A/N: Oh wow, 44 reviews! Thank you guys so much, I'm so excited that the first story I'm brave enough to post somewhere has been so well received. Thank you to every single one of you still reading, and especially faving, following and reviewing. You're the greatest.
That said, I'm SO sorry that this took so long! The holidays caught up to me, and before I knew it was Saturday and I'd written one paragraph of this D: Sorry! I'll hope you'll enjoy this chapter anyway...

Chapter Eleven

The Dragon's Den

"We have a mission?"

The words ring through Liz's ears. Every single one echoes ominously, and even when they come from her own mouth they sound farfetched. There are just so many things wrong about it that she doesn't know where to begin. A mission already? They haven't even been here a fortnight yet! Then again, Kid never did say how often they'd be assigned one.

"Yes. My father wanted to give me a little more time with you both before we went ahead to collect souls, but this is an assignment that he says requires my specific attention..." Kid's voice trailed off as he shuffled through a few slips of paper, eyes darting over each page. He doesn't seem too fazed, but then again he doesn't appear to be very happy about it either.

The trio sat at the dining table, Patty munching on a bowl of Fruit Loops. She didn't pay much mind to the idea, her spoon clinking against the bowl as she stirred it. After he'd cast her a sideways glance, Kid must've decided to just let her be and explain to Liz instead – who wasn't in the best of moods. Even if she was used to very little sleep on the streets, it wasn't hard to grow accustomed to a full eight hours in a warm bed. But after cleaning up and going to bed last night, she hadn't been able to sleep again. Trying to come up with a way of telling Kid the truth had kept her eyes open, and she still didn't have a way of wording it. She'd planned to try and find time to explain today, but that idea was out the window now.

"Why's that?" Liz asked, a worried look managing to wind onto her face. Kishin as Kid had explained them were often the same sort of thing that had attacked him in the alley. In other words; really ugly, really creepy monsters. Apparently there were other kinds too, but if one was strong enough to maintain a mostly human form it was meant to be pretty powerful. That was almost more unnerving than if they were creepy. A shiver clawed up her spine at just the thought of it. Either way, it's pretty horrible.

"Take a look." He slid the folder across the table to her, which she reluctantly began to flick through. "There's a prison on a remote island not to far from here. It was high security, the only crime that no inmate was guilty of was devouring human souls and mutating into a kishin egg. A few inmates squeezed through a few holes in the system, and murdered most of the prisoners and guards. Only a few escaped."

Liz eyes widened as she read through the mission's briefing, the first page in the folder. It basically read what Kid had just told her, and it made her stomach churn nervously.

Location: Zatralca Prison

An unknown number of inmates have overcome security to devour the souls of fellow inmates and guards. Mutation into kishin eggs has taken place.

Number of targets: UNKNOWN

Target's stars: UNKNOWN

Priority: HIGH

"Seems a little... vague." Liz waved her hand as she skimmed through the other pages. None of the information seemed particularly useful, just some background on the prison as well as a map. It felt very much as if they were running in blind. Surely they'd be given more to work of than this…

Kid nodded. "That's the problem. No one knows exactly what's happened. None of those who managed to escape could give us much more than this. We've gotten estimations on the number of rogue inmates ranging from ten to two hundred, with greatly varying levels of strength."

That only encouraged the nervousness. She was about to give the folder back, after realising there was nothing that she would find much use for, but the very last page caught her eyes. It was a profile on one of the inmates. Filthy blond hair, thick muscle, and a nose that had been broken one too many times. He wore dirty striped overalls, and a deadly grin that Liz thought replicated the one she must have worn when she mugged someone. Not much fun to look at. "Who's this?" She asked, holding the piece of paper for Kid to see.

"That's who they believe to be the ringleader of the whole thing. He was on the brink of becoming an egg before he was taken in. He goes by the name Urban, but records of his true details are lost." He chewed on his lip as Liz handed the files back to him. If she didn't know better, she would have said he was nervous too. God knew she was. How were they supposed to fight two hundred kishin? Kid would probably be better off without the pistols. At the moment, they were dead weights to him. With such ineffective bullets, how was he supposed to fight while wielding them? She may have only seen a slice of what he can do, but she doubted there was anyone who could face that many monsters and win.

