~Dancing With The Devil~

Chapter Four: The Door Pt Two

Disclaimer: I do not own soul eater or any of its characters

Last time: (MAKA POV) I couldn't help be stand there trying to process everything that just happened. What could possibly be behind that door? And what made him so quantified to go in there? I start walking in the direction Kid pointed out to and occasionally glance back at the door. There were so many more questions I wanted to ask him but he seemed dead set on not answering them. Like; what did he mean by 'problems he may encounter'? As I finally reach the end of hall, I take one more look behind me. The door no longer visible from this angle, I let out a sigh and descend down the staircase that will lead me to the bottom floor.

I wonder if I will ever meet up with Kid again... or if I will ever get to learn what's behind that door...

Soul POV

I have been sitting here, for what seems like hours, waiting for the child reaper. This has to be the most boring, daunting room I have ever been in; he really needs to install a television or something- anything- that might break this infuriating silence. It really wouldn't be so bad if I was only here for a little while, but that asshole really enjoys wasting my time, it's such a drag to have to wait for him . Its so uncool. As I slowly die of boredom, I allow my eyes wonder around the room for what feels like the hundredth time.

Its as dark as always. The only source of light comes from a large, ancient fireplace kept behind an even larger desk. The wall surrounding the fireplace is made of old cinder blocks, some of which are cracked and chipped with age. Oddly enough, it is the only wall visible through the engulfing darkness, I have yet to find any other walls or borders in my many years of service. On either side of the desk stood waist high statues of gargoyles, each had a vicious snarl craved into their hideous faces and their eyes are pointed towards the only exit, which sat atop a high set of stairs. In between the door and the desk sat 12 antique chairs, each facing across from one another and spaced exactly 2 feet apart side to side. The young Lord was nothing if not perfect. There was no ceiling above us and the floor had a thick layer of fog, rising no higher then my shins, feeling just slightly cool to the touch.

So, I guess you can understand my hatred of this place. When you have nothing by eerie silence and demonic statues as company, you tend to freak out just a little. The tiniest sounds echo like a cannon blast through the nothingness, occasionally you might hear the soothing sounds of dripping water or the light cackle of a shadow reaper. Nothing could be worse then bumping into one of those creepy fucks, except maybe sitting in this STUPID, SHITTY FOG!

The fog seemed like it would sap the soul right from your body and the darkness would consume your sanity. The only reason I managed to stay calm for so long is because I had my phone with me. I didn't get any reception in here and I couldn't go online, but I least I had my music. A soothing, classical melody played quietly from my cell phone, the tempo keeping my nerves in check. I always loved listening to classical music, it was one of the only traits I kept from my previous life. Don't get me wrong, I love listening rock and metal- actually, I adore just about every type of music, but there is just something about hearing nothing but instrumental orchestrations that calm me. The only I time I cannot listen to it is while I hunt my prey, I need sweet, up-beat hunter music for those jobs.

It has been seven years since I first accepted my role as a reaper. I was one of the youngest members to ever pass the test as well as one of the most ruthless, cutting my enemies down without hesitation. My requirements were simple enough; survive, but it was far easier said than done. I wasn't told how long I had to survive, I was simply told to do what ever was needed to live until they found me. Information gathering became vital, and anyone without a decent amount of Intel became easy targets. Stealth was another aspect, you learned quickly to cover your tracks and hide where no one thought possible; occasionally I would share an idea with another player and we would have to fight for the spot. I guess we know who won all those fights, huh?

I thought for sure that I was going to die and back then, and it almost didn't matter because I already felt dead. My life was miserable, I had no one and nothing, my very being seemed so fragile and useless. Each day seemed to drag on, I did whatever I needed to do to survive, which usually meant that I would pick-pocket. Imagine my luck when I try to steal from a prissy boy that ends up being the most powerful man in the country. Go figure, right? Instead of turning me over to the police (as any reasonable person probably would have done), he offered me a smile and an alternative to my current situation. He took me from the emptiness that I was living and introduce me to a whole new world, one surrounded in chaos, blood and the ultimate thrill; death.

The song ended and a new one started in it's place, this one reminding me of my past. The slow rasping voice of Kirk Cobain filled the room, filling me with the same dread and nothingness I felt long ago. Why the fuck did I have this song on here? The melody slowly becoming more distorted and demonic as the song continued. Each lyric that past grew deeper and the tempo slowed to a snail's pace, my unease rising rapidly. I turn my phone off, cutting off the now unrecognizable voice and its haunting refrain.

"Oh no! A good song finally comes on and you have to go and turn it off! You are no fun at all, Eater!"

I look behind the chair across from me and into the general area of her voice. Great. Now I have to deal with shitty fog, no music AND a motherfucking shadow reaper. The voice that called out was familiar, and I secretly hoped it wasn't who I thought it was. I now regretted turning off my phone, I would rather listen to the maddening sound of a demon Kirk than carry out a conversation with the woman that hid in the darkness.

