Synopsis: When out on a mission in the red light district, Soul Eater finds and rescues a mysterious girl who is the only person ever to see him in the dark.

What (the) (Bl)I(nd) See(s)

Chapter One

The Boy in the Black

Soul flipped his shuriken between his fingers. He always did that right before he threw it toward someone's throat.

Using the moon's movement to his advantage, he remained in the shadows, his black gear camouflaging him well. Right now, he was lying on his stomach atop a stranger's tiled roof, peering over the very top. Judging by the house's lack of width, Soul had to say that the person sleeping peacefully below him didn't earn much money.

However, another man, the one who lived next door, his house was large and grand like a venomous snake. Soul was looking into that same man's lit window.

Soul flipped his shuriken again, his eyes glowing with a sort of hunger.

From his spot, he could see into the rich man's window and was eyeing his prey: a portly man wearing dangling, glittering necklaces. On his sausage like fingers were rings bearing a myriad of colors and when he smiled while talking down to his slaves, Soul saw three gold teeth clashing against dark yellow.

That was the signal.

The man's guard was down now.

Soul did one last lazy twirl with his small star-shaped weapon before flicking it across the air.

That night, everyone would awake to screams.

His mission was complete.

The large man dropped dead, blood trickling down from his throat where the star had shot at him. People began running through the room, disappearing and then reappearing again through the windows.

His mission was done, though he wasn't out of the thick yet. Loud sirens began ringing and from a small restaurant a few men ran out into the street, carrying long, thin swords and ordering each other around to find out what was wrong. They looked rather disorganized, having been enjoying a midnight meal and not suspecting anything would ruin their feast. Soul eyed them for a moment before sneering. The police force…he had always hated them.

Making sure there wasn't anyone around, he soundlessly slid from the roof and landed on his feet. But then he heard the man inside the house wake, stumbling through the darkness toward the door. The man's head quickly poked out, looking left and right like a bird. He saw his pile of wood leaning against the wall and its shadow.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

The man went back inside, too tired to care about the police.

When he closed the door, strangely enough, the wood's shadow moved. But it wasn't a shadow at all. It was Soul. He had turned to face the wall so that his back showed, allowing him to blend in with the darkness. He pulled down his hood that he had used to cover his white hair and, listening for any signs of movement and concluding there were none, sprinted away down the alley.

He careened a corner, making sure not to make a sound and to breathe ever so quietly. The houses were built very close to each other, making the streets rather narrow and difficult to maneuver through. There were small wooden seats outside of tea shops and houses. A broom had been left to lean against the wall of its owner's house and a tinny puppy stirred when a breeze passed by him.

The breeze had been Soul, running through the still night and headed toward his family's base: a three story, rotting building that was held up by paper, junk, and plaster.

From the outside, it was an old family restaurant known as Sanzu River that served its guests a wide variety of tea and food. The hostesses were also kind and treated the guests well. People often went there for a light afternoon snack and tea. Sanzu River was just another famous tea house. No one would have suspected it was the home base of a secret organization that dealt with underhand assassinations and jobs such as the one Soul had just completed.

Instead of entering through the front door (He couldn't use the front door for obvious reasons), Soul ran across a wooden plank leaning up to the nearby houses' rooftops and jumped from roof to roof, making his way to the second floor of Sanzu River.

He leapt over a gap and landed on the balcony.

"Welcome back."

Strange.

He hadn't expected someone to be there.

That was his fault entirely.

He pulled down the part of his gear that covered his mouth and nose.

"Why aren't you inside, Tsubaki?" Soul looked at her.

Tsubaki's long black hair wasn't tied up meaning she wasn't on a mission. She was wearing an iromuji, a casual kimono with no pattern, and was barefooted. Like Soul, she worked for Sanzu River.

"I've been waiting for Black Star to return," she answered softly.

"Just wait inside. It's cold out here." That was true. The season was slowly turning towards winter.

Tsubaki only smiled at him. "No…I think I will wait out here. It's been three days and I've been worried."

Soul shrugged. "Whatever you say." She was always like that, worrying about everyone, especially Black Star though Soul only thought that was because they were friends. However, what she said about Black Star was true: He had been gone longer than what his job had required. Soul wondered if anything had happened but said nothing more. He walked into the building, closing the sliding door behind him.

"Soul," called Tsubaki though the door.

"What?"

Their backs faced each other. Tsubaki was silhouette by the moon and Soul's shadow looked as if painted on the paper door.

"He's waiting for you."

Soul's face was covered in shadow. What kind of face was he making? "I know," he said quietly, and then walked away.

The person Tsubaki was talking about was their boss. He was a rather strange man that everyone seemed to like but Soul would rather stay away from him for personal reasons. But that usually wasn't a problem since boss hardly ever left his room. Why he never did, Soul didn't know nor did he care to know.

