"Flander, we're going over to Maka's for dinner, do you want to come?" Kid asked.
"Yes!" Flander cheeped, raising one hand.
"Seriously, Kid?" Liz asked. "We are not making progress yet."
"We are," Kid insisted. "Flander didn't talk because she didn't trust anybody. If we gain her trust, she'll do what we say again."
"Looks like you have this all figured out," Liz sighed sarcastically. "Are you sure about inviting her to go along with us, though?"
"Didn't I just tell you that we've made enough progress?" Kid fumed.
"I mean her appetite," Liz said. "She could eat a cow."
This made Patti laugh. Flander stared around the room with a blank expression. She looked like she was trying to assume happiness.
Dinner Party From Hell; Are We Making Progress Yet?
"Oh, Kid, I'm glad you're here," Maka greeted, ushering the four inside. She paused when she saw Flander.
"Is something wrong?" Kid asked her.
"Who's this?" she asked uneasily.
"Chii?" Flander whispered, tilting her head.
"This is Flander," Kid replied easily. "She's the most symmetrical weapon in the world."
"Kid," Liz rolled her eyes. "Flander is a Diclonius. She has invisible vectors growing from her back, and we're trying to reform her so that she can develop her own soul."
"Oh, that makes sense," Maka sighed, smiling and closing the door behind her. She made her way past Soul and the others and into the kitchen.
"And you're not worried about that?" Soul muttered after her. "I'm surprised, Maka, but I'm cool with it. Hey Kid, what's up?"
"The usual," Kid replied.
"Come on," Soul argued. "You've got a soulless weapon on your hands. Things have to be more interesting than that."
"She doesn't attack me all the time," Kid said. Blackstar, on the other hand, couldn't stand being ignored.
"Ha! I'd just love to see her try to attack me!" he said. "She's so weak-looking; I'd be surprised if I could get ten minutes out of her."
"I seriously advise against it," Kid argued plainly. "She will kill you without a second thought, but she will kill you with such symmetry…" he tensed. Symmetry… friend… symmetry… friend….
"Um, Blackstar, could you take it outside please?" Maka asked, poking her head around the corner. She already knew there was no stopping him.
"Sure, Maka; your house can't handle how big of a star I am," Blackstar said. He turned to Flander. "How about it, Flander?"
"I will fight you," she said smugly. Her voice wasn't as squeaky as usual. "But I require a meal first."
Liz, Patti, and Kid all backed away quickly.
"Since when do you talk like that?!" Liz demanded.
"Why are you talking to him, of all people?" Kid asked.
"You're voice doesn't sound funny anymore!" Patti squealed.
Flander's eyes seemed to dim considerably, as if the light of her soul was fading away. She turned to them, her hair swaying about her face. "Chii?"
"What was that?" Kid wondered.
"You heard her; we'd better get some food on the table now!" Blackstar said.
"I'M COOKING AS FAST AS I CAN!" Maka yelled angrily.
"Can I have the rest?" Flander asked politely. Her voice was premature again, as if she was herself again. She held her plate forward slightly.
"Sure," Maka said, smiling. She'd completely fallen for the cute little girl. "What do you want the rest of?"
Flander's stomach growled before she seriously replied. "All of it."
"Oh," Maka was taken aback. "Uh… sure?"
Once her request was met, she devoured whatever her vectors could reach. Soul and Blackstar stared in fascination, but soon began rooting for her to eat the rest of it. They were placing their bets and such.
"Whoever said gluttony has it limits should be dragged out to the street and shot," Kid sighed. "I'm sorry about this, Maka; I knew you probably wanted leftovers or something."
"Oh, it's alright, Kid," Maka said, still smiling. "I'm just glad she likes it so much."
"That smile…" Kid thought. "She's really not freaking out about Flander not having a soul?"
"Alright, now that you've had your dinner," Blackstar said, getting to his feet.
"Don't you dare try that!" Kid yelled.
"Kid! The frame is crooked!" Patti called.
"Where?!" he cried, tearing down the hallway. Patti shrugged and followed the others outside.
Soul Eater
"I hear you're invincible," Blackstar yelled. "I'm here to prove you wrong. Get ready, because I'm going to attack you in three seconds!"
