This chapter has been altered for the sake of the plot.
Flander and Beatrice went to a dormant volcano. Flander just wanted some time to think, and the dead volcano seemed to be an appropriate place to do it. This was the volcano that Remilla died in. Somehow, her sacrifice triggered a magic reaction in the volcano so it died when she did.
"Maka," Kid called his friend on the phone the next day. "I want you to bring Flander home now."
"She's not here."
"What do you mean?" Kid asked. "She left?"
"Soul told me Beatrice and she left last night. Flander said… she said she didn't want to hurt anyone any more. Soul said she looked really upset."
"Did anything happen?" Kid asked, his voice rising. Did anybody die?
"No," Maka replied. "She said she was going to stop doing it. That's good, right?"
Kid hesitated. "No. this is very, very bad."
Into the Abyss; Flander's Desperation to Play?
"So you're going after Flander and Beatrice, are you?" Lord Death asked. Kid nodded seriously. Nothing could stop him. "Bring my daughter back, okay Kiddo?"
"We'll both come back," Kid assured him. "I think I know just what to do now."
He quickly made his way out of the Death Room. He was going to go to Japan alone and stop this ritual before they can complete it. Kid stepped out the doors and was just about to summon his skateboard, but he was stopped by Crona, Blackstar, Tsubaki, Maka, and Soul. He hesitated. He didn't have time for this!
"You're not going without us," Soul said.
Kid paused. "What?"
"You heard him," Blackstar clarified. "We're going with you. We're going to help you bring Flander back."
"I appreciate the thought, but I can handle this—"
"We're not asking for your permission," Maka interrupted. "You're up against an endless witch and your sister. We're coming."
"You'd have to fight Flander," Kid warned them. "If you like her so much, will you really be able to fight her?"
"We're not fighting against Flander," Tsubaki corrected him. "We're fighting for her. We care about Flander as much as you do. We can't let this witch take her like she took the others."
Kid sighed. She had a point. "How'd you even hear about this? I told Maka to keep it a secret—no, wait, she told you, didn't she?"
Maka laughed from where she was standing in the crowd with the others. "Sorry Kid, I thought since you didn't have any weapons, we might need some help."
"Since when were you coming along?"
Flander stared at the red blood stains on the cave wall. If this ritual was completed, she'd sacrifice her new family and get her old one back. That's what she wanted, right? Beatrice stood beside her, smirking her demonic sneer.
"Is it time yet?" Flander asked impatiently. It was dark and cold in the center of the dormant volcano. She was getting bored.
"Not for a few hours," Beatrice replied. "However, we have company. I'm sure they can entertain you."
Using her Soul Perception, Flander looked past the several twists and turns in the corridors of the cave. Sure enough, there were several people to play with. They looked like students from the academy, even, so it wasn't likely that they would die as easily as mere humans. Flander snickered and unsheathed her wings, taking flight and concealing herself in the shadows of her new funhouse.
Kid and the others made it to a cave on the side of the volcano without a problem. The mouth of the dark cave was like an entrance to a frozen-over hell. A gust of wind wafted out towards them and some covered their noses. It tasted of blood. Had Liz been with them, she would have been shivering.
They all made their way carefully into the dark cave. Kid's hands felt oddly empty without his weapons, but he tried to focus on other things. For instance, there were glowing balls floating around the room in an asymmetrical order. The lights were all colors and floating around like the tadpole bombs that Eruka had set up during the fight for the revival of Asura the Kishin. The memory felt like so long ago to Kid that it made him nostalgic.
He stopped walking. The others noticed his hesitation and followed suit.
helprunbloodfeedkidhelpbloodpencilragehatekillmude rkidkidhelp
"Kid, what is it?" Maka asked, gripping the handle of her scythe as if anticipating a battle. Kid stood completely still.
"I'm sensing Flander's wavelength…" he spoke slowly. "It's more destructive than before… enhanced somehow." He opened his eyes in surprise. "I sense Liz and Patti's souls too! How could she take their souls here? In those wings of hers?"