He stepped into the hallway and was about to lift his hand against the wall when he stopped abruptly.

He waited but since nothing was happening, he said, "The job's done."

"Our client will be most happy then. That man you killed has been threatening those poor families for far too long, don't you agree?" Suddenly, there was someone a foot behind Soul. He was tall like Soul, stood straight, held a sense of pride in his shoulders, and had black hair with three white stripes running across. He wore a white and black hakama, his usual choice of clothing.

"It's none of my business. My job was to get rid of him and that's what I did." Soul pushed in a hidden panel which opened the wall, revealing a lift. There was a lever to the side that allowed the rider to go up or down.

"And that's what you did. But as your superior, no…as your friend, I ask that you please face me when I am talking to you." The boy's voice became steely.

Soul's eyes narrowed and he slowly turned around. "What?"

"You may be our best worker, but I would have hoped…after my father's death," the boy's voice shook slightly but he quickly recovered, "that you would have…opened up to us, become less trapped in your own world."

Soul's body language told the boy that he didn't care what he thought or what anyone else thought for that matter. Soul tilted his head and raised his chin. "As the new boss, don't you think you should start calling us by our real names? Huh, Kid? We're not workers. We're assassins. And I'm not trapped. I just don't care."

"I know you care," said Kid, ignoring the first bit. "Deep down you must care. All of us have been together since childhood. If you're going to stand here and tell me nothing matters to you—"

"What did you want to talk to me about?" said Soul in his bored voice. "Just tell me and get this over with."

Kid took a long, hard look at him, and when he spoke, it was in a cold, professional voice. "There's another job for you to do. A man has commissioned Sanzu River to burn down a certain building in the red light district along with the people inside. There must be no survivors."

Soul looked at his boss. "That doesn't sound like the kind of job you'd usually accept."

"He made me an offer I couldn't refuse," said Kid. "That's the job. You start tomorrow night."

Soul scoffed. "That quickly? I just finished a job and now I have to work again—"

"As your new boss, I expect you for follow my orders. Or are you telling me you'd rather quit and do something else for a living?"

They stared hard at each other for a long time before Soul turned back around and stepped into the lift.

"You'll never be as great as your father," Soul sneered.

No one would.

As the wall closed up again and as the lift headed downstairs, Soul couldn't see the look on Kid's face.

The lift sped downward but kept going even after it passed the first floor. The truth was, there were six floors to Sanzu River. Three above ground and three underground. The underground rooms were where everyone hid their weapons and sometimes themselves whenever trouble arose. Meetings were held in the underground first floor, weapons were stored on the second, and the third floor…Soul had never gone into the third floor.

Only the owner of Sanzu River was able to enter that room, which meant only Kid ever went inside.

Kid…and his deceased father.

Soul gripped his hands.

The lift stopped on the second basement floor and he stepped out. The rooms looked much like the rooms up top. The only difference was that there were lanterns burning along the walls to light the way.

Soul went into the last room down the hall on the right. This room was piled with broken weapons. Swords that had been snapped in half from battles…armor ripped to shreds…metal pieces that would never be forged into anything…

In a way, this room was useless.

He walked in, closed the door, and grabbed the small lantern hanging from the ceiling. He took a look around at everything, and then, quietly, he blew out the fire.

Tonight, he would be blind again though see the darkness as clear as day.

He dreamed about a tall man…though what he was wearing, or what he looked like, was hard to make out.

The building they were in was on fire.

Soul was trying to run to the man but the roof had collapsed, blocking his path.

There was no way to get to him now.

Soul was screaming his name, though he couldn't hear himself anymore.

Fire.

Smoke.

Where had the air gone?

And then suddenly he was in water, watching the full moon as if within a glass container.

Where had the air gone?

He closed his eyes.

And when he opened them again, he saw that he was back in the useless room. Someone had lighted the lantern again. It must have been Tsubaki.

He groaned, rubbed his eyes, and headed back upstairs to the second floor. It felt like only a few hours of sleep but it wasn't until he met Tsubaki in the hallway when he knew what time it was.

"Good morning!" said Tsubaki cheerfully, holding up a pile of laundry.

Soul looked at her with dead eyes. "Is it really?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

"No, I'm afraid not," she said. "It's almost time for you to leave for your next job."

"God…already? …Fine, whatever." He walked passed her and almost bumped into Kid who was standing as still as stone, waiting for him with folded arms. Soul looked at him. "Well what's up your butt?"

"This job, apparently," Kid replied shortly. He didn't look in the mood to be arguing so Soul shrugged his shoulders.

"Got to go burn down a building now." Soul headed toward the balcony, pulling up his half mask over his nose.

"Wait."

He turned to face Kid.

"I'm coming too."

"Why the hell did you decide to help me?" asked Soul as he and Kid made their way quietly toward the red light district located near the edge of the city. They both crept along shadows and never allowed themselves to touch moonlight. Communicating was quite easy, though, since they were both excellent at what they did.

