Stepping out of the bathroom, Death the Kid yawned lazily. He wandered down the hallway with a towel wrapped around his neck. He was dressed in everything but his black jacket and black shoes. Following the hallway down to the dining room, he stared at the plates of food resting on the large table. Looking over at Patty and Liz, he realized that he was dressed incorrectly. Sighing heavily, he asked, "Did Soul and the others invite us to another game of basketball?"

Liz nodded as she took a seat at the table, beside Patty, and began placing food onto her plate. "Yep. Maka wanted me to go too, but I think I'll end up sitting out and watching." She looked over at Patty, who was stuffing her face with food, and then over at Kid. "You'd better change." Nodding, Kid took a seat at the table and replied, "I'll do it after I eat." Lifting a piece of bacon to his lips, he took a bite and thought about what he'd wear today. Concentrating on that single thought, he blocked out everything around him. He continued to think about his outfit before Liz cut in, "Are you going, Kid?"

Kid looked up at Liz and stated calmly, "Of course I'm going. I plan on beating Black Star and Soul." He scanned his food before beginning to eat and losing himself in a strange memory of the past. One that he would have much rather forgotten.

After breakfast and an hour of Kid going through outfit after outfit, the three were on their way towards the basketball court. When they arrived, there was the regular teasing about how Kid was an hour late and then the seperation of teams. Unfortunately, Maka and Liz chickened out, claiming that they would be substituites.

Sitting together on the bench, Liz watched Kid play, watching him smile and toss the ball to Tsubaki. She smiled herself as she sighed in content and relaxed on the bench, looking up at the sky for a few moments.

"I don't understand why everyone likes this game so much." Maka's voice cut in.

Liz looked over at Maka and smiled, saying calmly, "Well, I'm sure it's just fun for all of them to be together like they are. Y'know?" Nodding, Maka kept her eyes on the game and asked, "So, Liz, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you guys known Kid?"

Liz had to think for a few moments, frowning before she replied, "Well, when we met Kid, he was thirteen-years-old. So, we've known him for about two years now." Smiling warmly, she added, "It's strange, but he's so much different from the first time we met him. He used to smile and laugh all the time, happy that he finally had someone to talk to. But a year ago, he changed so suddenly. He took everything so much more seriously and wouldn't smile as much. Me and Patty knew there was something wrong, but we already knew why he was acting the way he was."

Frowning sadly, she looked at Maka's eyes and asked, "You can keep a secret...right?"

"Of course I can!" Maka stated happily. "I would never let one of friend's secrets to escape my head. I promise!"

Looking back at Kid, Liz continued, "Well...about a year ago, Kid went through a traumatic experience. He never really recovered from it and neither did we. I mean, we were his weapons. We were supposed to protect him..." She trailed off as she looked down at her hands and added, "Someone had kidnapped Kid right under our noses. I was too afraid to chase after him, but Patty insisted that we went to get him back. It still makes me sick knowing that I was willing to let Kid die because I was too afraid to go after him."

She looked up at the bright sky and whispered, "I shouldn't have been so selfish. Because of me, Kid and Patty had to suffer with that bastard. They could've been killed and all I did was run away like a coward."

Traumatic Experience!

Kid's Tears are Shown?

Patty Thompson sat behind a wall quietly, her older sister, Liz Thompson, standing beside her. She peered around the corner, looking down the dark hallway and keeping her eyes and ears open. She stood like that for a few moments before looking back at Liz and whispering, "The coast is clear, Liz. Let's go."

"Patty, w-wait a second! I-It's dark and, a-and who knows who's down there! L-Let's just call Lord Death and-!"

"No way! We have to get Kid back before whoever did this hurts him! Now, come on!" Patty interjected, grabbing onto Liz's wrist tightly and walking down the hallway slowly. She tip-toed in the dark hallway, listening for any signs of people or motion. Stopping at the end of the hallway, she peered down another hallway and saw a door. Looking back at Liz, she whispered, "I think he's in there."

