A/N: This action was difficult to write because most of it isn't physical and because I needed to up the resonance game without making it so off-canon that I hated it. I hated the first two versions and finally settled on this one, so I hope it makes some sense (at least a little). The best thing about fan fic is that I always have the opportunity to re-write if a better idea pops into my head or into a reader's :)
This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Unflinching Resolve's little kitty and owes its existence to REDEADED and Wordfiend, friends extraordinaire!

Let's Dance

"This blows." Black Star announced by way of greeting as the rest of his team filed into the Death Room, "We're supposed to have the day off and we all have to come in 'cause Maka finally got her act back together?"

"I know, right?" Patty broke ranks and went to stand next to him, copying his look of disapproval. Liz, no longer nauseous but still looking pale and shaky, joined her sister in the Hater's Corner.

"It's just for a little while," Tsubaki soothed, "We're all happy that Maka's feeling better, right?"

Black Star looked his childhood friend over, "Yeah," he said gruffly, giving Maka a grudging smile, "You gonna be alright?"

"Nobody knows; that's what we're all here to find out!" Lord Death said gaily, waving them over toward the center of the room. Maka looked at him anxiously, not sure how to act since finding out that the Lord Death she'd known all her life was nothing more than a construct. Relax, she told herself, Remember what Kid said. It's like talking to a phone. Just ...act normal.

Like she knew anything about normal these days. And phones didn't have great big hands or a sense of humor that was odd bordering on crazy. She reminded herself that she needed to put her personal thoughts on the back burner and concentrate on the matters at hand. Her resonance with Soul and their friends was the central point of her existence. It was easier to worry about clowns than it was to ponder a future without being able to do the work she loved, but she didn't have time to indulge in easy right now.

Kid felt her tension and reached for her hand. His soul brushed hers, gently offering her support while she tried to adjust her thinking.

"Com'on, let's get this party started!" Lord Death said cheerfully.

Maka took a deep breath and looked over her assembled team as they shuffled into their places. It felt like the first day of group resonance training all over again. They stood in a lose circle, weapons beside technicians. All of them looked wary, or, in Liz' case, downright scared. Maka looked up at Soul and bit her lip.

"You ready?" she asked. He gave her his best grin and he gripped her shoulders reassuringly.

"As I'll ever be. Remember, this is on you. You can make it work."

For the first time since she'd altered her existence, Maka's soul reached toward her partner's. There was a sharp shock and she pulled back on the power a little. She increased the Grigori wavelength, setting off another little frisson. Sparks flew as she pushed through it, and then the bond locked in and she became one with her weapon again. She held her breath, waiting for the searing heat that would result if she and Soul weren't meshing properly, but the smooth, solid metal of the scythe felt cool in her hands. She spun the shaft effortlessly over her head and then tried a simple slash-and-jab combination. Unprepared for the increase in her strength, she overshot a little at the end, regained her footing and tried again. This time she was able to control her swing a little better and when she powered through the thrust she was surprised to see a tiny bolt of purple and black race across Soul's blade.

"Soul! Are you okay?" she asked, scrambling back into basic stance.

"Yeah..." he said slowly, "There's some pretty intense stuff here. Was that your "Reaper shit"?"

"I think so. We're going to need to figure out how to control it, but we're okay. We're still us!" she told him.

Over the link, Soul laughed with relieved joy, "Never doubted it! Now let's see what you can do with this fancy new soul of yours!"

"You got it! Let's go...Soul Resonance!" she opened their link fully, letting her raw power surge into the bond. Their bright blue aura sizzled with tiny threads of Reaper energy and expanded so powerfully that everyone else in the room skittered back a couple of feet. Kid inhaled sharply as he took the hit through his link with Maka and did what he could to provide support from his side.

"Holy shit!" Soul exclaimed , "I thought we had some serious game before but this is like trading up from my bike to a Dodge Tomahawk."

"You're a Death Scythe, you can handle it!" Maka laughed.

"Damn straight!"

Lord Death nodded approvingly, "Great job! Can you hold on to it?"

Maka nodded, "Yes, Lord Death, I've got it". And as the words came out, she suddenly knew that she could.

"Kid!" she called, "Go ahead, I can take it from this end."

