Kyle ran forward and grabbed onto the neck of Cartman's t-shirt with rage carved into every inch of his face. "What the fuck did you do to me fat ass?"
Cartman just laughed and easily shoved the redhead off of him. "I just told you: You've been turned into Human Kite."
"That's impossible, someone just can't 'change' into something they pretended being as a child! What'd you do, shoot us up when we weren't paying attention? What did you–AGH!" Kyle released Cartman as he felt a growing painful sensation in his back. He wrapped his arms around his torso, trying to get to whatever was hurting him but it wasn't working. He screamed and fell to the floor on his hands and knees. Something was moving around in his back, he could feel it.
Kenny and Stan exchanged a concerned glance for a second before rushing to Kyle's side. "Kyle what's wrong?" Stan asked. He rested one hand on his boyfriend's shoulder in time for both him and Kenny to get thrown back by a quick gust of wind as Kyle let out another pained scream.
During this final scream, the back of Kyle's jacket was shredded open as bones visibly moved under his skin to form a plus before harshly extending to stretch his skin to truly resemble a kite. His bones then seemed to melt through his skin to look like stark white poles and his stretched skin turned black as night. When it was finally over, the pain was gone and there were tears streaming down Kyle's face. He was afraid to look back, knowing what he'd see just from seeing his shadow on the ground below him.
When he sat up, Kenny's eyes went wide as dinner plates and his mouth dropped to the ground. What happened to Kyle? A kite just…grew out of his back…? Kenny rubbed his eyes and looked at Kyle again. Was the weak pot he smoked two weeks ago just now kicking in? If it was, what the hell kind of pot did he smoke?
"Kyle?" Stan's voice squeaked out.
"Wow," Butters sounded astonished but not surprised, "that looked as painful as your transformation Coon."
"It did," Cartman said with a smirk ringing clear in his voice.
After waiting another minute as Butters talked and jotted notes down on a clipboard, Kenny and Stan both slowly approached Kyle to help him back to his feet, unsure if he could even stand at all. They both grabbed onto Kyle's hands and pulled him to his feet, but he did better than balance, he began levitating a few inches over the floor. Stan and Kenny backed away a few steps when it happened. Just what did that Soul Modifier do to Kyle?
Kyle looked down with wide eyes when he too realized he was levitating. "Holy shit…"
Butters' eyes widened as well. "W-Wow… I didn't think it'd be so effective!"
"Hey!" Cartman sounded offended. "What about with me?"
"Well, to be honest Coon, you don't have as many powers as Human Kite. With him, there's an entire range of what he could do. I never would've imagined levitation though!"
"Hey asshole, I'm still your–"
"Cartman!" Kenny yelled as he stomped over to the fat teen. "What the fuck does that machine do?"
"I told you, it brings out the part of your soul that you long to be."
The blonde's eyes narrowed. The part of his soul that he longed to be…a good person, someone everyone could depend upon, a man Butters wouldn't be ashamed to say he was dating…someone who could finally die. He could make his life worth living and move out of that goddamn house where his drug whoring, abusive parents would always live. Without even bothering to think of just what the machine would change him into, Kenny stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
"Kenny, wait." Kyle slowly moved forward with some extra help as Stan gently pulled his arm forward. When he was close enough, he stopped. "Do you really wanna risk becoming like this? Dude, I have a fucking kite coming out of my back! And it hurt like hell!"
Kenny glanced over at Kyle and hesitated for a moment when he saw what happened to his friend. Surely he wouldn't become like that. Even if he became his superhero persona, Mysterion, nothing like that could happen. Mysterion was one of the more simple heroes of Coon and Friends, if anything he'd just become that better person that Mysterion was. He looked back at Cartman and Butters. "I'm still gonna do it."
"O-Okay…" Butters seemed hesitant about allowing his boyfriend to use the Soul Modifier but wasn't going to stop him. "Stan, Human Kite, come back into the safety chamber."
"I'm still Kyle!" Kyle argued. "And besides, I can't fit through the damn door thanks to this kite." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to point at the kite he knew was there.
Butters tapped his lips with his pen thoughtfully for a moment and then said, "Well, if your transformation's anything like The Coon's, then you should be able to change back just by thinking about it."
"Huh?"
"Well, for example…did you think about yourself as Human Kite whenever The Coon pointed it out?"
Kyle made a face at Butters continuously calling Cartman The Coon but decided not to bring it up again. Instead, he nodded. "Yeah. But not like this."
"The thought of being that form caused it to come out. Just imagine yourself the way you were and you'll change back."
"Okay?" Seeing no other option, Kyle closed his eyes and imagined himself before the kite came out of his back. A quick burst of wind blew his hair around his head - his ushanka had fallen off while he was in pain minutes ago - for a brief second before he felt his feet touch the ground. He opened his eyes again and looked over his shoulder. The kite was gone; it had sunk back into his skin. "I didn't even feel that," he said in surprise. He thought for sure he'd feel the same agonizing pain as before.
Butters shook his head. "It's just that first transformation that's the most painful. From now on you shouldn't feel it at all when you summon the kite."
"Uh, cool." Kyle smiled at Stan as his boyfriend removed his brown jacket and put it on around the redhead after he had to discard his own torn jacket and t-shirt.
Kenny began tapping his toe impatiently. He understood that Kyle needed to get the kite to sink back into him in order to be able to get into the safety chamber, but Butters' fascination on Kyle's transformation and the fluff going on between Stan and Kyle was just wasting time. When Stan noticed Kenny's toe beating against the floor and the slight glare the tall blonde was sending at the four standing around, he suggested they go into the safety chamber. Finally everyone did that and Kenny backed up a few steps to be standing in the middle of the Soul Modifier.