"I didn't," said Kid. "It's just that this job requires…delicate care. And I'm not sure you are capable of that."

"Then why the hell did the guy commission me? Why not you?" said Soul angrily, the wind wiping his bangs. "This is just a waste of my time, then."

"The man wanted you specifically," said Kid, sounding bitter. "Why, I don't know. Though I'm coming along to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"Hah? Hey, I do my job even if my boss is lame."

Kid didn't say anything. He simply smirked at his employee.

Five minutes later, they found themselves sneaking past the guards that protected the entrance to the red light district. They were there in case anyone…unworthy wanted to come in and mess with the girls. Though as the two assassins crept inside the district, unheard and undisturbed, Soul couldn't help but wonder how much of a "good job" the two guards were doing.

"So where's this building?" asked Soul, realizing that he knew close to nothing about his current assignment.

"You should know it," said Kid without any pretense.

Soul looked at him. "Screw you."

"It's the tallest one." Kid's eyes glinted quickly in the moonlight, allowing Soul only a few seconds to see where Kid was looking.

As Kid had said, their job was to burn down the tallest building along with everyone in it. Why they had to do so, Soul didn't know but he held no feelings of resentment or pity.

This was just his job.

"The Golden Cage? Hmph. Who'd want to blow up such a high class pleasure hotel?" said Soul. "Our commissioner must've gotten a real bad girl."

"Whatever you say," said Kid lightly.

Soul glared at him. He didn't like Kid's attitude at the moment.

But for now, he had to shut up because they were getting closer to The Golden Cage and more and more guards were seen walking around, looking highly suspicious of everyone; the owner of the place must have been tipped off that something was going to happen that night. Soul was used to that.

But he wasn't used to having someone tag along with him on his missions. He liked working solo though sometimes Tsubaki would come to help.

But she was an exception.

Kid wasn't.

But Kid was his boss.

His crappy boss.

This wasn't good. His concentration was getting harder to hold. He threw any more useless thoughts out of his mind and jumped to the second floor roof of the Golden Cage, Kid landing beside him.

"Soul, we'll split up for now and meet back at base," said Kid.

"Sure, whatever. …Wait. I thought you were keeping an eye on me."

"I lied," said Kid distractedly. He seemed to be thinking of something.

"What the hell did you come here for then?" Soul hissed. "You're just dead weight!"

"I'll start the fire from the bottom. You start it from the top. Got it? Make sure no one escapes."

"…Tell me why we're doing this again?"

"I'll tell you later."

"God, whatever. You're all against me."

"Yes we are."

And without exchanging any more words, the two boys split, Kid going downward and Soul going upward.

Soul made sure not to walk near the red lanterns and soon enough, he was reaching up for the railings to the very top floor. He pulled himself up and landed on the wooden floor.

"All right now. If little boss man says to burn the building…I will burn the building," said Soul to himself. "Good thing I always have these to spare." From his robes he pulled out a firecracker and a long, thin light. If the building was going to go down, then he might as well kill it all the way.

He put the light in his mouth (he wasn't a smoker) and began placing the firecracker upright when he thought he heard something in the dark room. He ceased immediately what he was doing and held his breath.

Was someone there?

"Who's there?"

Someone was there!

Soul didn't answer, though he did walk quietly into the shadows near the wall.

"I know you're there," said the voice. "You're hiding against the wall."

How…how did that person know where he was? Were the lights actually on and Soul just thought everything was dark? Was this a conspiracy? Did Kid set him up? Never, in all the years Soul had been an assassin, anyone had caught him before (or even after) he finished his job. Usually, the only way a person would see him was during the last few seconds they were alive.

Maybe…this person was already dead! And that was why whoever it was could see him!

…Not.

"You know," said the voice again casually (almost too casually for Soul). "If you're trying to sneak inside, tonight wasn't the night to do it."

Seriously, who was talking? It was too dark to see though the voice was coming from the middle of the room.

Soul knew his cover was blown, as was his ego and everything he lived for. "Why's that?"

"I heard someone was going to kill the men who own this place. That's why there are more guards than usual."

Kill? Well, whoever was going to do that better watch out for some big explosions later on. Soul's job was just to make the building turned to ruble.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind that…" continued the voice. "Though I am against killing. I just wish they'd disappear for a while."

This was probably the last time Soul was going to hear the person's voice. He couldn't let anyone live after all. The person didn't seem to want to stop him so he began setting up the firecracker again. Though the little ball of fire was small, it was incredibly strong. So strong that one had to have a license to even shoot it up. Of course, Soul didn't have one.

"Look, thanks for the warning but I have a job to do," he said.

"A job? …What's that like?"

"What? Look…I don't have time to talk to you."

"Oh…."

"Don't 'oh' me," he said spitefully. "I don't need distractions right now."

The voice stopped talking.

