Apparition

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, never will own 'em, and don't make any money off of 'em.
Warnings: Light fluffy/sappy shonen-ai content. Mainly of the implied variety.
Pairing: SteinxSpirit
Description: Pointless SxS one-shot; set somewhere after Asura's revival. Can fit in with either manga or anime timelines.
Author's Notes: Totally random plot bunny that bit me one day. The rough draft of this fic was 900 words so I was gonna call it a drabble, but over three drafts it nearly doubled in size. O.O So now it's a one-shot. *shrug* Hopefully there'll be some 'aww-worthy' material in here, but that's about it.

Stein had always wondered when this time would come—the time when he would at last be bested by the madness dwelling within him. He'd struggled with it throughout his entire life, and some way, somehow, had always made it through. Even in times of deepest doubt and uncertainty, he'd persevered, and retained his sanity. Perhaps it was mere luck, and perhaps it was the hand of fate itself. Either way, that was the past; the present was something much different. This time he was at his wits' end with the internal battle for his soul…and was confident there could be no victory.

This struggle would be his last.

With every beat of his heart, every breath in his lungs, Stein could feel himself being further swallowed up by the madness wavelengths. It wouldn't be long before they overpowered him. All that remained was to maximize the remainder of the time he was given with his sanity, and complete all he could before his brilliant mind was taken from him.

Alone and shrouded in darkness he sat in his faithful wheeled chair behind his desk, fingers fervently working at the keyboard. He had to get all the data he'd acquired into a database before he lost the ability to do so forevermore. If he accomplished at least that much, then his life wouldn't have been a waste.

But there was so much data to transcribe…so many important findings yet to be documented… Even if he worked tirelessly—typed till his fingertips bled—there would likely still be something he'd forget. On top of that were countless projects he'd never get to conduct, and experiments he'd never conclude. No matter what he did, he was inevitably going to leave so very many things undone. He should have started sooner. Had he known the madness was going to act as quickly as it had, he would have. But there was no point in being upset with his error; there was no time for that. All that mattered was getting down as much as he could. It wouldn't be too much longer before he wouldn't have the mind to do it. But until that time came, he needed to devote every hour he was given to the task.

And so he had been.

His body ached in places he hadn't even thought possible, no doubt protesting the workload. He'd long since lost track of the hours he'd spent at his desk, but at the same time he knew he hadn't slept in quite a while. He'd thrown the very notion out days ago. After all, the hallucinations plaguing his waking hours were bad enough—there was no need to turn them into nightmares.

With a trembling hand he pulled off his glasses, gingerly setting them on the keyboard before rubbing at the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Exhaling a long breath, he let his eyes slide closed for just a moment.

Only for them to snap open again when he felt the air around him shift.

Something moved. Something behind him.

He turned in his chair, fist clenched, ready to blast his soul wavelength into whoever had disturbed him…but there didn't appear to be anyone nearby. He seemed to be alone, as he had been. So why then did he sense another soul in his vicinity? Not just any soul, either…

He felt crazy for speaking to the darkness.

"…Senpai?"

…And even crazier when it answered him.

"Hey, Stein…how're you holding up?"

He followed the familiar voice back to its point of origin, and it was then that he saw it: The slender figure that leaned against the far wall casually with both hands stuffed into pockets.

It was Death Scythe. Or rather, the likeness of the fiery-haired teenage boy who was once his weapon partner, Spirit Albarn. Dressed all in black, he looked on with those same haunting sapphire eyes and his trademark smile that was nothing more than a slight tilting of his lips—so warm, yet so subtle.

Of all the hallucinations he'd had, this was by far the most pleasant.

"I…don't have much time left…" the scientist answered. In his theory, the present situation gave truth to the words. If this was all his imagination, he was farther gone than he'd once thought.

Spirit's expression flattened. "So that's it, then? You're just resigning yourself to defeat?"

Stein's emerald eyes cast down somberly. "What choice do I have?"

"You're giving up? Just like that?" the young weapon continued with a snort. "That's a shame. So I guess you really have changed. You've gotten weaker."

The meister's gaze returned to the figure, watching as he folded his arms.

"The Stein I know wouldn't be defeated so easily. The Stein I know wouldn't give in to the madness. He'd fight it, tooth and nail, till the bitter end."

"You don't have any idea what it's like," the scientist remarked, letting his palm meet his forehead. His fingers slipped through the fine wisps of his silvery hair, dully pulling at the strands.