"Ken," Butters voice once again came through the speakers, "you're gonna feel the same pinch Kyle did, alright…?"
Kenny nodded sharply once and braced himself for it. He would go through any amount of pain if it meant he could be a better man and be worthy of Butters. The machine glowed softly and then became brighter as the same humming and whirring as earlier overtook all other sound in the room. Kenny slipped his eyes closed and waited. He could still see some light come through his eyelids as the cylinder surrounded him and lifted him into the air. That's when he felt something slightly more than a pinch; it was a full-on burning sensation that pierced his very soul.
His eyes flew open and his teeth ground together with the sheer pain of it. He screamed through his teeth and then suddenly dropped to his back on the floor of the machine. He groaned and sat up. Not quite the elegant landing he'd hoped for…
"Ken!" Butters ran out of the safety chamber and helped his boyfriend to his feet. "Are you okay?"
Kenny groaned and rubbed the back of his head where it was throbbing. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've been through much worse; a bump on the head is nothing."
Butters smiled. "Good."
"Anyway, I felt more than a pinch. It was almost like…I was being burned."
The smaller blonde's eyes became concerned. He rested one finger on his lips thoughtfully. "That's not right…"
"Oh well," Cartman said a little harshly, "your soul had a lot more to change than the Jew's did."
Kyle raised one arm and sent a blast of wind at Cartman, sending him flying again. "Wind's surprisingly easy to control," he commented.
"It is the most basic element," Stan said with a smile. "I'd be surprised if it wasn't easy to control."
Butters nodded in agreement. "Stan's right." He turned his attention back to Kenny. "So, do feel any different? I mean, I didn't figure you'd have any physical differences like Human Kite or The Coon since you were, well, kinda plain…"
Kenny sighed but knew Butters was right, Mysterion was kinda plain. He began wondering if he could do anything at all. "I don't have the urge to smoke anymore, if that counts."
"Uh…no, that's not really what I was getting at…"
"Then, no, not really…"
"Hmm…" Butters turned when he heard Cartman and Kyle doing their usual routine of yelling at each other and suddenly got an idea when Kyle raised his arm to launch another burst of air at Cartman. "Kyle wait a second!" When he received a weird look from all three teens, he gestured to Kenny. "I wanna see if he has any powers like what you have Kyle. Maybe he has aerokinesis too or something like it."
Kyle nodded and stepped back into Stan's arms. Cartman faced Kenny and Butters with a deep glare. He hated being used as a guinea pig for anything, especially something that could potentially hurt him, but he didn't even think Kenny had any powers anyway. Why was he worried?
Butters stepped aside and Kenny held up one arm in front of him, waiting for something to happen…
…When nothing did, Kenny glanced over at Kyle. "Is there anything you have to do, or anything that happens in general to activate yours?"
"Normally when I'm mad at Cartman I can use it." Kyle shrugged.
Kenny nodded and looked back at Cartman. He had to think of a memory in which he was really angered with Cartman; there were a lot to choose from. He searched through them all quickly, finally pinpointing one that still pissed him off to this day. Suddenly, Cartman's raccoon tail caught fire.
Cartman screamed and started running around in a panic. "PUTMEOUTPUTMEOUTPUTMEOUT!"
Calmly, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny watched as Cartman ran around like a madman yelling for someone put out his tail. Butters ran off into the safety chamber to look for a fire extinguisher. The three still in the main room didn't really feel like helping Cartman since they knew that he wouldn't help them either.
Stan started laughing, "Hey look guys, Cartman's flaming!"
Kyle and Kenny started laughing so hard that they doubled over and then hit the floor. They couldn't believe Stan actually said that, as true as it was!
Butters ran back out of the safety chamber with a fire extinguisher in hand. "Stop running around!" When Cartman stopped running, Butters sprayed his tail with the white foam of the extinguisher and sighed. "Are you okay?"
Cartman glanced back at his tail and, at seeing the fur there singed off, stomped over to Stan. "What did you say asshole?"
"What?" Stan chuckled. "It's just a joke dude."
"Bullshit!" Cartman grabbed onto the neckline of Stan's shirt and raised his fist.
"Stan!" Kenny and Kyle both raised their arms at Cartman, launching a fireball and a gust of wind at the fat brunette at the same time. The result was a small fire cyclone that quickly caught fire to a small area of the room before dissolving.
Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman all began yelling at once, "PUTITOUTPUTITOUTPUTITOUT!"
Butter sighed and calmly sprayed the flames with what was left in the fire extinguisher. He set the fire extinguisher on the floor next to his feet. "Come on; help me clean this mess up."
Kenny nodded and followed Butters back to the safety chamber to get some towels so they could clean up the foam. Once they were in the room and the behind the open metal closet door, Kenny pinned Butters against the shelves of the closet and brought their lips together roughly. He missed the sensation of their kiss even though it hadn't even been a full day since they'd last kissed each other.
Suddenly Butters pushed gently on Kenny's chest until their lips disconnected. He hung his head; his face was bright red with shame and regret. He couldn't even look at the taller blonde since he knew that his face would be laced his confusion and hurt. "I…I'm sorry Ken–Mysterion, but…no…not now at least."
"Why?" Kenny was confused; Butters never seemed to care about PDA before, especially not in front of their friends.
"…Please, I'll explain later, but you'll just to…to wait…"
Kenny's face dropped, but he just nodded and hugged Butters tight to him. Eventually Kenny released the smaller blonde and they grabbed towels to clean up the mess Stan and Kyle, and Cartman were arguing over. Suddenly, without understanding why, Kenny felt empty. He looked over at Butters, who hadn't looked at his face since their moment in the safety chamber. What was wrong with Butters that he completely shut Kenny out? It was really strange…
