"Sensed anything yet," asked the Beastmaster.
"It's... still very hazy."
"Ok, we'll take a break now."
The partying yesterday must have taken their toll on her, thought Shido. The poor girl had been on her feet all afternoon, be it ordering the food for his animal pals, entertaining the lot with her performances, or even calling up the cleaning company to clear up the mess in the courtyard at the end. Even after a good night's rest, she still seems tired. Or could it be...
"Madoka, are you alright," Shido started panicking.
"Shido-san, I'm fine. What's wrong," Clearly, the teen had picked up his nervous tone.
"Nothing..." In his excitement of being a teacher, he had completely forgotten that his student was a blind teenage girl... and possibly his future wife. He knew that Bats' Hearing would be a useful skill for Madoka to master; still, he should not have taught it without thinking of the possible consequences.
As for Madoka, it was about the hardest thing she had ever done. The level of concentration she had to muster was even greater than what she needed to play musical pieces of great difficulty on the violin. Already, beads of sweat had formed on her face and she was feeling breathless.
Although her words were meant to placate Shido, the Beastmaster could tell that she was nearing her limit. Even Mozart had been unusually silent all this while. Shido decided that they have had enough for the day.
"That will be all, Madoka. You must be tired already."
"I'm fine, really. Since you guys can have special powers, it really can't be that hard," answered the teen.
Sensing the determination in her voice, the Beastmaster relented.
"One last try. Then we will stop."
Nodding, the teen closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I must have been doing something wrong just now," she told herself.
Bit by bit, the sonogram image in her mind became clearer and clearer. She could tell where objects are without them making a single sound, and for the first time since their meeting, she had an idea of how Shido looks like.
Though she had felt his face before, the sonogram was her first attempt of looking at him as a person. Of course, she had imagined his build and height many times before. What she sensed before her had not been that far off the mark: a tall and well-built figure.
"Is there anything now," asked the Beastmaster.
"Yeah...I can sense where the objects are now, and how you look. It's vague, though."
Shido smiled.
"There'll be all for today. Tomorrow, we'll go to a new venue for practice."
The next afternoon, the pair (together with Mozart) found themselves standing some distance away from a pedestrian crossing. The Beastmaster turned towards his student.
"Madoka, will you hand me Mozart's leash?"
"Okay, what's going on here," whined Mozart.
"Sorry, old pal, but Madoka needs to do this alone," replied Shido as he took firm hold of the leash after Madoka handed over.
"Remember what you have learnt from me, but also, don't forget how you've lived before."
With that advice, Shido and Mozart stepped further away from the crossing.
Taking a breath, the blind teen waited.
Further down the street, Mido Ban and Amano Ginji were walking beside the busy road.
"Hey, Ban-chan, why hasn't Shido been looking for HEVN-san at the Tonk? I'm sure he will be interested in some of the jobs."
"How the hell will I know? Anyway, we're better off without him. Without his competition, all the jobs go to us, and Paul can finally stop his grumblings," replied Ban, his Marlboro between his teeth.
"Anyway, where are we going for lunch?"
"Not to the rubbish heaps, that's for sure... Hey, isn't that Monkey Boy?"
"And he's holding onto Mozart," observed Ginji, stopping at the same time.
The GB duo then started scanning the area for the missing third person.
"Look, Ban-chan!"
Looking at where his pal is pointing, the Urchin Head saw a strange sight: Otowa Madoka was standing alone before a pedestrian crossing, waiting to cross the road... unaided.
Madoka was a little nervous. She had never really concerned herself with this little facet of life, for Mozart always lead her across without any mishap. Now, she must do it alone. Concentrating hard, the sonogram image in her mind began to manifest.
Once she saw the cars stopping, she stepped onto the road.
"Look, Ban-chan! She's actually doing it!" Ginji stared in disbelief.
"What's more, she's not stumbling around like any ordinary blind girl would without any form of aid," muttered Ban under his breath.
As for Madoka, she was quietly elated when she reached the other side; come to think of it, it wasn't that hard after all. Also, she had all along been living in a world which consists of only sound; now she could see (albeit in shapes and sizes only). To be able to feel people go about their lives while listening to them was an experience for her.
Still feeling a little high, the teen then turned around and waited for the cars to stop again. She repeated the whole process, but this time, the teen was running across.
"Did you see that," Ginji's mouth was beginning to resemble a fish's.
"Ya, and I think Monkey Boy has a very good explanation for this. Let's go," said Ban in a plain voice as he walked towards the trio.
"Great job, Mistress," barked Mozart happily.
"Mozart's right, Madoka, though for a while we thought you might fall from the running," laughed Shido.
"Thank you, Shido-san. I'm alright," Madoka was now smiling proudly.
"Shido! Madoka-chan!"
"Ginji! What are you doing here," asked Shido, clearly surprised by his friend's presence. He pretended not to see Ban.
"We saw what you did, Madoka. How did you do it," questioned Ban, also ignoring the Beastmaster.
"It's... a little secret, Ban-san. I'll tell you some other day," replied the blind violinist coyly.
"The Snake Bastard doesn't have to know. I'll tell Ginji when he's alone," said the Beastmaster.
"Spoiling for a fight, Monkey Boy," threatened Ban, putting his face right in front of Shido's.
"If you're anxious to put on some Band-Aids, I'll gladly help you," retorted Shido.
Both Ginji and Madoka sighed. Something always happens when those two meet.
"Let's go, Ban-chan. I'm hungry," said Ginji, dragging his companion behind him. Ban's scowling face was still staring back at Shido.
"Do you think they suspect anything, Shido-san?"
"Ginji's too dense for that. As for that snake bastard, he'll figure it out eventually."
"Cool. Will you teach me more," asked Madoka.
"All in due time, Madoka. Be patient," said the Beastmaster.
With that, the trio began their little walk back to the mansion.
Atogaki(Afterthoughts)
-Please RnR!