"Shut up, Kid." Black Star said. Mari sent Black Star a calm smile, which made him tense up.

"Oh, I can't believe you want to try fighting a girl," Mari teased.

"Gender is no issue," Black Star retorted. Mari chuckled, and Black Star looked a bit puzzled.

"Oh, it wasn't the fact I was girl that I was pointing out," she said, smiling sweetly. He smile turned into a patronizing grin. "It's the fact that you are even trying."

Black Star charged her, hand raised to do a direct Soul Charge to her. Mari sidestepped him and the last minute and patted his arm. He went disoriented from the sudden movement and went to one knee, recovering almost immediately. She simply took a step or two back, looking content and yet patronizing to the assassin. He charged at her again and again, each time she either side stepped him or dodged under his arm as he attacked.

"She's just... playing with him," Tsubaki murmured.

"And he knows it," Soul said. "This has got to be pissing him off."

"Of course it is, but he's to much of an idiot to just give up," Liz said. "He'll end up tiring himself out before he even does any real damage."

Maka looked over at Kid, who was just watching silently. His gaze was intense, watching Black Star's every move. Maka moved over and set a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at her. "Hey, he's not going to hurt her. She can handle herself fine," she told him. He looked back at them. Mari had just tripped him and made him face plant on the concrete.

"I know that," Kid told her. "I just want to be sure of it. She is still recovering from a few of her injuries, after all."

"Black Star will be the one walking out with injuries by the looks of it," Maka said, watching him get pushed into a pillar. Kid nodded, then looked over at Stein. He was watching passively, his eyes trained on Mari's wavelength.

"Astonishing, isn't it," Stein said once he realized he had Kid's attention. Maka turned at Stein's comment. "He wavelength is quite similar to yours, Kid, but yet she is so different it is incredible."

"There are plenty of factors of why that is," Kid said.

"Very true. The way she was raised is a good example. It's still a wonder how she found the time to train herself when she lived in a pubic area." Stein released a puff of smoke and finally looked at Kid. His eyes were piercing and analytical.

"Are the two of us just one huge experiment to you, Professor?" Kid asked, narrowing his eyes at the man. Unlike what he had expected, Stein smiled pleasantly smiled and took his cigarette from his lips.

"Why yes, Kid. That is what you both are to me at the moment."

"Damn it, enough!" Black Star's voice drew all of their attention back to the scuffle that they were supposed to be there for. He was dirty and cut up in places and he was enraged. "Why don't you attack? Fight me!"

Mari's grin disappeared, and she looked displeased. Kid already knew what that meant. The fight was almost over.

"If you say so," Mari said, sighing and scratching the back of her neck. She just stood there, slightly slouched. Black Star continued to look irritated.

"Just come a-" Mari charged and socked him in the gut, and Black Star doubled over and went into a coughing fit. Mari kept him upright and pushed him up a little. He staggered back a little, clutching his stomach. Mari jumped up and kicked at his head, hooking him from to side and sending him flying into a pillar. The pillar cracked and the pressure made a large dent in it. Black Star fell from the pillar to the ground, unmoving. Tsubaki gasped and ran over to Black Star.

"Twenty five seconds."

Maka looked up at Professor Stein curiously. Stein noticed this and grinned. "The time since she had gone on the offensive to when Black Star went down was twenty five seconds."

Shocked, Maka looked back at Mari. Sure, she realized Mari had been fast, but she hadn't timed it. Kid and the sisters went over to her, all three smiling at her victory. "Amazing."

"I couldn't have said it any better, Miss Albarn." Stein smiled and went back into the building, leaving Maka to watch Kid, Mari and the sisters leave together.