"So, you obviously came here to discuss a problem…"

The Doctor shifted in her lush leather chair, trying to switch her crossed legs to be more comfortable, smoothing out her knee length tan skirt she had ironed so meticulously that morning. It was very important to make a good first impression and she wanted to be as professional as possible. Even if the red head across from her didn't seem to be entirely focused.

"Yes, it's a very serious problem after all," he stated peering at her.

"I see. Have you tried discussing it with anyone before now?"

"Not that I can think of. You seemed to be the best chance I have."

"And you want to try and resolve this problem?"

"Of course!"

Nodding she straightened the glasses on her face, pushing back her short black bangs so that she could see him clearly. She had only just arrived that morning and he was the first person to walk into her office. At first she wasn't sure that he was taking her seriously, but now it was more than obvious that he had a sever problem with physical attachment.

"Then how about you let go of my leg and we actually talk about the problem then?" she sighed trying to keep her voice calm.

The second that he'd seen her he came flying across her office clutching onto her calf demanding that she "heal" him. How she was suppose to do that with him clinging to her like that? At the very least her skirt was long enough to where he couldn't chance a glance at her underwear. She knew the man by name, they had gone to school together. But their years of separation hadn't changed him in the slightest. Death-Scythe, who had once been Spirit Albarn hadn't changed a bit.

"Spirit, honestly, you can't come in here like this and expect me to actually take you seriously. You're a Death-Scythe now you should at least attempt to act professional," she sighed prying his hands away from her calf.

"Yeah, I know. I just couldn't help myself, you grew into quite a beautiful woman, Jen."

Before he had the chance to grab onto her again she stood up to straighten out her desk, she still hadn't finished unpacking completely.

"Didn't you get married and have a daughter, Spirit? Should you be touching other women like that?" she asked absently fiddling with her glass nameplate. Doctor Jennette Reins, the title she had worked so hard to achieve.

When Spirit didn't answer her she turned to see what he was doing, afraid that he might be planning to latch onto her again, but what she was faced with was far more disturbing than his hands on her. His entire face had gone pale, tears welling up in the corner of his turquoise eyes.

"S-Spirit? What's wrong?" she gasped taking a small step closer to him.

"We got divorced! And now Maka hates me!" he wailed suddenly causing her to jump.

"Now calm down. It's not the end of the world. Stop crying, it's not going to get you anywhere."

"I'm sorry…"

She reached behind her blindly grasping for her box of tissues. He took a few moments to compose himself, blowing his nose twice before he was finally calm again. She had half a mind to kick him out of her office, afraid that any questions about his life in the time she had been away would set him off into another fit of tears. But they had once been friends, she couldn't just force him out.

"Now, what is the real reason you came to my office Spirit? Did Lord Death send you down here?" she asked calmly, trying to keep him focused.

"Yeah. I'm suppose to take you around to all of the classes and introduce you to the students. He just wants everyone to understand what you're here for."

"All right then, classes have already started haven't they? What class are we going to visit first?"

To avoid being awkward she went back to straightening her desk, making sure that her framed diploma was easily visible from every point in her small office. It wasn't that she was trying to brag, she just wanted to make sure everyone knew that she was qualified and capable to do the job.

"Oh! You'll never guess who teaches the first class we're going to! I forget you've been away for over ten years…" he chuckled.

"Really? Who could it possibly be that would shock me? Sid? I heard that he was teaching here."

"Yeah he's a teacher here all right, but that's not the first class we're going to. You do remember Franken Stein, right?"

Her hand jerked forward hitting the corner of her diploma causing it to crash over onto her desk, the glass cracking just slightly in the top corner of the frame. Franken Stein. It wasn't possible! Lord Death hadn't mentioned Stein even in passing during their conversations to arrange her job at the Academy. He had deliberately withheld the information from her. For a moment she wanted to panic. To run form the room and never look back, then she remembered that she had promised herself that she wasn't going to abandon her job. She had made a pact with Lord Death to help the students of his Academy and she would not abandon her patients, Stein be damned.

"Really? That's good for him. It's nice to hear that he's doing well for himself. I should have expected no less from the Academy's genius Meister," she said sweetly, refusing to let Spirit see how worked up she had gotten.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. He's changed a bit."

"How so?"

"He's a giant now. Now that I think about it, have you gotten taller as well? I remember you use to be shorter than me too."

She turned around to see exactly what he was referring to and indeed she was at least an inch taller than he was. He stood there with his eyes narrowed at her as if the fact that the people he had once towered over were now taller than he was. Then she remembered it was probably just the heels she was wearing.