"You're wrong," Spirit announced decidedly, "I was there through it all. Five years, Stein…remember? You think you didn't have this same problem when we were partners?"

"It was nothing…quite this bad…" Stein nearly choked on the truth in the words. It was as if even speaking them allowed the madness to inch in closer.

A bit surprisingly, the weapon nodded in agreement. "I know. That's why I'm here. I'm going to guide you through it, just like I did way back when…" His sights drifted elsewhere wistfully, staring off into the darkness of the dimly lit laboratory.

"But…you aren't…"

"Real?" Spirit finished. A corner of his lips lifted in a grin. "I am. And I always will be. So long as you remember me, I'm real to you."

For the first time, their sights met. Even as a mere apparition—a farce created by imagination—the scythe's boundless sapphire eyes pierced the night, penetrating and riveting the scientist just as powerfully as they always had, if not more so.

"You can't give up. You have to fight the madness, Stein," the boy persisted, staring unblinkingly back at his former meister. "I'm here to help you; but if you give up, there'll be no saving you. Understand? Fight it. I'll be there every step of the way." Again, his lips returned to the discreet, yet heartfelt smile. It seemed to brighten all around it, and conveyed so many things; not a one of which the scientist could discern.

Stein couldn't help but shake his head at it all. "Why? Why help me?"

Unexpectedly, Spirit laughed at the query—a genuine sound of amusement, nothing more—and unfolded his arms, pushing off the wall he once leaned against.

"If you don't know to answer to that by now, then you're really beyond hope."

Returning his hands to his pockets he sauntered across the room, his form progressively fading, blending in with the darkness.

"Wait…senpai…"

One last flash of azure eyes flickered at him from the twilight. "Just remember what I said, Stein…I'm with you, every step…"

With that, he was gone.

Stein…

"Spirit…don't go…"

What are you talking about? I'm right here!

"…need your help, senpai…come back…"

Oh boy. He's really lost it this time…Stein, come on! Snap out of it!

Stein's jade gaze darted about the empty laboratory, searching for traces of the apparition…

…and found the face of Death Scythe; Spirit Albarn, some fifteen years older.

The weapon gripped his shoulders firmly, shaking him time and time again, a look of concern on his face.

"Stein, can you hear me?"

The scientist was gape-mouthed and stunned; an expression that didn't suit him whatsoever.

"Hey…you alright?"

Emerald eyes blinked and refocused and the meister gave a soft nod, more out of instinct than anything else.

The sight of his companion being so shaken didn't sit right with Spirit. However, there was something that would make it a bit better; a bit more…normal, if one could really use that word in conjunction with someone like Stein. Reaching out to the keyboard he retrieved the scientist's glasses, crouching down and holding them out on one upturned palm.

"When did you get here?" Stein queried, slipping the spectacles back on and pushing them into place with a single digit.

Spirit shrugged. "Oh, about 5 minutes ago…you don't remember? You were pretty out of it, I guess…glad I got here when I did."

There was a slight pause.

"Tell me…was there anyone else here when you came in?"

The weapon shook his head. "No. Just you, sitting here in the dark by yourself, you creepy bastard." Despite the choice of words and the inflection given to them, his mouth curled into a playful grin, and he rose to his feet.

"Senpai, do me a favor, will you?"

Stopping short of the door, Spirit turned on a heel. "Mm? What's that?"

The words on his tongue made Stein feel a bit pitiful, but he had no choice but to swallow his pride and speak them. Without doing so, he was done for. Everything he'd stood for, all his years of hard work, everything he'd done and all he'd become—it would all vanish without a trace; scattered to the winds by the madness. Even if he fought as hard as he could he still couldn't do it alone; much as he hated to admit it, he needed help. And then maybe, just maybe…he might make it through.

"…don't leave."

There was a moment of near silence where the only sounds heard were the footfalls of Spirit's shoes on the floor of the laboratory, and the front door closing.

Stein understood. After all, Death Scythe was the weapon of Shinigami himself; a grown man, and a father. He had his own agenda; he didn't have time to be watching over a friend.

He didn't bother to look up until he felt warmth on his shoulder: Spirit's hand.

The redhead's lips curved into that familiar expression. The face they were on had aged a little, but the smile itself was the same; so was its effect.

"Of course not."

~OWARI~