Fai's dreams came to a screeching halt as somebody touched him. The feeling of dead tiredness overcame his body. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before opening them and letting out a groan of pain. His eyes wouldn't open. Something was wrong. He was blind.

No wait, he could open them a little, but it hurt to do so. He saw the shape of Ashura beside him, holding him against the mattress softly. "Dear Fai!" he exclaimed. "You're sick!"

Fai took this thought into consideration. It made sense. He tried to think of what had happened before he went to sleep but couldn't remember. He remembered a little flicker of something to do with Kurogane. It made him feel like vomiting to think.

Ashura picked the blonde man up into his arms. Fai grabbed helplessly grabbed for imaginary things to keep him from falling. Ashura kept a good grip on him though, as he set him in a chair and gave him a warm drink.

"Poor Fai. This should help." He said slowly guiding Fai's feverish hand to the warm cup of tea.

"Um…if you don't mind me asking," Fai began as he slowly guided his cup to the memorized area of the mouth. "Why can't I see anything?"

Ashura smirked at Fai's swollen eyes and feverish condition before taking a sip for himself. "Oh, of course you wouldn't know."

He took another sip. "Kurogane-san poisoned you."

Fai felt sick in his stomach. He heard a little bit of shuffling to his left, but assumed it was just Ashura rummaging around somewhere, since now he couldn't see at all. "Kuro—" He coughed.

"I don't believe you." Saying his comrade's name hurt his throat for some reason.

Ashura laughed a little and took Fai's hand into his and held them tightly. "Fai, I love you. I wouldn't lie to you."

There was a silence as Fai thought about this. He thought in the darkness and his sickness grew bigger and bigger in his stomach. "Who are you?"

Ashura gave a whining sound. Shortly there was a loud clap from something falling over. Ashura's hands left Fai's as he caught up cursing to pick it up. "Calm down will you?" Fai heard him say. "Stupid puppy."

Ashura paced around the room. Fai felt that he was crowding behind him. "I told you. Ashura is my name. I'm the king of this city, after such a long…"

He paused as his hand brushed through Fai's hair, and a finger ran down his cheek.

"Such a long sleep."

Fai's eyes shot open in fear, giving him a piercing pain in his head and eyes. His hands flew up to his face as he cried in pain. Tears flowed, but his put his head on the table to hide then.

"Fai!" Ashura put his arms around Fai comfortingly. "Damn Kurogane…" He forced a cup of tea in Fai's trembling hands. "Tea helps…"

Fai drank and the pain ceased. He turned his head away from where he thought his former enemy's face was. "What happned to Chii?" He asked gritting his teeth.

Ashura ignored his question. "Are you mad at me now?" His voice sounded mocking but also caring.

He took Fai's chin into his hand and forced it to face him. Through Fai's closed eyes he could see Fai's eyeballs forcing themselves to look away from him. He was afraid of him, like a little fish facing a shark alone in the wide lonely ocean.

"I care about you now, Fai. More than your so-called 'friends'. Kurogane poisoned your drink at your last meeting, don't you remember?"

Fai tried to remember, he really did. He remembered Kurogane's face looking back at him like he was angry. Sadly, he shook his head as a negative answer. "I don't think he ever liked me."

Ashura reached into his pocket and took something out. Fai saw the light movements of Ashura's graceful body. His blank visions became darker as Ashura put wet eye patches onto his eyes.

Then Ashura smiled. "That's right. And I want you to forget all about him. I want to start a new relationship with you." He wrapped his arms around the wizard tight and protectively as the temporarily blind man wept. "I love you…" He leaned forward and kissed the side of Fai's face lightly. Fai felt his breath and turned his face toward the other's face and the two of them kissed each other on the lips.

Ashura's hug relaxed and his hands moved to down to Fai's waistline. Fai felt down his own body to find Ashura's strong hands and arms. Their kiss continued like a cloudless dream. Fai almost wished he could see it.

The kiss released and something soft but prickly brushed against Fai's face. He immediately recognized it as the brush of a feather. He retreated in surprise, he heard Ashura chuckle.

"This is what you're looking for right? The girl's feather." Ashura chuckled as he waved the feather to and fro.

Fai nodded in a confused manner. "You have it?"

"Tell you what, dear Fai. I'll keep this feather safe for you and your friends if you stay here with me for a little while." He put the feather to his lips and smiled.

Fai thought about this option. He couldn't see if Ashura really had the feather, but he felt the feather's power. He started to believe everything Ashura said. He began to love him back. He nodded.

Ashura now satisfied, took Fai's hand to guide him. "C'mon into my room to rest. It will be a while until you can see again."

As they left the bedroom, they passed an open window. Ashura smirked in a sinister way and let the feather fly away in the wind. A quick rustling was heard in the corner that made Ashura laugh. "Don't worry about it Fai. The puppy's tied up."

The room became quiet. Over in one corner, chained the wall and gagged was a man. He had been forced to see and hear everything. It was Kurogane.