Of course, the fact he couldn't was her fault.

Biting her cheek, she looked down at her fingernails. The sooner they'd patched everything up and moved on the better. But how easy it would be to do that was a whole different story. It was a bit like she was sitting between a rock and hard a place and both were closing in. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kid cut her off without realizing. "Come on then, if we leave now we can hopefully get back late tonight." He stood from the table, gathering up all the papers.

This caught Patty's attention. "Yeah! Let's go!" She took hold of her now empty bowl and headed toward the kitchen, leaving a very dazed Liz still seated.

"We're leaving right now?" Liz called after Kid, hearing Patty's giggling getting quieter as she left. Hesitantly, she stood from the table. Is this what he always did? Just... get up and go without any warning? That would be hard to get used to.

"No time like the present, Liz. If we leave now, and if we're lucky, we can be back late tonight." His head popped back through the doorway before he was gone again. That apparently settled the matter.

"Bu-But..." Liz felt a shudder claw up her back, and wrapped her arms around herself. Kid didn't know just how far her fear of... creepy things... went, but he soon would.

"I'm just going to go double-check the picture frame in the living room, and we can leave." It was all the reply she got, both he and Patty were getting ready to set off. Exactly when was it decided that going to an abandoned prison with a group of monster inmates was a good idea? No way, she wasn't going anywhere near the place. Even so, it had been decided very much without her input that they were leaving right now.

Well... maybe not right now. She'd forgotten about the thorough symmetry check he conducted throughout the house before they went anywhere. Liz and Patty leant against the wall outside the mansion, waiting until their meister was satisfied with the state of each and every little detail. And seeing as it's a very large manor, there are a lot of little details.

Two hours. It was two hours before he was finally ready to leave. The sisters would have gone inside during that time to entertain themselves, but they wouldn't dare risk throwing anything out of place accidentally and having him start all over. In the second hour they were able to hurry him up a bit, much to her relief. God knows how long it would have taken if they hadn't.

But after he'd completed his symmetry check, and Liz had given him an earful about it, they were pistols in his hands and flying through the air. Any protest she had on the matter was cut off, and that was that. It looked as if she would have to be prepared to dart of at any time. Liz thought she was a pretty flexible person, but that was a lot to ask for.

They were well into the air before she stopped sulking and let herself find a bit of enjoyment. She liked flying, she'd decided. It was... nice. Staying in weapon form for so long did tend to make her body a bit stiff, but otherwise it was fairly relaxing. It was funny to think how other weapons and meisters got around, when Kid could hop from A to B by air. He told her earlier that Beelzebub could reach 500km/h, and the mere thought of going that fast made her head spin. She preferred times like this, when she could just feel the breeze against her barrel, and crane her neck slightly to see the view.

The one thing that gave her even a hint of discomfort was the chaos in their resonance. It was still a mess after... well; she'd decided to just refer to it as 'The Incident' from now on. It wasn't the basic and bare connection that it should be. A whole spectrum of emotions caused their wavelengths to flare in and out of their links. The fact that there were three of them didn't exactly help either; a simple pair would have been much easier to hold together. Through the small connection between herself and Kid, she could tell he was having trouble maintaining it, the damaged resonance putting great stress on his soul. At this realization another pang of guilt fell through her stomach. After everything he was still trying to hold it all together. If it had been her she would have given up.

Breathing deeply through her nose, Liz closed her eyes. If they were leaping into a fight, whether it be against one or one hundred, she owed it to Kid in the very least to try and be useful. And the only way to do that would be to reach out to his soul without attacking it like she had before. Swallowing hard, she reached out to fully sense his wavelength.