"Liz! Patty!" he said; rather pointlessly since his sisters had started their transformation the minute Maka gave the go ahead. Their familiar grips slid comfortingly against his palms and he was able to release the pent-up energy into their resonance link. His soul and Maka's brought the five of them crashing together in a whirl of energy that bounced violently between the chain resonance and their personal link.

"Whee!" Patty was no longer bummed out about having to postpone her ice cream, "This is like a roller coaster!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick again!" Liz whimpered. Kid gave her a wobbly but effective hit of Maka's Grigori wavelength.

"Better?" he asked.

"Why couldn't you have given me that earlier instead of whatever was in that disgusting hangover cure you made me?"

"I asked if you felt better."

"Ummm...yeah. Really, really good, actually.

"Good. Now shut up and concentrate!"

Maka was scrambling to keep the power evenly distributed, but it was hard with two channels to worry about. The chain resonance slammed wildly against her link with Kid, neither of them steady. She was gritting her teeth so hard that her jaw began to ache as she fought to balance them.

"Soul!"

"I'm trying...just hold on" Soul flung himself into the black blood room and hit the piano keys for all he was worth. He felt the little demon at his elbow, saw him rubbing his hands together gleefully as he encouraged Soul to tap into the madness for help.

"It's not working!" Maka sounded strained and he knew she was getting close to her breaking point. He played harder, mind racing.

"Use your real power, Soul. Come on." The little demon urged, slyly holding the needle above the record spinning on the gramophone, "You can fix this with one little dance!"

Maka appeared beside the piano, gasping for breath.

"Soul don't you dare!" she gave the gramophone a swift kick and turned on the little demon, "and quit encouraging him, you ugly little bastard! Get out of here!"

A second kick, followed by a solid smack upside the head, sent the little demon scurrying for the shadows while he squealed in pain. Maka grunted in satisfaction and turned on her partner.

"Quit trying to save me!" she cried, slamming her fist on the edge of the piano, "I don't need saving, I need your help." The skirts of her black blood dress shook as she fought to keep control of their chaotic energy

"I'm trying" he repeated, playing as hard as he could. Then he heard Kid's voice, clear as day, calling Maka's name, and inspiration struck. The single melody he and Maka shared wasn't enough because she was no longer a solo act. The old music wasn't going to work anymore.

"Maka! Kid! he shouted, "Both of you, just listen - we need a duet!"

Maka nodded, "That's it! Kid, get in here!"

The doorknob turned, and Kid stepped inside, hesitating as the pure power of the place seeped into him. Behind him, the door to reason and reality slammed shut and sent panic shooting up his spine. Maka ran to him and he took her gloved hands while he tried to help her keep the resonance going.

Soul glanced at them as he tried to find their essence and work it into his melody with Maka. What were they together? Disgustingly sweet. He hit a high note. No, not that sweet...he moved from a G to an F. Right there. Now what else? They were blended, even, stable; centered like the C in the middle of the keyboard. He struck a lower note with his left hand and shook his head. Devotion that's deep, but not dark. His eyes raced over the keyboard, and the last note clicked into place inside his head, bringing the entire composition with it.

"I got it!" he announced, turning to smiled at the two figures standing before him on the checked tile floor, "I can play it, but the dancing is up to you two."

"You know I suck at this." Maka cried, "If this all depends on my dancing skills, we're screwed!"

"Not a problem," Kid said, taking her in his arms and grinning at Soul, "All my years of lessons are about to pay off."

Soul's eyes dropped to the piano keys and he began to play. The music strengthened as he went on, soaring from beneath his fingers. Kid spun Maka across the floor and, bound to him with her heart and her soul, she followed his every move.

"I love you." he whispered. She kissed him without breaking stride and the link between them solidified. Maka brought it into line and began to twine it with the chain resonance, locking five souls into a cohesive whole.

"What the hell? Where are we?"Liz demanded as she and Patty appeared, "and why am I wearing this?" she swiped at the emerald green gown that fell to her feet.

"This is me and Maka. This is where we come from. All our strengths and weaknesses rolled into one big, crazy dance hall" Soul replied, "And you're wearing that because it's how I see you."