Turning back to the door, she hissed, "That bastard took Kid into this stupid labratory! I just...I wish I had followed him inside! Dammit!"

"Patty, please! Please, please, please let me call Lord Death! This is too much for us to handle!"

Patty glared at her older sister and snapped, "What happens if Kid dies, Liz? Then what? Then what will we do?"

Liz jumped at the sudden harshness in her words and replied, "W-Well, we'd uhm...I-I dunno. He's too strong to die! So let's head back-!"

"No! You can go back, but Kid means too much to me. He's practically family Liz and you're already giving up! That's pathetic!" Patty growled, releasing her sister's wrist from her death grip and muttering, "I'm going; with or without you." Turning back towards the door, she took off running down the hallway, Liz merely standing and staring. She looked from the hallway, to Patty, and then back again. "Dammit!" She cursed, rushing down the hallway and murmuring, "I have to call Lord Death! I know I do!" She felt tears welling in her eyes as she thought about leaving Kid and Patty alone. "I-It's the right thing to do!" Liz comforted herself, feeling the tears overflow onto her cheeks. "It's the right thing to do!"

"STOP!" Kid begged, tears streaming down his face as he squirmed where he sat. He felt sobs escape his dried lips as he pulled at the chains around his wrists. He sat up against the wall of a large room, a tall man standing before him and grinning like mad. He was dressed as though he were going to a funeral, but his mangled and crazed brunette hair showed differently.

"Please!" Kid whispered, feeling his body trembling as he watched the man bend down in front of him like before. He gripped the young boy's white shirt and leaned in close to Kid, hissing, "You had better shut your mouth you filthy brat! Unless," a muffled, disturbed laugh escaped his lips as he continued, "you'd like more!"

"No! No, no, please! Please, no more!" Kid begged, trying to move away from the man. He watched the man remove a permanent marker from his pocket and drew a black X on Kid's forehead. He ripped open his shirt and drew a large X on his chest, before drawing dotted lines around Kid's right eye and neck. He cackled loudly, looking at the bruises covering Kid's body, the blood streaming from his bottom lip, and the dark purple bruise that covered the left side of his ribs.

"If only Lord Death could see you now." The man hissed, saying with a laugh, "He'd give me my job back as a doctor! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Kid shuddered at the laugh and watched the man stand up, walking across the room to an area full of different tools. He sniffled slightly, feeling fear and adrenaline rush through his body like a tidal wave. He had never felt this much fear and sudden despair fill his body in his entire life. Looking down at his bruised ribcage, he found it becoming harder and harder to breath. "Please," he begged to no one in particular. "please, make him stop. Please! Please, please, please!"

"Found it!" The man exclaimed, the sounds of an electric drill causing Kid's heart to stop. He stared at the man and watched as he walked over to Kid, holding the electric drill, a scalpel, and a pair of, what looked like, tongs. The man chuckled and giggled, pleased at the expression of sheer horror that had suddenly filled Kid's face.

"This," the man began to explain, showing him the electric drill. "is for your head. I'm going to drill into your head and discover what makes you tick, what truly makes you a Grim Reaper?" Lifting the scalpel, he continued, "And this is for every other part of your body that I labeled. I want to see what the difference between a normal human, and the son of Lord Death truly is. I will use this tongs to remove your organs and keep them in a little jar for further examination. Won't that be great?"

Kid turned to the side quickly, feeling himself throw up everything that he hadn't eaten in the last two days. He shook harshly as vomit splattered to the floor, speckling his bare chest and pants. He felt a sob escape his lips, as he thought about what the man had just said. He continued to sob harshly, not knowing what else to do or what to say. Kid wasn't even sure if he could continue to keep faith in his father or his weapons. He looked up at the man and in a matter of seconds, a hand clenched on to Kid's neck tightly.

He tried to breath, tried to free his hands to grasp the man's wrist. However, Kid was absolutely powerless as he felt the man sit on top of him, keeping his body completely still. Lifting the electric drill, he grinned like mad and flipped it on, moving it towards the X on Kid's forehead. "Time to see how thick your skull is."