Soul, even though it was dark, was able to fix the firecracker into a standing position. He then lit the lighter but right when he did, he looked up and was suddenly face to face with a golden, metal bar. As if adding to the mystery, there was more than one bar and they all curved upward, meeting at a single endpoint.

What the heck was that?

He raised the light higher, and realized what he was seeing was a human-sized cage.

Why was such a thing here?

And then, he heard something.

It sounded like…

Squeaking?

Like metal bars moving back and forth.

Soul's breath almost extinguished his small, flickering flame.

Someone was inside the cage.

"I think you should hide," said the voice, and Soul knew where that person was talking to him now. "They're coming to check on me."

Soul didn't think twice about the caged person's words because he heard footsteps from outside of the room. Someone was coming.

He moved quickly, uncoiling the tiny, long string as he ran back and jumped over the railing, landing back on the roof. There, no one would see him and it'd give him enough time to savor blowing the entire thing up. Everyone was going to die in just a few minutes.

But.

How did that stranger know he was there in the thick of darkness?

He was about to light the end of the rope with his lighter when he heard doors bursting and people entering. They came in with lanterns, looking around but not noticing Soul's firecracker because of its small size and also because it was behind the golden cage.

And then, he heard voices. Soul didn't think they were the owners of The Golden Cage because of their next few exchanges.

"Seems they haven't been here yet."

"Oh, man. What're we going to do? Boss and the others are…."

"Dead! Okay? They're dead! And they left us with her so no matter what, we can't let them get her."

"What's so special about this girl? Isn't she defective?"

"I don't know, okay! I don't know! Boss never told me anything! He just told me to make sure if anything happens to him, to deliver her to—"

"Shut up! What if someone's listening!"

"In any case, we have to get her out of that cage and get away from this place quickly."

A creak, letting Soul know the cage was opened. But suddenly, one of the two men shouted, "Don't touch her!"

"W-what?" said the other man.

"I've heard stories that if you touch her, you'll be sent to hell. That's probably why boss kept her in here, so that she wouldn't try to kill him."

"Then how are we supposed to get her to move!"

"Uh…ask?"

Soul sighed. They didn't seem very bright. Whoever their boss was, he had made a very serious mistake at appointing these two with such an important job.

"Fine," said one of the men angrily. "E-excuse me, Geisha? Would you mind coming with us? We'll take you somewhere safe, away from everything. D-don't worry, we're telling the truth. You can trust us…right?"

A thump, and Soul knew the man had hit his friend.

"Ow! Uh, I mean, yeah! We're telling the truth. Don't worry, we're not like those men who tried to use you."

"I would go, but…can you tell me one thing?" said Geisha.

"Yes? We'll tell you anything you want!" said the men expectantly.

"Where is my friend?"

"Uh…."

"My friend," Geisha repeated. "I came here with him but he was taken away somewhere. Where is he? You are going to tell me, right?"

"W-we'll tell you after we've gotten out of this place!"

"Hmm…." She sounded skeptical but suddenly said, "Okay!"

Soul almost dropped his light. He caught it and realized that it had gone out.

Great.

He chucked it and peeked over the railings, looking for anything that might be used as a lighter. He saw the room very clearly now.

It was an empty room with thin, paper walls with images of (Soul thought it was rather strange for a girl's room) monsters. Kappas, tengus, demons with horns and tails all adorned the walls. In the very center of the room was the large golden cage and standing in front of it were the two men. They were fidgeting, as if wanting to get away from this place as quickly as possible.

And inside the golden cage, sitting on the swing, was…a girl.

She looked like a caged bird.

Her back was faced toward Soul so he couldn't see her face.

"Damn, what was her name?" he thought. "Geisha? …What kind of name was that?"

Geisha was wearing a brightly colored red furisode, a kimono with long sleeves that reach the ground, with scattered patterns of cherry blossoms all over. Her sandy blond hair was pulled up tightly against the back of her head and was adorned with various hair ornaments of flowers. Because the sleeves of her kimono was so long, her hands weren't seen, even as she was holding the swing's frame to support her balance.

During winter, it was customary to change into darker clothes, even Soul knew that. But Geisha was still wearing a vibrant kimono. What was wrong with her?

"This is one weird room," Soul thought, looking at the walls, trying not to get sidetracked.

But he couldn't help notice Geisha's white, pallid neck, the nape of her neck, her small frame, her voice….

"Okay, I think this job's gone on for far too long," he interrupted himself. "Just what a prostitute should look like, anyway, even if real Geishas don't sell themselves."

"Now, come on…let's get out of here," said the men.

Geisha nodded happily and dropped down from her swing set, landing lightly on her getas. Soul knew she was being tricked but didn't really care to save her. He had a job to do after all.

"Oh!" said Geisha, sounding as if she had just remembered something. "What about that boy out on the roof?"

"What!" screamed the men.