He charged at Flander, who grinned and shielded with her vectors. Blackstar flipped to his feet easily, charging from a different direction. He multiplied, each figure darting around her tauntingly. Flander kept composed; her vectors stabbed each of them.
"What did Kid say she was?" Tsubaki asked.
"I don't remember," Blackstar replied. "Who cares? Just so long as we defeat her!"
"I'm bored," Flander thought smugly, deflecting another of his attacks and twirling in a circle.
"That was horrific," Kid muttered, walking out of the house. "Ah, I see she's not tearing him to bits. That's good."
"Oh, hey Kid," Liz greeted.
"What did I miss?"
"Nothing much," Maka replied. "She's just blocking right now."
"She'll get bored eventually," Soul guessed. "Then she'll deal with him quietly."
"Do something, you freak!" Blackstar yelled, frustrated. Flander paused, her eyes turning a brighter shade of pinkish red.
"You're such a freak!"
"You know who isn't human?" I whispered. "You know who isn't human?"
"PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Flander screamed. Her six vectors stretched out at their maximum length. Blackstar fell to the ground in a cloud of blood. Flander covered her eyes and retreated.
"Blackstar!" Maka screamed, bolting towards the said boy's limp body. Tsubaki was unconscious in her human form as well.
"Blackstar," Soul echoed, running after his partner.
"Is he alright?" Kid asked. Liz and Patti transformed at his sides.
"We'll get him to Stein," Soul said. "Go after Flander!"
Kid nodded and ran down the street with his weapons. He continued running, yet there was no sign of Flander beyond the corner. Kid paused, observing his surroundings frantically. There were two small dents in the pavement; she'd probably used her vectors to jump onto one of the nearby roofs. Kid sighed in defeat. There was no getting to her now.
"Flander!" he called.
"They should be fine," Stein was telling the others. "Flander's attacks caused some internal damage, but they should be fine in the morning. I'm going to keep them here tonight just in case."
"I shouldn't have let her attack him like that," Kid kicked himself mentally. "How could I be so stupid?"
"It's not your fault," Stein said, as if he could read Kid's mind. "Flander has flashbacks. She'll be back before too long."
"Flashbacks?" Maka asked.
"And you didn't tell us before because…?" Liz asked.
"It didn't come up," Stein shrugged, turning the screw in his head. "Anyway, you should all go home now; it's getting late. I assure you, these two are perfectly safe with me."
"Yeah, we really believe that," Soul grumbled.
Stein glanced up when he heard a scratching at his window. He sighed.
"I thought you'd be back soon," he said, opening the window. He went rigid; Flander was embracing her soul side? The Diclonius slipped in through the window and glanced at Blackstar and Tsubaki, who were sleeping on opposite sides of the room. Flander slid to her knees, trembling. How could she lose control like that?
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"What was that?" Blackstar muttered, awakening. He rubbed his eyes and sat up.
"Flander?" Tsubaki thought, waking up as well. "What are you doing here?"
Flander looked up through her long pink hair, tears streaming down her face. Blackstar stiffened.
"What's your problem?" he asked. "What are you crying for? Come on, don't feel bad about what happened, okay?"
"Hey," Tsubaki murmured, kneeling next to Flander. "You're really upset about his, huh? Blackstar's right; you shouldn't feel bad. We're fine, we were just surprised is all. Do you understand?"
Flander nodded, her tears melting away like snow. She knew this wasn't what she wanted to do. She didn't want to apologize to these people. There was someone else on her mind.
The next morning, Kid went downstairs to see Flander working in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Her vectors handled everything, creating a large meal for everyone.
"I didn't think you'd actually cook for us," he praised.
Flander bit her tongue. Why was it so hard? Why didn't he hate her?!
"Hey, Flander, are you okay?"
Flander's vector slipped, sending a knife at Kid's head. He turned, narrowly dodging the blade, and watched it make its way out the window and into a trashcan. A cat yowled loudly. Flander's vectors began wrapping around Kid again, but retreated when he looked back at her.
"Everything's shiny!" she squeaked, smiling at him. 'This is going to kill me….'