Once again the sun was shining down on New York. The past few days of rain had kept things quiet at this corner cafe but now that the sun was back, so were the customers.

Luke Jacobs sat with a black leather jacket on to fight off the cool wind as his fingers slowly ran over a braille copy of 'White Fang'. Reaching out he gripped the cup of hot chocolate he had ordered earlier and lifted it to his lips. Smiling in satisfaction as the hot beverage moved down his throat the blind man set his drink back down and returned to reading this particular piece of classic literature. All around him the noises of New York filled the air but for at least a few moments he was drowning them out and focusing on the book he had been trying to finish for several days. Maybe this time he would actually succeed.

Fausto was walking in the big and wonderful New york ...but this time he was walking within a particular direction , the sun shine above his head , it was a wonderful day to walk and meet people perhaps to go to the beach or to a pool but Fausto was thinking in another thing to do in that shiny day , he was planning to visit a friend , almost a friend more like a aquaintance to him , but he was really in debt with Luke , without his information he wouldnt reach his revenge ... now with the revenge made , a horrible sorrow in his soul and a big wound in the chest , he was walking again the same way that lead to the cafe.
Fausto find the nice cafe he was looking for , there was a lot of people . all the seats were busy , after a few days of hard rain , the sun was too bright , all the people go out to walk or spend a seconds in a cafe. But he was looking for someone in particular , he looked at all the faces searching the only one that deserve his attention .

Here you are ! i knew it , you love this cafe ... but what a shame, i thought you were more funny , i dont like people too predictable ... i like the unpredictable things , the random ... well but sometimes is fine to have a little of rutine .
i need to aproach him from his blind spot to give him a good surprise ...hey wait a minute ... he is blind ... all his sides are blind spots , well not really he has to be very good hearing , i need to be silent as a ninja ... no even better than that , i need to be silent as the ninja^s shadow.

Fausto walked slowly making the less noise possible . it wasnt really necesary cuz all the people there was spoken loudly , but he did it anyway.
He reach his target in a few seconds , he was really good at that , perhaps in other life he was a real ninja.
He put his hands in front of Luke^s eyes covering his sight , like if he could saw anything ...Fausto whisper in his ear softly like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind , his voice was quiet and loaded with confidence.

¨I am the one who will make justice , i am the devil whispering in your ear ,i am unpredictable , i am the x factor ... ¨

he let his voice fade totally before start the last line

¨guess who...¨

Because of Luke's sonar it was normally almost impossible for anyone to sneak up behind him... or beside him... or in front of him but as he grew more and more interested in the book he was currently reading his aura of awareness slowly contracted smaller and smaller. Just like a person with normal senses could become so wrapped up in one particular thing that they wouldn't notice anything around them, a man with enhanced senses could fall into the exact same trap. Luke didn't even realize that such a thing had happened to him until he heard a voice whispering in his ear. Automatically Luke's sonar suddenly shot out, scanning everything with a fifteen foot radius. Someone was standing behind him with his hands held out in front of the blind man's face.

"That voice... I recognize that voice... and the figure is familiar." Luke's mind raced, suggesting and eliminated possibilities faster than he could count. Suddenly the alarm bells shut off as his mind made the connection.

"Nice to see you again Faust." Luke replied with a slight laugh as he sat up a little straighter and slid a bookmark in between the pages of his novel before closing it. "And my compliments on your stealthiness. I didn't hear a thing when you came up behind me. Would you like to sit down?" Luke finally offered with a wave of his hand towards an empty chair that was across the table from him, "Last time I saw you, you were bent on revenge and justice."

¨hello Luke !! how are you man ? i knew you will recognize my magnificence , i am really well today . but my wound isnt all healed right now . i was a little worried about my favorite blind man ... you are alright ?¨

Fausto take the empty seat when Luke made a movement with his hand like inviting him to sit down .Like he did everytime he asked something , he couldnt wait for Luke to reply and started to talk again . he was impatient to ask him a thing that was wandering in his head since the moment he waked up in the hospital. he needed to ask him that , the things that happen that day were a little confuse , and dont seemed to match in one point , what happen after the end of the battle and the hospital part ?