"What?" muttered Soul, his eye twitching.

Quickly, the men drew out their sword and ran to the railing, looking down at the roof.

No one was there.

"Shit, what are you doing!" Soul hissed quietly to the girl, having miraculously disappeared from the roof and into the room. He was now standing behind the cage, still unable to see her face. "When someone's trying to sneak inside somewhere, you don't tell other people about him! Dumbass!"

She didn't turn around to face him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know…."

"You know what? Never mind," he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey!" The men had turned back around. "H-how did you get in here!"

They charged toward him. Soul gave them a look of loathing before drawing out his metal stars and throwing them skillfully.

The men dropped dead, Soul's metal stars sticking out from their necks. The assassin then stole their lantern and finally ignited the end of the string. It would take approximately five minutes for the firecracker to blow up, enough time for him to escape and get far away enough to watch the lights.

He walked to the railing and looked outside. "Where the hell's Kid? Oh, well. Time to go." He readied for the jump.

"They're dead, aren't they?"

He stopped…and turned his head slightly.

The two men's eyes were still open, a look of shock pasted over their faces.

"Yeah," said Soul without any remorse.

"I can seem floating away…" said Geisha almost sad like.

Well, if this girl was going to die anyway, then Soul thought he might as well ask her something that had been bothering him ever since they met. He turned only to look at her back. "How did you know I was here?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh. I saw you."

"That's impossible," he said quickly, almost cutting her off.

"But I did see you."

"You couldn't have."

"Why's that?"

"It's too dark to see."

"Oh, I get it!" she said, clapping her hands together. "You're the boy in the black."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The boy in the black," she repeated. "You're a boy…and you're in the dark. That's why…the boy in the black!"

"Just answer my question."

"Eh? But I already did."

"No, you didn't," he said, starting to grow angry at the girl's idiotic answers and words. "You can't see someone if it's too dark."

"But I saw you completely. How else would I have known you were here?"

"Why you…!" He grit his teeth and stormed around the golden cage, flung the half open door off its hinges so that it broke through the paper wall, revealing the next room that was just as empty as the one he was in only without the monster pictures, and looked down at Geisha.

He hadn't meant for it to happen, but his breath was almost taken away.

Geisha…she was beautiful. Well, beautiful might have been a stretch since she looked a year younger than Soul. Pretty? Cute?

No, she was definitely the prettiest girl Soul had ever seen.

The only strange things were her eyes. They were a hazy, emerald.

Soul knew immediately that he was dealing with a blind girl.

If she was blind, then how did she see him?

"Just tell me how the hell you knew I was here!" he said, trying not to let his feelings show. The last thing he wanted was a personal connection to one of his soon to be victims.

"I saw you," she said calmly with a small smile. She didn't look at him as she spoke but at a random spot past him. "You're standing in front of me, feeling rather angry though I don't know why. And you also broke the door of my cage open. You also have a firecracker set inside this room and that lighter you had earlier…it went out, right? That's why you had to use those men's lanterns."

He stared at her, not believing he was being seen by a blind person. Was she truly blind?

"How…how do you know all that?" he said.

Suddenly, she stopped smiling, all expression on her face wiped clean. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't like you," said Soul, unashamed of his childishness. "I'm here to do my job and you're simply just one of the many in my way. So. I'm just going to go now before I blow up like you—"

"Stop right there!"

The double doors burst open and a swarm of guards filled in the room. They took one look at Geisha, and then at the strange boy wearing all black, and then immediately assumed he was trying to take off with her. They pointed their gleaming swords at him.

Soul groaned. "Ah, shit."

"Attack!" The men began their barrage, running at Soul, holding their swords out. Soul, even though he had his own special sword, didn't unsheathe it. Instead, he pulled out more shurikens and resorted to throwing them. But if a man ever came too close, Soul would hold a shuriken steady in his hand, swipe it through their throats and then kick them back. He was doing rather well defending himself until he heard the men try to coax Geisha out of her cage.

"Come! We're here to help!" Some of the men held out their hands to her but she didn't take them.

She slowly shook her head. "B-but…I still don't know where my friend is…."

When the guards saw she wouldn't come out, they decided to take her by force, advancing closer to her.

"N-no! Where…where's my friend!" she said.

"Damn it…!" Soul bended low and then flipped an incoming guard over his shoulders before grabbing the door to the golden cage (it was lying two feet away in the next room). Another guard tried to skewer him but Soul thrust the cage up, kocking him out cold. Stepping over the man's unmoving body, he began beating the rest of them off until he was close enough to the man trying to force Geisha from her cage.

"Hey!" he shouted at him.

The guard looked at him but at that moment, Soul had already thrown the door hard against his body. The man fell onto his back, weighed down by the door.

"Stop in the name of the law!" he ordered but Soul wasn't paying attention; he was looking at Geisha with narrowed eyes.