Kid began screaming loudly, trying his hardest to move from the underneath man and to kick him off. However, his body wasn't moving an inch and his wrists were bound too tightly to allow movement. He continued to scream, fatter tears rushing down his face as he stared at the drill in fear. When the drill was mere centimeters away from his forehead, Kid let loose an ear-piercing scream, causing the man to jump back slightly, loosing his grip on the drill. He growled angrily as he watched Kid pant heavily, trying to calm himself.

"You rotten little worm!" The man hissed, grabbing the drill once again and slamming the bottom onto the left side of Kid's chest. Kid felt like his breath had just been taken away as excruciating pain filled his body. He wanted to scream, to reach into his chest and adjust the bones himself. However, all he could do was gasp and wheeze loudly, trying to breath, trying to fight past the pain. He coughed up blood onto the man's black shirt and managed to shout out, "Please, stop! I'll do anything, j-just, just stop! Please!" His voice cracked at the end of his last plea, causing him to sob painfully.

The man gripped Kid's jaw tightly, so hard that Kid thought he was going to break it. He then turned the drill back on and darted for his forehead. In a matter of seconds, the drill and the man were tossed aside, slamming into one of the metal tables in the room.

Kid sobbed harshly, his eyes so swollen he could barely see, and his nose running so quickly that he could hardly breath. His lip was quivering so hard, that he feared it would jump off and run away.

"NOBODY TOUCHES MY MEISTER!" A voice shrieked, piercing Kid's eardrums. He looked up through his haze of fear and whispered, "Patty...Patty!"

Patty stood in front of Kid now, gripping the scalpel the man once held and pointing it towards him. "You better get the hell out of this room," she hissed, her face twisting up in rage. "or I'll rip every one of your organs from that pathetic body of yours!"

"I'd like to see you try little girl." The man cackled, wobbling to a standing position. He stared into Patty's light blue orbs and hissed, "Come at me with everything you've got."

Patty looked over at Kid, before rushing towards the man and screaming loudly, raising the scalpel above her head.

BLAM!

The sound of a gunshot rang through the air as clear as Kid's scream. The man laughed continously, watching as Patty froze where she stood and gripped her stomach painfully. She wobbled, left to right, before collapsing against the ground. She began wheezing in pain and squeezing her eyes shut, almost as though she were trying to fight past the pain.

"PATTY!" Kid screamed a second time, watching as his weapon lay on the floor and bleed to death. "PATTY! PATTY, GET UP! PATTY!" He continued to scream, flailing in his spot and trying to free himself. He watched the man lift his gun once again and hiss, "Good-bye dear child."

Another gunshot rang as Kid screamed Patty's once more. Blood burst from Patty's right shoulder and her body suddenly grew limp. Kid continued to scream in desperation and fear. He continued to pull on the chains that bound him and ignored what the man was saying. He felt the man remove the chains and immediately began to lunge for Patty, but was stopped when he tossed Kid over his right shoulder.

Something cold and metallic intruded into his stomach and Kid suddenly lost the will to scream. He felt like he couldn't breath, like this was all just a terrible, terrible dream. He had never felt this strange new feeling in his stomach and in a matter of seconds, time caught up to him. The pain hit him so hard, that Kid felt himself throw up, spewing blood and vomit onto the floor. He couldn't contain the amount of fear that filled him, causing him to scream loudly. He watched as the man carried him off into another room, hearing the sounds of a door opening, and met the floor face first. The light that had filled the room was hidden behind the man's sudden shadow as Kid looked up, realizing that he had been tossed into a small cellar.