¨yes you are right i was in revenge ,i am still in the justice way ... revenge is really sweet but there is a few problems with the ones that are alive ... like the family of that bad man ... ey Luke i was thinking in something , the night i was to the warehouse in the harbor , do you sent some bodyguard or something ? cuz the last thing i remembered from the harbor , was the fight with the boss and he stabbed me deeply in the chest ... i lost my conscious after rip his head off ... when i wake up i was in the hospital .¨

This time he waited for the answer , he was really expecting the answer . if Luke didnt sent a bodyguard or someone like that , his theory of the travelers of time that return to this time to rescue him , the future ruler of the world would be valid .

Fausto was just as talkative as ever and so at first, all Luke did was smile and listen as questions and comments streamed out. From his conversation with Neena he seriously doubted that Fausto's ideals and opinions had changed but Luke had chosen to save his life and inwardly he hoped that wouldn't be a decision he came to regret.

Finally Fausto came to obviously what was the most important question for him... had Luke sent him help? As the young man fell silent Luke almost went with his standard response about knowing nothing but ever since meeting Raina and being at the X-Men meeting things had been changing for him. It had been his habbit for so long to just hide his abilities but slowly he was beginning to accept that maybe this wasn't necessary or even the right choice to make.

"Wraith followed you and helped you." Luke answered rather slowly as he thought carefully about how to word everything, "Wraith took out several of the guards so you wouldn't have to deal with them. When Wraith found your unconscious body Wraith took you to the hospital for treatment so that you wouldn't die."

Talking in the third person seemed a little strange but it was the most honest he wanted to be right at this moment. He had never directly said that Wraith was someone else or a differe person but he had never admitted that Wraith was simply his costumed identity either. "Besides... why would Fausto belive a blind man could actually help in that kind of situation?" He silent asked himself as he waited to see what the young man's reaction would be.

¨who is Wraith? but most importantly , do you are saying i wasn't enough for that gang ? i was useless and your beloved bodyguard did all the job ? I refuse to believe that , give me a chance and i will kick his ass . corrosive saliva really hurt man , believe me...¨

Fausto standed up with angry injected in his eyes , the shell of pride and superiority that sealed his rage
was broke in thousand of tiny pieces ... sharp pieces of arrogance... he glare at the man trying to decide if he deserve a bite for that stupid action .

¨That bodyguard didnt do anything ... i was the one that killed the boss , i am the only one that reach the base and made the walls shake with my presence , and a few grenades ... yes , i was the one that did all there , dont mess with me Luke , you wasnt there .you didnt saw the fight or the explosion , well if you were there you couldnt saw the explosion anyway ... but one thing is for sure ... Wraith saved me , he leave me in the hospital , i would died from blood lost if he didnt take me to the hospital . ¨

His face change suddenly to his normal , well to his almost normal self ...he take seat again and started to talk in a very polite and quiet way only showing emotion and enthusiasm when he mention his magnificence royal future .

¨but ... in other way he saved my life ... he saved the future emperor of this world ... i need to thank Wraith properly ... please give him a call , i want to meet with him . tell him that we are in this cafe .¨

The way Fausto's emotions jumped back and forth was even worse than any woman that Luke had ever met. Mood swings from women were expected but from someone like Fausto they were far worse and far more distracting.

"I've never known Wraith to come out during the day time." Luke replied carefully as he reached over and picked up his steaming cup of hot chocolate. "And in effect the whole persona of Wraith is just to give the criminals of this city something to be afraid of."

Swallowing some of his chocolate Luke enjoyed the feeling of the hot liquid rolling down this throat before placing the cup down and giving his entire focus to Fausto once more. Play time was over and the expression on Luke's face showed that he was deadly serious.

"I'm Wraith, Fausto. I'm the one that saved you... I'm the one that watched as you spit on the fence to get through it and then tore out the throat of the first guard you saw. I was the one that watched you pitch grenades through the compound and I was even the one that found your body lying next to the... boss... that you had killed. I'm the one that got you outside to a car and drove you to a hospital before you bled out or the remaining gang members killed you so I did 'see' everything you did." The man spoke, his voice quiet and at least a little bit cold as his sonar focused on the younger man's face, monitoring his expression carefully, "You've got a lot of anger in you and that pushes you to do things that a normal person wouldn't. In some ways that's good but anger has to be tempered with wisdom, stealth, and control. That's when you truly become a force to be reckoned with."