"Why are you so useless?"

"H-huh? W-was I supposed to help?" she asked, looking worried.

"I meant—" His eyes moved to the firecracker and his heart stopped for a split second.

It was going to blow in less than ten seconds!

"Shit!" His body jerked as if he was about to run but his legs stood paralyzed.

That girl.

Was he going to leave her?

Ten….

Of course he was.

His job came first no matter what.

He needed to get out.

Nine….

Why wouldn't his legs move?

He needed to go now or else be blasted like everyone else, including the girl.

Eight….

Geisha's eyes were moving though they weren't looking at anything in the room.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Her voice was quiet. Around them the guards began charging at Soul again, but they might as well have moved in slow motion for all the time they were taking.

Soul looked at her, feeling something beating hard under his chest; it was making him nervous and panicked.

"But I can't die yet," Geisha said determinedly.

Seven….

"I have to see him again." And for the first time, she looked at Soul.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Please, I need your help." She wouldn't stop looking into his eyes.

"Sorry, but looking for people isn't my job—"

"It is if I want them dead," she interrupted.

Six….

Soul paused. "What do you take me for?"

"An assassin. You might as well have told me yourself with all of your prowlings."

"You want me to kill your friend?"

"No."

Five….

"I want you to kill the one who took him away," she said.

He was listening fully now because of the prospect of another job. "Is this your first time commissioning an assassin?"

"Y-y-yes…!" she said, losing some of her courage.

He didn't care if she lost her legs or even her hair, all he cared about was the job she had just assigned him to do. Well, if she was his commissioner, and if she died in the explosion, then no one would be there to pay him, so, no job.

No job, no money, no food, no life.

Four….

"Job accepted," he said.

She beamed at him and looked ready to hug him but oddly enough, she held herself back. "W-well then…I hope we'll get along from now on."

"I could care less about that. Just make sure to pay me in full when I'm through with your commission."

"Aw, fine…" she pouted.

"Anyway…."

Three….

"If it was just me, I'd make it out just fine. But you're dead weight on my shoulders," he said, looking at her. "Now, how to get out unharmed…."

Suddenly, she pulled up her sleeve and thrust her hand in front of him. "Take my hand!"

"What?" He looked at it. Her hand was smaller than his. She had slender fingers too.

"Take it if you trust me!" she urged.

"I trust no one."

"Augh! This is no time to be acting stupid!"

"You're calling me stupid?" He raised a brow at her. He smirked but she couldn't have seen it.

Two….

"Take my hand! This is an order from your employer!" She glared at him and he couldn't help but think how much of a kid she looked.

But if his employer asked for it….

"Fine."

He grabbed her hand.

One.

The firecracker exploded with a sheer, whistling sound that threatened to crack even the thickest glass. The room exploded in an array of sparkling red, green, orange, and yellow. The floor beneath them split open like the mouth of a dragon and the walls crashed down as if a hurricane had just come through. The roof broke apart and wood grounded on everything in sight. The golden cage had turned brown from all the fire that had burst at it. The guards were all yelling and shouting, some were already dead and the ones who were still alive were going to meet the same fate. Down on the lower floors, people had already been screaming because someone had started a fire and it was spreading with rapid speed. The Golden Cage was sure to be everyone's coffin.

But Soul and Geisha were gone.

In fact, they weren't anywhere, anymore.

And yet they were still there, falling with everyone and everything. Though…everything seemed distant and nothing was hurting them or even touching them for that matter. Everything looked clear…as if Soul was looking through a pair of eyes that knew everything to this world and the next. Sounds had become muffled and even though Soul's eyes were magically as clear as could be, the world's color had become strange, as if someone had pulled a white, thin sheet over everything.

Was this what the world looked like before one died?

Was that why he felt more distant than usual to everything?

This is it, thought Soul, still holding onto Geisha's hand, this is how I'm going to die.

And then Geisha whistled…or, tried to. She made a puffing sound from her lips. Soul felt even more helpless now.

They were falling at least a hundred and fifty feet with the building around them bursting into flames and crashing down on each other. They passed several floors but he didn't see people…he saw small, flickering flames, each looking different than the other. Some were moving very fast while others were slow. Some were large while others were small. They almost looked like scattered ants.

And then he saw it.

His eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Tiny, black monsters with horns and tails were jumping through the chaos, snickering at the little flames. Some of them were clutching onto flames' so that it would feel weighed down and not move as fast. Some collapsed, flickering hard as if they were about to go out.

There were more.

Thin, lizard-like monsters slithered past the flames' and were making them trip. Strange umbrellas with one eyes and large mouths were jumping up and down atop their heads and moving carelessly around. Muddy colored ogres who were at least three feet high with large clubs too big for their bodies were clambering down the stairs, not caring for the destructing but more than not thunking the flames if they got in their way which caused everything else to tumble back down. In the air were even more monsters with sharp wings and feathers, all looking rather grotesque and dangerous.