Patty grabbed her sister's hand, "Come on, Sis! Twirl me!" She spun like a frilly pink top and Liz gave Soul one of those hundred-watt smiles over the top of her sister's head.

With the dual links stabilized, Maka was able to reach out and open the door to the black blood room, revealing the last two members of their team.

"Come in, Black Star!" Maka called, "Slowly, or I'll kick your ass."

"Like you could." he scoffed from the doorway. Tsubaki peeked over his shoulder.

"What is this? Where is this?"

"This is where we all are!" Patty yelled joyfully, waving them in. Black Star took Tsubaki's hand and led her into the room, shaking the floor with his strong steps.

"I said slowly!" Maka barked, as the double link became a triple.

"Whatever. Let's party!" Black Star yanked his tie loose and dragged Tsubaki toward the middle of the dance floor, making her lavender dress billow behind her. Soul upped the tempo, helping Maka accommodate the unchecked strength Black Star brought to everything he did.

"You never hold back, do you?" Kid asked, neatly avoiding a collision by throwing an American lift into his otherwise classic Viennese waltz.

"Never have, never will." Black Star replied, "That's why I'm the biggest star there is!"

"Well, not at dancing, you're not. You're stomping Tsubaki's toes to death." Liz winced in sympathy, "Can't you give him some lessons, Kid?"

"Sissy stuff!" Black Star jeered, "How 'bout some real music. This slow shit is boring."

He gave Maka a challenging look, "You got what it takes?"

"I do now. Bring it on and let's see what we can do!" she laughed, "Give it all you've got, Soul!"

"Hang on to your asses!" he replied, sending the music flying high and sweeping them all into frenzied motion. Make used the momentum to bind all the lines of energy into a pulsing, glowing, whole. It was stunning in its power; beautiful and not to be trifled with. And she had control of it. Not perfectly, not by a long shot, but she had it.

"This is only going to last for a few more seconds!" she warned, yelling over the music, "We can't keep this up - we're not good enough yet! If I let it blow it's going to make a huge mess in the Death Room."

"Oh, who cares?" Soul shouted back, "Let's go out with a bang!"

And they did.

Out in the Death Room the enormous swirling mass of the chain resonance stretched to its breaking point and exploded in a burst of wind and light; a soul-fueled bomb. Lord Death's alter ego grabbed for the mirror and felt the crack in his mask deepen as it struck the ornate frame. On the other side of the glass Kid's father winced in pain and stood anxiously, trying to take stock of the seven souls at the center of the shock wave. The dust finally cleared and he saw them lying amongst the pre-kishin graves, hanging onto the flattened crosses and each other while they cheered in triumph; filthy, exhausted and perfectly fine.

"Well, what are we going to do with that kind of power?" the battered clown asked his master.

Lord Death shook his head, watching Kid lift Maka off her feet and spin her around in a glorious embrace, "I think the real question is, once they have control over it, what couldn't we do with that?"

Responses!

NiniHearts: When I read about the weapons having shared witch DNA, I immediately started thinking about the concept of them outliving their partners. I have no idea what a "normal" lifespan in the SE universe is, but I assume it's fairly standard? I'm glad you liked where I went with the idea!

Shadow Wolf Dreamer: You gave me the idea to make the chain resonance into a literal bomb - thank you! Now there's something they might be able to put to good use in the future. And thank you for the support - it means a lot to me!

No Name Anime Fan: I'm totally fine with SoMa, but I'm a KiMa fan all the way. I get a few haters for that, which makes no sense to me at all. I'm so glad you like the story so far and this one made sense!

Xenohawk: No cliffhanger on this installment either! This one took a loooong time to write because summer is always nuts around here, but I finally managed to get it done and I hope it turned out okay. I also hope that summer is treating you well and that you're getting some rest and relaxation :)

Unflinching Resolve: I really, really, hope that all the sadness and badness is past. HUGE hugs!

REDEADED: Thanks for yet another beta job, my dear pal. This story would be dead in the water with no chance of resuscitation without you :)

Death TheCaterpillar: I love the dynamic between Soul and Maka and I'm so glad you think I captured some of it. Thank you so much for reading :)

Wordfiend: Another chapter done and you didn't even have to do any gymnastics for this one ;) You are a dear friend, and just a dear in general.