"No!" Kid began to scream, watching the man grin and laugh, beginning to shut the door to the cellar. "No, no don't! NO!" The door slammed shut and the light disappeared from Kid's world, trapping him in pure darkness. Dropping to his rear, he gripped his stomach painfully and sat up against one of the walls. He sobbed painfully, closing his eyes tightly and trying to calm down. However, the more pain that filled his body, the knowledge of Patty lying on the floor bleeding to death, and the constant fear of the man returning was far too much. He simply couldn't calm down and ended up screaming and sobbing so hard, that he felt a migraine pounding away at his already throbbing head.

"This is it," he panted in between sobs. "I'm dead. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead! Dammit!" Looking up at the ceiling, he squeezed his eyes shut and whispered, "Please Patty. Please don't die! Please! I could never forgive myself if you died! Please, please, please! DON'T DIE, PATTY!"

"Lord Death listen to me! Your son has been kidnapped and taken to a labratory underneath Death City!" Liz Thompson shouted in desperation at the projection of Lord Death she was staring at. She was trembling in fear, tears staining her cheeks as she held herself. "Please, sir, you have to hurry here! I don't know how much longer Kid can be in there and Patty chased after him, but I wanted to contact you! I'm sorry that I didn't follow, sir, I truly am! B-But I got scared and," she began to sob as she covered her eyes and continued, "I'm so sorry! If they die it'll be all my fault!"

"Now, now, Liz, calm down." Death began, feeling anger coursing through his body. Somebody had captured his son and he was prepared to kill them for it, but he knew he had to keep his posture. He had to remain calm for Liz and whoever else he spoke to. He could not freak out at a time like this.

"I will send Sid, Stein, and take Spirit with me. You just wait right there for us, alright? Leaving wasn't your fault, Liz, and they will not die. Do you understand?" He asked seriously, watching Liz nod. "Patty and Kid are not the type of people to give up so easily." Turning to lock eyes with Spirit, he watched him nod before growling, "Now, let's take this bastard down."

"Too much..." Kid panted, staring at the door of the cellar with lazy, hazed eyes. "I've lost...too much blood." He smirked softly as he watch the world begin to spin around him, felt his body beginning to grow cold. "Dammit..." He murmured, closing his eyes and then snapping them open. "No. N-No, I can't die. Not...not here. Not yet." He closed his eyes once again and heard sounds from above. He heard loud voices, the sounds of footsteps, and a voice he knew by heart.

"Liz?" Kid murmured, feeling his eyes open slowly. He stared up at the cellar door and heard a sudden explosion, feeling his lower lip tremble terribly. Tears rolled down his cheeks as the door opened suddenly, causing him to look away in pain. He heard a group of voices and as quickly as he had looked up, Liz exclaimed loudly, "KID!"

Kid felt a sudden wave of relief wash over his body as he began to sob. He trembled as he pushed himself to stand, wobbling as he stood. He saw Liz climbing down as he took a step forward. He tripped as pain flashed through him and Liz caught him quickly in her arms, hugging him tightly. Kid continued to sob as he whispered, "Liz, Liz, Patty is hurt!" He squeezed her tightly as he added, "I'm sorry, Liz. I couldn't do anything! I'm sorry!"

Liz felt tears drip off her chin as she hugged Kid back and replied, "It's okay, Kid. It's okay, alright? Stein is going to make sure that Patty lives and everyone else took care of the bastard that did this to you guys!" She pulled away and looked at Kid, staring at the bruises and blood covering his body. She lifted him onto her back and began exiting the cellar, saying softly, "Kid, I'm so sorry that I abandoned you like I did. I got scared and that was wrong of me to do! I should've come in here with Patty! I should've...I should've done something..." She trailed off as she began to cry, feeling Kid squeeze her gently.

"Liz, it's alright." Kid began to say, feeling his body beginning to shut down as his grip loosened and he murmured softly, "It's okay, Liz. You...you did the right thing. You retrieved my father and the others...good job, Liz. Good...job." In moments, Kid had fallen asleep against Liz, leaving Liz to silently wonder if he truly meant what he said. Feeling regret and guilt fill inside of her, she rushed over to Dr. Franken Stein to warn him of Kid's condition.