"What are these things?" Blackstar asked, reaching out to touch one of the lights. The light exploded in his face and he felt a strong current of electricity shoot through him.
"You just had to touch it, didn't you?" Kid demanded. "These are compressed wavelengths of Flander's soul. She's very destructive, so be a bit more careful—"
They heard a voice. It was a creepy laugh echoing throughout the room. If Liz had been there, she would have been shivering double-time.
"Five little soldiers having lots of fun," a sweet voice leered. "Playing with me and then there were none. Uu! Come to play?"
"It's Flander!" Kid barked, motioning to the petite winged reaper sitting in a high spot on the cave wall. He looked at her a bit more closely. There was something off about her; she wasn't as girlish and cute as before. She seemed more… demonic was the only way to explain it. The others defensively raised their weapons. Flander laughed, folding her hands underneath her chin.
"Might I ask you, who is U N Owen?" she asked in her sweet but creepy voice. "Is it me? Is it you?"
Blackstar narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing here, Flander?" Kid demanded. "Why are you doing this?"
Flander didn't reply, so he decided to continue.
"This is part of your ritual, isn't it?"
"What ritual?" Flander asked obstinately.
"The ritual of ten nights," Maka clarified. "It's actually the ritual of ten bodies. Every night, you kill more people like a reversal of the story Ten Little Soldiers. Tonight, you wait until midnight and use what you've sacrificed to—"
"To what, exactly?" Flander interrupted with a smile. The only one who knew her secret was Liz.
"You told Liz you wanted your family back," Maka replied with a dark smile. Flander gasped in shock.
"How do you know that?"
"It's obvious, Flander," Maka replied. She'd honestly just been guessing. She was glad she was right.
"Why, Flander?" Soul thought. Why would she want to go back to her old life?
"Hmm, you figured it out," Flander sighed, leaning back and crossing her legs. "How boring. But yes, I'm only waiting now. I have a couple hours to kill, so why don't we play a game? Sakutaro." The scythe appeared in her awaiting hand.
"Kid, get out of here," Maka ordered. Kid looked uncertainly at her. "You have no weapon. We'll take care of Flander; you go find the magic circle and destroy it."
"Nii-nii!" Flander whined. "You aren't just going to ignore me again, are you? Isn't that what got us in this mess?"
"Play fair, Flan-chan," Soul chided with a grin. "Kid has no weapons."
"Well I can fix that for him," Flander said, waving her hand out. In a flash of pink light, two figures appeared before them. Kid stared at them in shock. It was Liz and Patti!
"Kid!" they screamed, running towards him. Kid held up a hand.
"Wait," he cautioned. No matter how much he wanted to, he wouldn't give in to this madness. "Is this a trap? Are you two really here?"
"Honestly, big brother, I'm not mean," Flander laughed, amused. "I never killed them. I merely used a little magic to preserve their bodies and souls so I could sacrifice them tonight. Look at their souls if you don't believe me."
"So you're saying everyone is alive?" Kid clarified. Flander nodded. Kid looked back at the others, then at his partners.
"Wait, this is too easy," he thought. "I can see their souls; they really are Liz and Patti, but why would Flander give them up so straightforwardly? Of course, she wants me to play with her. If I don't she could kill them for real this time. Sadistic brat. She seems more fickle than before."
His face relaxed into a crafty grin. He had a plan!
"Alright," Kid said skillfully. "Girls, transform. I think it's time to give Flander what she wants."
"Right!" the other two shouted, obeying his orders. Kid liked the feeling of the warm metal in his palms. He missed them so much. He finally felt complete again. He aimed at his sister with a grin. The others in the group followed. They could handle this.
"Let's go," he said.
And end chapter. And I'm going on vacation tomorrow too, so you won't get to witness my epic battle until next time! Bwahahaha! Beatrolled for the win!