The last of his hot chocolate last a eternity , the liquid flow slowly to reach his mouth . Fausto waited until Luke finished with it ... he seemed really serious after the chocolate . he never saw Luke that seriously...but that was nothing compare with the next words he spoke .

¨he saved me , he helped me even when he didn't like the idea of the revenge or the crazy desire for punishment . he said it ... he said he didnt like my ideas ... but even after that he helped me to accomplish my goal . my punishment , my revenge , my stupidity ... the funeral stuff was a real cruel punishment for me ... i though i would died if i would keep in it a little more ... all these sorrow and pain in the air...¨

¨if you are the amazing man that saved me from the death ... why are you telling this to me ? is a secret right? you are thinking in take a apprentice ?¨

Fausto talked with a notorious sarcastic tone in his voice ... he dont wanted to be rude but he cant believe all the lies all the world through to him .

¨i cant believe you are the same man ... do you drove me to the hospital? how many peoples died under the wheels? a blind man driving ... that's funny and really creepy ... dont misunderstand me , i am not laughing about your blindness or anyone else blindness i am just saying i cant believe that ...Luke a nice business man with money and lots of contact is a agent that work like a sweeper in the night,right?¨

With a slight shake of his head Luke crumpled up the napkin that he had been given along with his hot chocolate and placed it in the now empty cup. After double checking with his sonar that no one else was looking his direction the 'blind' man focused his attention on a trash can that was located over his right shoulder. With a practiced flick of his arm he sent the cup arcing through the air to land quite neatly in the open mouth of the trash receptacle.

"Last time we met I said I was a mutant... and it's true. I'm physically blind but my mutation makes up for it in certain area." He said somewhat wearily as he sat back in his chair, with his left hand resting on the book he had been reading and his left index finger slowly tapping up and down in some unknown rhythm.

"Wraith is a loner and probably always will be when possible. There's the chance I may work with some of the mansion residents but that will be in the future. My advice for you... learn how to look past the surface. You see a blind man and immediately assume he's no possible threat. You see humans and gang members and immediately assume you can do whatever you want to them because you have the X-Gene." The way the words were coming out was approaching the idea of a lecture but that wasn't what Luke intended. He just wanted Faust to understand that not everything was as it seemed. "The world is more complex that what you see on the surface... learn to watch for the hidden signs and you might reach the point where no one needs to save you after you've completed your mission."

Fausto listen all the things Luke said , he waited patient for the moment to start the back fire. i couldnt accept all of that , perhaps lots of things were right because i always is jumping into things without much care or planning . He just let the feeling run wild and control his actions .

¨First of all , you didn't need to save me because I didn't look at the hidden meaning of things. You needed to save me because I was fatally wounded in the chest.That was a consequence of my inexperience in close combat fights. Someone like you could dodge that simple stab and counter attack it without any harm. I just wasn't thinking , i wanted his death , and i risked my life to obtain it ... ¨

he stare at him again but this time his face showed a soft expression , he comprehend what Luke was saying about blindness but he didnt wanted to offend that man ... or anyone else. but in some way i wasnt blind , he had a different form of sight .

"Secondly, if I thought blind men were useless, or not worth my attention, I'd not have spoken with you to begin with. But you are right ... sometimes i let my feelings take the control , i need to learn a way to fight without my mouth , because i prefer to don't kill anymore ., not in a normal circumstance . obviously there are also some exceptions , i want to learn how to put person into unconciuos state and perhaps for a more hard battle , i need to learn how to break bones and inmobilize the target ... thats is the thing you are doing right ?"

Luke chuckled softly as Fausto finished his little speech. It was plain the young man didn't accept everything he was saying but it was also impressive with just how convicted Fausto felt about his own beliefs. Normally someone at that age could be manipulated but Fausto was already his own man and didn't want or need someone to tell him what to believe.