"How long have you been hiding out there Patty?" I took a shot in the dark, praying that the creature in the fog would correct me on that name.

"Oh Eater, my sweet, innocent little Eater! I am always hiding in the shadows!" A shrill cackle comes from the darkness and a sudden uplifting in the fog catches my eye.

Fuck.

"Why not come out and show me that pretty face of yours, Patty?" my heartbeat is erratic, nervousness settling in. She is the only one that can do this to me. The other shadow reapers are creepy, but none of them hold a candle to the beast beyond this darkness. She is the only person, besides the reaper Lord, that can scare me and she knows it. "Are you all alone today, Patty? Or is Liz just keeping herself quiet?"

"Am I not enough for you? Now that hurts, Soul," she said seductively through the fog. Slowly Patty inches her way forward just enough for me to see the left half of her body, standing with a large grin spread across her face. She was wearing a strange white hat, a red halter top and short denim jeans. She has a nice body; lots of curves, large breasts and fantastic legs. None of which mattered because her eyes would be enough to take away any sexual intuitions. One look into those eyes told you everything you needed to know; she was not someone you wanted to come across in the dark.

"You are more than I ever want or need..." I turn my face in the direction of the fire, hoping to take solace in the dance the flames make.

"Now, now, Eater. I didn't come out of the darkness just to be ignored! I thought you wanted to see my pretty face?" her voice whispered into my ear. I snapped my head around and came face to face with Patty. Her eyes were cold and lifeless, her face is pale and dead looking and her grin was creepy enough to make you want to gouge your eyes out. She was the living and breathing form of terror. I was once known as the Blood-shed King- a man that would live to see pain and suffering and laugh while standing in a pool of his victims' blood. Patty took that title and gave it a whole new level; she would rip a person limb from limb with her bare hands, drain his body of all its blood and bath in it. She has been caught doing it a dozen times already- just this month.

"That's better," her grin widens and she leans in closer, "Why don't we ditch this place and go do something a little more..." she hesitates long enough to rub her hand on my inner thigh, slowly moving her hand farther up. A deep shiver runs through my body and she smirks before she coos, "...fun?"

Our moment was broken when the door at the top of the stairs opens a bit, startling us both. The young Lord's voice just barely audible through the crack, his body slowly making it's way through the door. He comes in all the way, shutting the door tightly behind him and slowly makes his way down the steps, a confused expression cast upon his face. As he reaches the last step, hesitating for a brief moment as the fog jumps up and covers his body and becomes a long, dark cloak that hangs loosely from his shoulders. No matter how many times I see it, I can never seem to get over how awesome it is. He makes his way to the desk at the end of the room, ignoring Patty and I along the way. Patty stands and walks into the middle of the walk way, her face going completely serious.

"Lord Death, I have completed the mission as asked. Is there any way I can further assist you?" she said in a soft; almost girlish voice, her hands kept flat against her sides.

"Find all the others and bring them here, we need to discuss some matters. Tell them to stop their missions and report back to me by no later than 5pm tonight," he said in a quiet voice while keeping his back turned to her.

"As you wish my lord," Patty took a deep bow before jumping over a chair with remarkable speed and back into the darkness in which she came.

"Eater, step forward please."

My heartbeat suddenly intensifies and my stomach drops. He doesn't usually use that name unless I did something really bad. I run through everything that I have done throughout the last week, trying to pinpoint a moment in time where I may have messed up. I draw a blank as I stand , putting my hands in my pockets and I make my way to the center of the aisle. I let out a deep sigh and await what is sure to be a stern lecturing.

"I found a girl standing directly in front of our entrance, she had the handle in her hand."

I stood silent, completely dumbfounded by his statement. "W-what?" I couldn't administer any other coherent words at that moment. There has never been a single human alive that has seen the door, it's something only a reaper can see. I have watched for years as thousands of people walked right by it without so much as a second glance in it's general direction. So how and why is there someone now?

"She was able to see the door. This is a bit of a problem, eater," the young man pauses and takes a quick look at me, his eyes are cold and piercing,"That door can only be seen if a reaper is careless enough to open it in front of a human. So I am asking you this; did you show it to her?" I can read the thoughts within his golden eyes, I can feel his doubt and anger. Usually Kid wouldn't hesitate in punishing those he thought guilty, however given the gravity of the situation, he is holding back. He is reading my soul, waiting to determine whether my answer is a truth or lie, and deciding my fate if my answer isn't what he wants to hear.

"I know better then that," I snap, breaking eye contact, "I always check the floor before coming in and I always shut the door tight." As if I would dare make sure a foolish mistake... Again.

