A.N. – I'm so happy this story has been so well-received! All the reviews and follows and favorites are really encouraging. Also, for those Full Metal Alchemist fans who caught Riza's cameo – did you like that? I just couldn't resist once the idea came to me – but just to be clear, this isn't a FMA crossover, or anything; I'm just borrowing her name and appearance for, as I said, a cameo. There may be other cameos from other anime I like.

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, nor Full Metal Alchemist, nor any other animes/mangas I may use in this story.

"...sama. Shinigami..."

A sigh was heard, a long, suffering one. Then,

"KID!"

Kid's head snapped up from his desk to look at Sid Barret. The zombie wore an exasperated expression on his face, probably because Kid hadn't heard a word of what he'd just said. He held a bunch of papers in his hand, the weekly report.

"Oh, um, sorry, Sid," Kid said, still slightly distracted. This was the third day Liz and Patti had been missing, and he could hardly focus on anything else; he kept hoping either his phone or mirror would ring, but so far no luck. "What were you saying? Something about...witches?"

Sid sighed again. "Actually, I was talking about a few things," he replied pointedly, frowning worriedly at his leader. "One was about the protests – they're getting a bit rowdier, and police have had to arrest a few of the worst rabblerousers, but I believe they've got things under control. Another thing, the Control Team in Moscow is, again, requesting that an actual Death Scythe be placed in charge there; it seems the worst of the pre-kishins are showing up there."

Kid sighed at that. Ever since the deaths of Death Scythe Tsar Pushka and his meister Feodor, whose souls were unable to stand inhabiting the Black Blood globs for long, Pushka's zone, Eastern Europe, had been left Death Scytheless. Kid had sent experienced meister-Weapon teams to take their place, since all the other Death Scythes' zones were too far removed from Russia to be useful there. The teams always did fine, but every year, when all the Death Scythes were in Death City on the occasion of the treaty signing, Moscow always asked for a new Death Scythe. Usually Kid brushed it off, assuring the teams they were doing fine, but maybe it was time he considered sending someone.

"Alright, I'll think about their request," Kid told Sid; the zombie gave him a look as if he didn't believe him, then cleared his throat.

"And, ah, one more thing," Sid said, a bit hesitantly. "Of a...more personal note to yourself, Shinigami-sama."

Kid came to full attention, no longer distracted. "Oh?"

Sid shuffled his papers, then continued, "Special Agent Riza Hawkeye gave me this report; it says that Border Patrol investigated the places where the foreign wavelengths were detected, and found nothing –"

"Nothing? At all?" Kid interrupted, tone suspicious. What could those men have been doing in Death City? What about them made Liz and Patti want to investigate?

Sid shook his head. "Not that they could tell." Sid paused for a moment, then, not looking at Kid, added, "And we have some...interesting news from Brooklyn, New York."

Kid blinked. "Brooklyn?" he repeated, tensing. "What about Brooklyn?"

"Well, it – the information, I mean – it says that..." Sid trailed off, then took a breath he didn't need anymore. "It claims that the infamous Devils of Brooklyn have returned."

Kid's eyes widened as he stared at the zombie in shock. He had wanted news on the girls, but he certainly hadn't expected this kind of news. "Do you – I mean, you don't think – it's not them," the shinigami finished aggressively, narrowing his eyes at Sid.

"There's never been any reports, not even rumors, of copycats," Sid pointed out, holding his ground.

"But that's all these are at present, aren't they? Rumors?" Kid insisted.

Sid paused, considering. "At present, yes," he conceded. "But our source is very reliable."

"Then the source is confused," Kid argued, irritation growing. "Or else...okay, maybe they have gone back to their former lifestyle, but I'm positive they must be working an angle. Liz and Patti have not betrayed us!"

"I never said they did," Sid said quickly, raising his arms as if surrendering. "I'm merely telling you what the report said. Doubting the loyalty of my comrades is not something a man like I was would do lightly."

Kid's shoulders slumped; he suddenly felt exhausted. "Get in touch with this source of yours, and see if he can get closer to these "Devils,"" he ordered. "Let me know what he discovers."

"Yes, sir," Sid acknowledged with a nod. He placed his papers on Kid's desk. "My advice, if you'll take it, though, Shinigami-sama? Even if the girls have defected, don't let that distract you from other things. They wouldn't want that."