"I never said that you thought a blind person is useless... I said you thought they were not a threat." Luke replied, the slight grin remaining on his face, "The very fact you believed it was impossible for me to be the same one that saved you shows that you believed me to be harmless. Not useless, just harmless."

It was amazing how close in meaning some words coule be but yet how completely different they could be at the same time. To be harmless was to be safe and unable to cause damage. To be useless was to be completely without skills or abilities that could help in any way. Some people used the words almost interchangeably but in Luke's mind he could see a very clear difference.

"Combat is never something you enter into lightly." Luke continued, a half smile still curling his lips even though the rest of his face looks very serious, "My style of fighting is different from most because I can... see in all directions. My awareness is different but the moves are what can be used by anyone. I use a baton or staff most of the time because it is very easy to break or facture a hand by punching someone. By using a blunt object I can refrain from actually killing anone, as long as I'm careful, but still put enough power into my blows to keep them from coming back for more."

Fausto heard him , obviously the blind man was trying to avoid making Fausto think in him like a trainer. he explained his way to do thing but always with a short commentary like "My style of fighting is different from most because I can... see in all directions.¨ something like ¨i cant teach you how to fight , i can show you a move or two but the rest is up to you .¨ always the same ...
Torqueo the grim angel ,showed him a few moves too in a little fight ...but the way he do things was a little different , Torq said that you have to kill cause is worst to let a man bad injure than dead. he also enjoy torturing ... a really weird man . in some way he agree with Luke ... both of them used attacks to knock down the enemy or broke bones to immobilize them ... for different purposes ... Torq for a cruel and slowly death and Luke only for mercy and respect for the life ...

¨Perhaps i need to search for a different way for me ... something that fit with me and something that i could train alone . sadly there is no a lot of child of my age that want to free the world of injustices...¨

¨ i have a question that is wandering in my head since you tell me you are Wraith ... do you use a fancy suit like a magazine super hero ?¨

"Fancy... no. A special suit, yes." Luke replied slowly as he continued to sweep the area with his sonar to make sure that no one was close enough to really listen. Telling IM that he had saved him and that he was Wraith was one thing but allowing the general public to know was something else completely.

"I got a kevlar lined bodysuit from overseas and then combined it with a few accessories." He replied quite simply, "I don't have all the neat gadgets or things that you see heroes using in a comic book. Honestly most of the specialized equipment is so hard to get it's really not worth the effort. At least I haven't thought it was worth the effort so far."

"Have you talked to Neena or anyone at the mansion about training you in combat?" Luke asked as he changed the subject really quick, "I'm sure some of the different people there have experience."

¨not really , i didnt ask anyone in the mansion to train me ... but i dont know much people in the mansion , just a few kids and Neena, the second in charge of the mansion ... she promised me a trainning session in the danger room ... ehh i mean in the normal training room we have in the mansion , but she is really busy with lots of stuff , a lot of new students come and she have to prepare lots of things ...¨

Fausto was talking a little sad he knew Luke wouldn't say Yes easily , but a gentleman , a nice guy like him cant affort to hurt any innocent boy lilke Fausto ... not by an action , neither by a inaction ...
So he tried again , appealing to his nicely.

¨i will have to look for myself , internet is a pandora^s box . you can find everthing you want there ... perhaps i can find a trainning routine that fit with me ...but that would be dangerous for a boy of my age ... think in all the dangers internet carry, if i made a exercise wrong i can broke my arms or something , perhaps i ended hurting another people without want it ... yes is amazing all the knowledge in there but what happen if a stalker want to chase me ? ohh but is a risk i have to take if i need some training ... there is no other option , right ?¨

Luke was in between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand he didn't think Fausto was ready to learn combat but at the same time what the boy said was true. You could find most anything on the internet and without propert instruction Fausto could end up being more dangerous to himself and others.

"Ask Neena at the mansion." The blind man said slowly as he slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a business card that had his cell phone number on it. "If she says no... not in a week, or in a month, but actually tell you flat out, no, then give me a call. We'll see what can be done but since you're living at the mansion you go through them first. Clear?"