Soul couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had always heard of stories and even legends of monsters like the ones he was seeing but he had never actually believed them. He wasn't sure if he was sane right now. In fact, he and Geisha seemed to be the only ones who were seeing these monsters.

Suddenly, he heard flapping, loud flapping. And then something grabbed his waist and he was jerked to the right. Soon, he was breathing cold, open air and was flying over houses. He looked up and saw what had grabbed him.

It was a giant tengu.

Its entire body was black and covered with feathers. Its sharp talons looked more than enough to slice Soul's body in half but it held onto him with only enough strength to keep him from falling. The tengu's face was completely red and its eyes were large and yellow. It looked down at Soul and he frowned at it.

"W-what the heck is happening!" he shouted. "Are you doing this!" He looked at Geisha who was positively smiling from ear to ear, looking as if she had just been freed from a lifelong sentence in prison. She was even laughing, have too much fun to listen to him.

He glared at her. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" He let go of her hand and suddenly, the world came back so quickly that it hurt his ears and eyes and mouth and his head. All the monsters instantly disappeared, like when a room would become dark right after someone blew out the only candle.

And then he was falling. He turned while in free fall and saw Geisha hovering in midair.

What just happened?

"Ah! P-please save him!" said Geisha, gesturing frantically toward Soul.

Suddenly, he was grabbed around the waist so hard that he lost his breath. The moment Geisha took his hand again the monsters and little flames came back into plain sight.

Really, what was going on?

"Who," breathed Soul, trying to catch his breath, "who are you?"

"My tengu friend!" said Geisha, not hearing him, "Please take us somewhere safe!"

The tengu screeched in compliance, flapped its great wings, and swooped down as the The Golden Cage finally collapsed. Black smoked rose into the air, spreading out into the clouds and disappearing before heaven.

Soul and Geisha were brought to a small field, a bit away from Sanzu River. The place was empty because everyone had gone to the red light district to check out the fireworks. The giant tengu screeched good bye, Geisha patting it affectionately, and then flapped away into the night.

"Wow! This is my first time outside without those boring old men around!" Geisha stretched her arms to the sky, smiling as the wind kissed her cheeks.

Soul collapsed on his back, relishing on the cool feel of the grass. He was alive. He was actually alive. After what he just witnessed, he thought for sure he was dead, or was as good as dead. "God, what just happened? Who are you again?" He looked at Geisha.

She frowned at him. "Please tell me your name first."

"What? Ugh, whatever…." He sat up and watched Geisha as she came to sit by his side. "Soul. That's my name."

"Hmm…" She smiled at him.

Why, he thought, did she give her smiles to people so freely?

"That's a nice name," she giggled.

"Yeah…right." He looked at her strangely. "And?"

"And?"

He waited but she kept silent.

"Who the heck are you!" he burst out.

"Ah! Y-yes! Right! I-I am Geisha!"

He eyed her suspiciously. "What was that back there? What did you do?"

She blinked and Soul was reminded that she was blind.

"I showed you what the blind sees."

A cold breeze rustled the grass.

"What I see."

"What you see…" Soul repeated skeptically.

"That's right." She didn't catch it.

"Mind telling me more?" He wasn't interested, truth be told.

He just wanted to know because it seemed different.

But was that not the same thing as being interesting in something?

"Oh, okay. The men I lived with before always wanted to know more about what I see." She had on a strange look that Soul was unable to read. "Let's see…well, that's just that: I can't see the human world. I see the spirit world. I can see people's souls, I can see monsters, I can see demons…I can see everything in the spirit world but nothing in the human world." She pulled her sleeves up and waved her hand. "I don't know why but whenever I touch someone, that person will also be able to see what I see."

"So I was basically seeing what you were seeing?" asked Soul.

"Yup."

"But even in that…'spirit world'…I could still see the human world. I could see the buildings and the sky and houses…are you saying you can see those too?"

She shook her head. "No, I can't. Despite my ability to see spirits, I'm still a blind person, therefore, I cannot see buildings and…the sky."

He looked her over and then sighed. "The sky's not really anything great. You're not missing out on anything."

"R-really?" Her shoulders sunk.

"Gah, so, right now, you're only seeing my soul?"

"Uh huh! Your soul is larger than mine, and it's red and it looks exactly like a ball of fire!" She looked happy at the opportunity of being able to talk about something she can see. "Though…it looks kind of weird too."

"What? Weird how?"

"Hmm…like…how should I put it…" She scrunched up her face in total concentration. "Ah! I got it! Like it's being sucked into a swirling vortex!"

Soul stared at her.

"Or…something like that…." She shrank back.

"You're weird." He grinned. "So. You're a girl who can only see the spirit world?" He asked as if it were a joke but he had just seen the spirit world with his own two eyes; he couldn't deny its existence or her powers. Why was a girl like her in a place like that? Was The Golden Cage hiding something? Were they trying to hide this girl? And who was the one who commissioned this job? There were just too many questions and not enough answers.