When she was this focused on them, she felt even their hearts. She'd heard somewhere that even the heartbeat sung the harmony of a perfect resonance, so it was no wonder she cringed when she heard theirs. It wasn't a song, it was just noise. Just a chipped, unsteady rhythm with loud static in the background. But pathways to each other were carved into place, even if they weren't being used. All because of her. The feeling of guilt gnawing through the pit of her stomach was getting old fast.

His soul was still open to her. Even if he wasn't reaching out as persistently (he seemed to have given up on that), he was still there, just waiting for her to play her part. It all narrowed down to the fact she wasn't participating, really. In fact, Liz was surprised he hadn't just given up and confronted her about it. Because he must have known as well as she did.

Maybe he didn't know. If the incident was anything to go off, then maybe he was simply turning it in on himself. She wouldn't be surprised.

Reach out. It was all she had to do. Just make even a spark of contact.

Tentatively, she narrowed in on his wavelength. Kid reacted slightly to this, a spark in his soul, something he probably didn't even consciously notice. Liz held her breath. And to stop any second thoughts, she caught onto the connection without warning, as quickly as she could manage.

It hit her like an electric current. His power ran through to her, coursing through every inch of her body. The air was thrown from her lungs, and she had no choice but to fully accept the intertwining of their souls. Even if she had only meant for a small link. Maybe she had moved a little too quickly...

As their souls connected, it wasn't just power the surged into Liz. Emotion, raw and unmasked caused her chest to tighten, and in turn was transferred both ways. It was a wonder to her in that moment how anyone could truly know someone without resonating souls. This understanding, what she'd felt could never be expressed in words. She felt what he felt in a bare glimpse, the pain, joy and everything in between.

Never had she expected someone with the name Death to be so alive.

As jarring and unexpected as a reaction that strong had been, it gave her a rush of adrenaline and a high that no drug could compare to. This was nothing she had ever felt before. It was so unique she couldn't think of a single thing that it was even the barest bit comparable to.

Kid felt it too. Liz didn't have to look at him to know. His wavelength swelled, as did hers, and even if she had nothing on his strength they were both able to grow. And another wave, of what she couldn't describe, pulsed through her veins. It was almost gratitude. But there was so much more to it, so much deeper than that. She could have had a hundred years and she still wouldn't be able to put it into words.

Whatever it was, it had a powerful effect. Liz wanted to scream, to cry, and to do something to release it. To let it run fully through her, to let it tear her to pieces. Her breath hitched in her throat. This was almost too much to bear. Her soul was so overrun by both of their emotions that she felt she might burst.

But in a heartbeat, there was a sudden clarity. Everything ripping through her moments before had simply merged together. She couldn't understand it all. It was like all of it was causing her to shatter, but she didn't know why. Yet, there was a part of her that told her that it was okay, that she didn't have to understand. She just had to... be.

All three of them were there. Kid, Liz, and Patty. All three souls were finally in a stable connection. Their resonance still shook with levels that each of them couldn't quite understand yet, but that was okay too. Even if they were struggling to have a complete acceptance, the gaping holes were filled.

Liz felt the two of them clearly. The white noise that cut them off was finally silenced, the gentle harmony of their soul's resonance singing instead. And a grin pulled at her lips. She couldn't help but smile so widely her cheeks burned, and giggles welled up in her stomach that could surely rival Patty's. Maybe she was losing it.

Even if this feeling might only last a moment, it was very important. Because it told her that yes, this could work, and yes, she could connect with Kid. The warmth in her chest at that thought was one she didn't bother to suppress.

But you can't live on a high forever. After a few moments the sparks flying in their resonance calmed down, and equilibrium settled. She was surprised to find herself panting slightly. A laugh passed her lips; that damn brat had actually managed to take her breath away. "I held us back." Liz mumbled to herself, through breathy giggles. "Maybe I was the brat..."

She felt... cleansed. Like the stale Brooklyn air had been washed from her lungs, and she had a new slate ahead of her. There was nothing that could change her past, but her future was different. Letting the current take her seemed much more appealing now that she wasn't struggling pointlessly against it.

