AN: Done for a friend in a sort of song challenge. Would suggest listening to 3 Doors Down's 'Here Without You' while reading, though the song will be long before this chapter, unless you're a very fast reader. It isn't a song fic - but I listened to the words and, mostly, the music to set the sort of 'tone' to the fic.

This chapter is from Kurogane's point of view. May be slightly OOC, has a made up thing for them, and a bit mushy. This takes place after Tokyo, contains minor spoilers.

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The first time I had the dream I was just a child. I'd never seen hair like that, gold as the leaves in the fall, or eyes like that, blue as the sky on a clear day. In my head, that dream world, he was 'Aki', Autumn, for that hair and those eyes.

He was my playmate in those dreams. I showed him my world as if he'd never seen it before. Sometimes he said he hadn't. I would just laugh. He would stare.

As the years grew on, I abandoned the dreams, brushing them off as my imagination. I had plenty of playmates in real life, and I had my mother, my father, the various people in father's employment. What did I need one in my dreams for? My dreams were more suited to glory in battle over demons. Dreams of 'Aki' came less and less until they were gone completely. I never realized how happy I had been back then until my parents had died and I knew nothing but anger and despair.

My dreams were terrifying. I never said it to anyone. Maybe they guessed why I was up before the sunrise some days, doing whatever needed to be done, whatever was proper for me to do, anything to keep my mind off sleep. Princess Tomoyo...I'm sure she knew all along.

I started seeing 'Aki' again in my dreams. Gradually he replaced the nightmares painted with my mother's blood and by my father's severed arms. He had changed - or maybe it was me that had changed. Dreams meant nothing, no matter what everyone said. He was some imaginary friend, one that filled my head at night instead of spending the days with me. Wasn't it obvious?

As I improved in my skill as a ninja, a true ninja, as I grew older, taller, stronger, I once again abandoned those dreams to the sweet, black, abyss of short, dreamless nights. Some nights felt like I had merely blinked and it had become morning. Other nights I drifted in darkness for hours at a time. Sometimes 'Aki' would be there, but never for long. I would simply ignore him until he disappeared. Years passed. Years upon years.

And then, that happened, and I was sent to that damned witch.

And I saw him. Aki. No. Fai.

So much had happened, but I never said a word. The resemblance was uncanny. It was far too much. He teased me, I threatened him. It was an endless cycle. But I remember those dreams. How many times was I tempted to confront him about it? So very many times. But I never did.

And yet, I felt a warmth over my heart as we grew close - whenever he put a hand on my arm, or whenever the teasing Kuro-whatever turned less mocking and more intimate, there was a little tingle, a little fluttering in my stomach.

It was only a bit sickening. But, I got used to it. And I fell.

I still never told him about the dreams. Not even the few times were laying together, when he was curled up on my chest, sleeping deeply or just cat-napping. I thought about it, sure, but whenever I tried to, it just didn't seem important.

Not when he would give that happy little sigh and shift around in his sleep.

Maybe that's why it was all too easy to give him my blood. It was a scary though, being bound to him like this, but the more I think about it, the less I mind it. I love him, after all, even if I don't say, so would it really be so bad?

He's sleeping now, but every few minutes he tenses and threatens to wake up.

That's why I'm laying down next to him and holding him close. I've seen him have nightmares before, so I know what to do. A tiny kiss against his forehead snaps him out of it just enough. A hand gently stroking his back calms him and lets him drift off to hopefully happier dreams.

I don't know what'll happen when he wakes up, but I'll face it head on, because this isn't a dream at all.

It's reality.