"That sounds about right," said Geisha.

"I have more questions to ask, but we should really be getting back to base." He stood up and she followed him.

"Base? We have a base?"

"I have a base. You're homeless."

"Ah, right," she said nodding.

"So, your job…I'll get started on it right away. Tomorrow," he added with a yawn.

"Yes! I wouldn't want my worker to fail!" Geisha pumped her fist into the air, following after Soul as he descended down the small hill.

"I'm not your worker," said Soul irritably.

"Ehh? But you agreed to help me find my friend's capturer!"

"I did. But I don't work for you. I work for myself."

"Is that right…?"

"That's right."

"Hmm…."

Soul stopped so abruptly that Geisha accidentally bumped into his back.

"Ow!" she squeaked, rubbing her forehead.

"You never told me your name."

"Eh? You know my name—"

"I meant your real name. Geisha isn't your real name. It's a stage name. I'm not idiot enough to think that you weren't kept inside the highest room in the tallest building, inside a golden cage…for no particular reason." He looked down at her. "So to keep people like me away, you were given a false name to live by. So I'll ask again: what is your real name?"

She moved her eyes up to his face. "My real name is Maka."

"Maka," he breathed. "Well, nice enough name."

"R-really? Is it really?" She looked nervous about her name. "I always thought it was a rather strange name and secretly preferred to be called Geisha since it sounded more regal and—"

"Maka."

"Y-yes, Soul?"

"…Don't touch me."

"Of course I wouldn't!" She looked confused. "Why…why would I?"

"I just don't want to see that weird world again." He shuddered.

She laughed.

"I guess I'm stuck with you until I kill that guy who took your friend," said Soul. "Wonder how long that's going to take."

They both started down the hill, Maka following close behind Soul.

Behind his back she whispered, "Soul…hmm…. I suppose you are not the boy in the black anymore."

"Stop right there!"

Soul and Maka turned around. Soul raised an eyebrow. "What, Kid? And why are you pointing that gun at me?"

Kid was standing a few feet away from them, holding a gun in his hands and pointing it directly at Soul. He looked positively outraged.

"There weren't to be any survivors, Soul," said Kid sternly. "You failed this mission. Everything was for nothing because of you! Because of you, one person remains alive when they should be dead with the others!"

"I can't kill her," said Soul, moving in front of Maka who looked worried. "She's hired me for a job."

"Idiot!" spat Kid. "No matter what, we are supposed to complete our first commission before accepting another! Your deal with that obscene girl is invalid!"

"O-obscene?" said Maka.

"Invalid?" shouted Soul.

Kid grinned evilly. "That's right. Now I can either kill you or her. It doesn't matter which. As long as one of you dies, the body count will add up to the incident."

"S-Soul…." Maka trembled and Soul narrowed his eyes at Kid.

"Kid…are you serious?" he said.

"I'm always serious," replied Kid. "I wouldn't have thought it'd end this way, Soul, but we live by codes, and if one of us cannot uphold these rules, then they must disappear."

"Then I'll let you choose who to shoot." Soul moved next to Maka. "Go ahead. Choose who you'll murder tonight. I don't really care if this girl dies, and I honestly wouldn't care if I died right now either." He grinned.

Kid glared at Soul, his gun still pointed at either Maka or Soul. Maka's body was shaking, but she was definitely looking at Kid's soul. And then, she held her breath.

"Soul…" she said quietly. "Soul, I— "

"So you're in luck tonight, Kid!" shouted Soul. "You get to choose who you kill for once."

Kid took one final look at Soul. "Good bye."

He pulled the trigger.

Next Time on What (the) (Bl)I(nd) See(s)

"May the laughing moon be your only companion this sad night."

Author's Note: Because I really, really, really, wanted to make another SoulxMaka fic with Soul as the main character. And because I'm still trying to realize that my other story is finally ending after writing it for about three months. But seriously, this story has been swimming in my head for the longest time. I've always wanted to write a story in Edo period Japan that included monsters but...I know nothing about that time. So before writing, I had to do a bit of research. Ninjas don't wear black clothes, by the way, 'cause that'd make them stand out. I just wanted Soul to look cool, ha ha. And geishas don't sell themselves, I know. Maka's not a geisha by the way. That's just her stage name. I hope I'll get the time period right...there's just so much information to take in... D:

I wanted to include a couple of things in this story and that was: blindness, monsters, and two strangers on a journey to find something. Can you find the secret words in the title? I shouldn't have to tell you guys what it is, right?

So this concludes the first chapter of What (the) (Bl)I(nd) See(s). Tell me what you thought of it, your favorite parts, if I made any mistakes, etc. etc. And I'll be seeing you all in the next chapter! :D

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