"It's... okay." Kid mumbled, and the words passed through their resonance like a whispered secret for the sister's ears only. Apparently she wasn't the only one who'd felt that.

She wouldn't lie and say she felt completely changed, however. After every spark had fizzled, and the shock of the sudden resonance faded, she remembered how far they still had to go. But, for once, it was okay.

God knew she wouldn't have thought like this a few weeks ago.

The rest of the flight would have been silent to someone simply looking at the trio. But through their soul's wavelengths, there was much more to be heard. The rhythm of their connections made what she could have said was a song, formed by everything from their thoughts to their heartbeats. Liz would have been frightened, she realized, by the power that was suddenly running through her. But it was too comfortable, she felt too safe to be scared. Sure, it wasn't a perfect resonance, but for once the flaws didn't seem so huge.

It wasn't long before they'd reached the prison. And it only took the sight of it for Liz's mood to take a dramatic turn. The structure was even worse than she expected, it looked like a hurricane had blown through. She was suddenly reminded of exactly why she didn't want to do this. The kishin inmates had certainly taken it upon themselves to make a mess of the place. Only the bones of the original structure were left, the walls wearing gaping holes and the ceiling collapsing in on itself. Apart from how decrepit it seemed, it was mostly what she had expected. Made of stone and steel.

"You two need to remain pistols." Kid told them, as Beelzebub disappeared into his palm. The ghoulish edge to his power still spooked her a bit, but living with it was helping her adjust. It was pretty, awesome, really. When you got past the fact that it was the power of a god of Death then it didn't seem so frightening. And from what Kid had explained, a god of Life seemed to be a more appropriate title for him. Not that she'd said it, of course. He said the bottom line to his existence was to protect human souls. Hell, it was almost poetic.

"Mm'kay." Liz nodded, as she tried to ignore the growing sense of unease which welled in her stomach. Were they always going to head into a mission blind? This was not part of the plan. Kid didn't seem too worried, and the thought crossed her mind that maybe he was used to this. Just part of the job, and all.

But maybe now that they'd gotten a stronger resonance, he thought they might be able to shoot bullets that packed a bit more of a punch. That was what she was hoping on, anyway. She'd gotten the idea now that she had to receive Kid's wavelength, and amplify it. Then it would take the form of a bullet as it compressed. So, now that they had a better resonance he should be able to fight with them, right? Or maybe there was a part of the process she was missing...

"Hey Kid, do you think you'll be able to fight with us?" At least a bit of conversation could get her mind off her surroundings. They were well into the prisons walls now, and all around them were things she'd rather not spend too much time mulling over. Copper splatters of what had to be blood, an assortment of abandoned weaponry, and collapsed cell doors. Not to mention the illusion that the whole thing could fall in on her made a shiver run through her body.

It was a beat before he realized that he'd stopped walking. Another beat, and he still hadn't answered. He was instead glancing around, a frown stuck on his face. She opened her mouth to prompt a response, but he suddenly spoke up. "This place... it's a total mess..."

Oh. No. Anytime but now...

"Hey, c'mon Kid, remember there are supposed to be kishin everywhere, you need to stay focused." Liz raised her voice to try and snap him back, but a part of her was already saying that she'd lost him.

Asymmetrical things, unbalanced things, totally messed up things, it all caused the same reaction for Kid.

"Just look, Liz, it's in ruins!" Just as she thought, there he goes. After this point, it took a lot to snap him back to the real world. The thought of her meister practically immobilized in a place like this was not exactly putting her at ease. In fact, she was beginning to panic.

"That doesn't matter! You need to focus! It's dangerous-"

Then, it all happened too fast for her to catch.

But suddenly, everything was red.

A/N: Oh dear, Kid got a little distracted... And Patty was so quiet in this chapter... Hehe, aren't cliffhangers delicious? XD I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway... (PS, Zatralca is an anagram of Alcatraz. Oh god I fail at references. -_-) I PROMISE I will be on time next time!