Kid let that sink in for a moment, then nodded briskly. "Thank-you, Sid," he said tightly. Sid nodded once more, then exited Kid's office without another sound.

...

Liz plopped down on the common room couch with a huff. Located on the top story of Franky's mansion, it was one of the few rooms they were allowed in, along with the kitchen, the bathroom, Franky's office, and the bedroom they had been given. Usually Patti and Liz spent most of the time in their room, but, as it lacked mirrors (as did the bathroom in their room), the two hoped to find a moment to slip away and contact Kid. Plus, Patti had reasoned, it was a good idea to get the layout of their prison.

So far they'd had no luck, since Franky had assigned watchdogs on them at all times, even a woman for bathroom breaks. It was extremely irritating, to say the least.

The common room itself, however, was actually pretty nice; there were pool and foosball tables; a couple vending machines; and a gambling station set up in the corner. There were three couches, including the loveseat the Thompsons were presently occupying, and even a rocking chair; Franky could get sentimental like that.

"Yo, Lizzy!" With a confused frown, Liz and Patti turned to see a blond twenty-something male coming towards them. He was tall but skinny, and wore dark jeans and a white T-shirt. His eyes were blue.

He seemed familiar somehow...

"Jason?" Liz asked, surprised. Back in the day, she and Patti had formed somewhat of an alliance with Jason Atlee after he'd let them stay with him a couple days while hiding from the gang that had accidentally killed his younger brother.

The boy grinned, revealing somewhat crooked teeth; living on the streets didn't give a person much money to spend on braces. "You remember me!" he exclaimed. "Oh, this is great, it's been too long!"

"Yeah...great..." Liz repeated, less than enthused at the circumstances. "What are you...what are you doing with these guys?"

Jason shrugged. "Franky offers a job," he answered. "Some money, a place to live. Protection from other gangs." He shrugged again. "You know what I'm saying?"

"A real benefits package," Liz drawled sarcastically, but Jason seemed unaffected by her attitude. He fished around in his pocket for a moment, then puled out a cigarette; from the smell, Liz knew it wasn't filled with tobacco.

"C'mon, how 'bout we catch up?" Jason suggested, offering her the joint. "Me and some of the boys were just about to step out; wanna join?"

Before Liz could even open her mouth to respond, Patti reached out and smacked the joint out of Jason's hand; her face was red and she looked livid.

"Shut the f**k up," the younger sister snarled, breaking her policy of silence. "My sister doesn't do that sh*t anymore, so get out of our faces!"

Jason looked startled, backing away from the angry Weapon. "I – I didn't know," he stammered, looking back and forth between the girls.

Liz just shrugged, though she did place a calming hand on Patti's shoulder. "Yeah, well, I don't," she said. Not since Kid took them away from it all.

Well, not since a year after that, actually. When they first stayed in Death City, on probation working at Deathbucks, Liz would sneak out in the middle of the night, Patti in hand, and go scouring in the shadiest parts of Death City (because they existed, even there) for a fix; it was almost like they'd never left Brooklyn.

On the eve of their last day on probation, just as she'd been heading out for another score (at least she'd lessened it to every two weeks instead of one), Kid had stopped her; he'd sat her down and explained that, if she didn't start getting help for her addictions, he'd send her away and train with just Patti. She hadn't known him quite as well then, to know what a terrible lie that was; she hadn't known just how crippling his OCD was. So while she'd scoffed and turned away from the judgmental – probably more like caring, but she'd never seen such a look from anyone but Patti before – look in his golden eyes, she checked herself in to a rehab the next day, because the only thing that pained her more than being separated from Patti, was the knowledge that Patti would have a better life without her.

Jason soon recovered, and said, "Well, alright. Then how 'bout we just talk here? I mean, you girls look pretty lonely over here on your own. What's the point of being in a gang if you ain't gonna form the connections? Am I right?"

Liz and Patti looked at each other. It was obvious Jason didn't know they were here against their will; but most likely, not many of the other members knew either, probably only the ones who had been in Death City that night.

What do you think, Patti? Liz asked her sister's soul. Patti bit her lip, eyeing Jason up.

He doesn't know 'bout us, sis. But maybe he knows more about Franky. Maybe he knows about that witch.

Good thinking, Liz told her, approvingly. She turned back to Jason. She smiled, maybe a little flirtatiously. "Sure," she told him. She moved over on the couch and patted the empty space. "Sit down and catch us up. Why don't you start with how long you've been with Franky..."