"It's just the shoes, Spirit. I haven't really grown any taller since I left. But wasn't Stein taller than you when we graduated?"

"Well yeah, he was. But now he's really tall. Among other things…"

He pulled open the door of her office waving his hand for her to go ahead of him. She hoped that he couldn't see her moment of hesitation as she moved out into the hallway. That was all she needed was for Spirit to see she was afraid of seeing Stein again.

"So, are you anxious about seeing him again?" he asked walking beside her with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"What? No. Why would I be?"

There was no hiding how her eyes shifted to the floor quickly, her hands twisting together as she tried to think about anything other than Stein.

"Like hell, you know damn well that's all you're going to be able to think about the entire time you're here…"

She nearly cursed herself out loud for even thinking it before she remembered that Spirit was right there next to her, still waiting for an answer. The longer she took to come up with an answer the more suspicious he would get.

"Well it has been a very long time. I suppose you could say I am a little nervous. I was nervous just coming back to the Academy period. I'm sure that Stein probably wont even remember me. My hair is shorter now and I have glasses."

"Yeah, you're probably right. He didn't really notice anyone back then either. What are you going to do if he doesn't recognize you?"

"Just introduce myself and go on with my day. I came here to do a serious job Spirit, not catch up with old school mates."

"Yeah I guess you can just go about it that way. But when you see him don't freak out or anything, he sort of has a few scars now. And-"

"It's all right Spirit. I don't need you to explain him to me, its not the big of a deal. He's just Stein."

"If you say so…"

He stopped in front of one of the classroom doors, knocking once before he pulled it open and stepped inside.

"Sorry to interrupt Stein, but I have someone I need to introduce to your class," she heard Sprit announce, a soft mumble following his voice that she couldn't place before Spirit's head poked back out into the hallway nodding for her to follow him in.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes stepping into the classroom behind Spirit.

"You can do this, this is your job. This is what you went to school to do. Don't let him get to you anymore…"

The second she peeled her hazel eyes open, blinking to adjust to the influx of light in the bright classroom, all rational thought went out the window. He was closer than she thought he would be, standing just in front of Spirit. Just like the Death-Scythe had said Stein towered over them now, his silver hair still as strange as it had always been, yet somehow it was part of his allure. Those pale green eyes gazing at her curiously behind his glasses, since when did he wear glasses? There was, as Spirit had mention, a long scar along his face that seemed to start somewhere in the middle of his forehead running under his left eye before it vanished behind his ear. And by far the most startling thing about him was the huge metal bolt that was shoved through the left side of his head protruding out the other side as if it were meant to be turned. She had to remember not to let the distress show on her face, she had to remain clam.

"Stein this is-"

Spirit began with the normal formalities of introductions but she found herself butting in to avoid him saying her entire name. As it stood, Stein didn't seem to realize who she was and she was perfectly fine leaving it that way.

"Doctor Reins, it's a pleasure to meet you Professor Stein," she said with a warm smile extending her hand to his just to appear as pleasant as possible.

"What the hell is wrong with him? Is that a real bolt in his head? What has been happening while I've been gone!"

The second his hand closed around hers it was like someone had smacked her in the chest with a ton of bricks, the distress in his soul wavelength was almost unbearable and she found herself actually gripping him a little tighter than needed just to stay on her own two feet. Something was wrong, something that Lord Death had also failed to mention…

"Anyway," she coughed jerking her hand back away from him a little more roughly than she had meant to, "Lord Death has asked me here for the students, so if it wouldn't be a problem I would like to take a moment to speak to them."

"Of course, the floor is all yours, Doctor," Stein said plainly, seemingly unaware of her strange behavior.

Without even breaking stride she moved to the front of the classroom in front of his desk, then entire classroom staring back at her curious to know who she was. She was trying hard enough just to keep her head from spinning, feeling like Stein was somehow breathing down her neck. The residual feeling of his soul was still eating away at her.

"Good morning class. I realize that this is out of the ordinary for you so I'll be quick. Lord Death has asked me to come to the Academy to act a grief counselor for anyone that may need to talk about any issues that they're having with all the recent Kishin reawakening. Everything is entirely confidential, even if you stop in just to say hello, so don't hesitate to pop in whenever you feel like it. Thank you for your time, Professor Stein."

She turned bowing her head to him slightly before she started off out of the class room. Just standing there in the same room with her made her sick to her stomach. There was no way she was going to make it through this, she had to talk to Lord Death immediately.