"Always?" his eye brow raises. He had to throw that back in my face.

"It was once, Kid. Get over it," I mumble under my breath, regretting it the second it had rolled out of my mouth.

He turns his entire body to face me, his eyes still watching me intently. "Easier said than done, boy. You have made mistakes before, I need to be sure that you are not slipping up too much."

"What mistakes have I made that the others' haven't?" I say sharply, anger replacing all feelings of discomfort or intimidation, "I am just as reliable as every other reaper here! Yeah, I made some mistakes when I first joined the clan, but I have been careful ever since!"

"Really?" his eye brows furrow and his face becomes cold, "Just out of curiosity, how long have you been hunting the White Rabbit now? Oh yes, three months I believe. Had I given that assignment to Patty, I'm sure it would have been done in less then 24 hours..."

"You said yourself, he is a crafty son of a bitch!" my fists clench to my side and my body starts to tremble with frustration.

"It doesn't change the fact that she could have done a better job of tracking him down and eliminating him," the Lord drones, he is obviously unimpressed with the attitude I have been giving him.

"The shadow reapers can kill anyone faster! They hide better and have way more experience hunting down flighty prey. If disposing of him was such high priority, why didn't you give him to Patty to begin with?"

"I thought that you might want some practice with that type of target. Although, I am starting to regret that choice..." his focus was now returned to the flame. He had pushed all the right buttons, I had finally lost my cool.

"He's dead," I spat with as much contempt as I could muster, "As well as Free. I disposed of them this morning."

"Well done, Eater. Would you like a cookie? What about a pat on the back for doing the job you are being paid to do?" his words were daunting and belittling. Never have I ever felt so small and pathetic. Just as I was about to respond, Kid cut in. "Where do you think I have been all morning?" he turns and takes a step towards me "You never seem to realize how much of a mess you make! I am forever cleaning up after you and I am getting sick of it!" his anger making it's way back into his usually calm features.

"That's not the issue here and you know it," my voice was low, "You're pissed that someone saw through your magic seal and you're taking it out on me. Grow the fuck up, Kid."

His eyes darken, within seconds he is face to face with me. Even though he is small in structure, Kid can kill me without any effort. His hand suddenly extends from his cloak, grabs my throat and lifts me from the ground.

"Watch how to talk to me, Eater. I will only tolerate so much from you."

I struggle to free myself from his grasp and I look down at him with a pained look upon my face. My breathes become short gasps for air and the room starts spinning. Just as I am about to pass out, he places me on the ground and releases his hand. I drop within the fog and grab my neck, choking and sucking back the chilled air. Once my breathing becomes stable again, I look up at him.

"What the hell is your problem? You have never once told me that my mess was an issue, if you had asked me to clean up I would have!" I look into the face of my master. He was in a tough situation that only got bleaker by the minute. His gaze falls on me and a soft exhale pushes past his lips.

"Forgive me, Soul. I lost my temper," Kid whisper just barely heard above the sound of the crackling fire.

"No big deal, Kid. Just talk to me if something is bothering you and stop jumping to dumb-ass conclusions, " I slowly stand and face him, this time his eyes look down to the ground. "Do you honestly think that I would open the gateway to some random girl?"

His eyes dart up to meet mine. "No, I don't believe you would do it on purpose," he lets out a soft sigh,"I saw you and Patty and knew you would have been the only one to enter through that door."

His reasoning makes sense. Patty is able to travel through shadows, a skill that very few reapers ever learn. Where as I am stuck using that stupid door. I have opened it in front of humans many times in the past; humans are usually far too ignorant or blind to notice me disappearing into nothing. Only one person has ever taken notice, and they were quickly eradicated. After that incident, I would only enter the room after the floor was clear of life. The more I thought about it, the less I understood.

"I don't get it, even if the door is opened, the only way someone can see it is if they are close up. The spell makes this door look like all the others unless accompanied by a reaper," I say in a low murmur, running a hand through my hair, "I just doesn't make any sense."

"We need to gather the others and discuss this. The worst case scenario, she will have to be taken out-"

"Is she that much of a threat?"

Kid places a hand on my shoulder, looking past me and in the direction of the door.

"Any human that discovers a reaper's den is a threat to us all."

And with that, silence fell between us.

Annnnnd another one bites the dust! I had fun with this chapter, and we finally get to meet Kid! Hoooray!

So as you may or may not know, I have been re-writing all of my chapters- either to clear up some parts that don't make much sense, or just to add some extra parts that I thought might be relevant to to story line later on. If there is anything that you might want to see or suggest, I am always willing to hear critisium!

Drop a word or two down in that box down below and let me know what you think guys! Thank you kindly for all of your love and support! I hope to hear back from you soon!

Thank you for reading Dancing With The Devil! See ya next time!