People could not tell when Flynn was awake. And often he let them rush in, about and out of his room without once stirring. His door opened and closed so many times it became a constant sound in his ears even during the long, lonely stretches of nighttime; the steps of panicking personnel, the sobbing voice of Princess Estellise or the comforting murmur of Sodia, the rustle of papers or bandages and the touches on his face were all a mixed flurry he had given up trying to discern apart. He couldn't rely on his hearing solely, on just touch.

The door finally quit slamming shut or flying open. It might be night.

Flynn twitches, breathes deeply, and lets out a soft groan of pain. He knows he should sleep but he had been trapped in darkness for so long he wants nothing more than to 'wake up.'

A soft click gets Flynn's attention, and at first he assumes it's his door. He goes still, forces his breathing to be regular like he had been trained, and wills the late visitor away. He was so tired of Estellise's apologies. Of Sodia's whispered heartfelt confessions. Of people pitying him or worrying excessively. He was alive. So long as he lives, Flynn knows he will continue to do the tasks and duties given to him.

That click was not from the right. It was from the left.

"Flynn..."

Immediately Flynn bolts up, and almost immediately hands grasp his shoulders. His own hands rise up, seeking out, groping in the dark and grabbing fistfuls of tunic that his mind's eye reminded him was a dark, charcoal gray. This felt like that tunic. It felt familiar.

There was a deep exhale, a shaky voice. "What happened, Flynn…?"

Out of all the voices, this one soothes the Commandant. "I'm not sure… Yuri… help me here…" One hand hesitantly lets him go, indicating up.

Flynn can't see Yuri hesitate. He couldn't see Yuri's hands shaking just before they calm down upon touching the bandage around his head. All he can do is feel the relief of the bandages loosening, slowly being unwrapped. Finally his unwrapped eye opens, widening when he realizes the other is still blocked.

In the moonlight Flynn makes out Yuri's face, just barely. Inches from his, somber and sad, a look he rarely ever saw on his friend's face. "Yuri?"

Yuri's hands come up to his face and gently remove the protective patch, peeling off the last bandage. When it falls into his palm Yuri's breath hitches, and Flynn feels a little afraid, although he tries to hide it.

Yuri's palm cups his cheek, his thumb rubbing under his eye. Flynn lets out a soft cry of pain, flinching away on instinct. Before he knows it Yuri has his arms around his neck and is cradling his head to his chest.

"I should have been here." Yuri whispers, guilt and anger lacing his tone. "Why did you run out there on your own? You're not invincible, Flynn!"

Flynn recalls the rampaging monsters. The fleeing people. The Knights at his command. He recalls fighting. Then he recalls blood, pain and passing out.

"Yuri…"

Yuri pulls away, his hands framing Flynn's face. When Flynn looks to him, he realizes his right eye is still covered. Yet when he blinks, it's painful, but he knows it blinked too and felt nothing over it.

"Yuri, my…"

Yuri's face takes on that pained look, and Flynn can tell his eyes are looking at the blinded right. It must look horrible.

"Don't look at it." Flynn says, almost calmly, reassuringly.

Yuri is not amused that the Commandant is trying to comfort him, when it was Yuri who should be there for him. Yet…

"Don't talk like that." Yuri whispers, his voice low, almost ragged with the guilt he was trying to bury down so Flynn won't hear it. "They'll… they'll fix this. Rita's been working on those mana things. Your eye will be fine."

"Rita was here already."

"She's working on it! She won't give up on you."

Flynn raises a hand to gently grasp Yuri's wrist, his good eye fixing on his best friend's face. "It was my doing, Yuri. You have your guild to take care of. I—"

"Shut up, Flynn." Yuri grumbles, then he pulls away slightly to begin re-bandaging Flynn's eye. "I'll come up officially in the morning. You sleep…"

"You'll use the door?"

"Just for that, no." For a moment Yuri smirks, and Flynn finds that more comforting then any words he was trying to impart. "But you look exhausted."

Flynn once more catches Yuri's wrist before he wraps up both eyes. "Not that one." He murmurs. "My left is fine…"

Yuri hesitates, but throws the longer bandage aside. "I'll see you in the morning, Flynn."

Flynn nods, and Yuri leans to his covered side. Flynn feels a soft touch to his temple, barely felt, and a warm breath. Within seconds Yuri breaks free of his hold and disappears out the window. Typical Yuri, he leaves the thing open.

But Flynn appreciates the cool night breeze coming in. It helps him relax, and the small smile on his face remains even as he for once goes to sleep.

Rita was only able to restore most of the appearance of Flynn's eye. He was, unfortunately, permanently blind in it from the puncture wound.

Although now he could walk the grounds without a bandage or eye patch, Flynn had seen what she had managed to fix. The only things left behind by the trauma was a pale silvery scar circling the affected eye, and the fact the iris was now a pale red. It had deeply troubled Flynn at first, whom used to believe such eyes belonged to monsters and demons. Yuri had reacted poorly to it as well, but considering the remaining options, Flynn has since then adjusted to it.

What he has not yet adjusted to was the attitude of the people.

Flynn has yet to return to the battlefield, the Captains under him reassuring him many times they did not need his assistance and he should take time to fully recover. Even Sodia has been trying to restrict him in some subtle way. Princess Estellise once threatened to use her royal authority to confine him if he made a move to go do battle.

The Council speaks and acts as if he were delicate. His friends are careful with him, as if afraid to offend or break him. Truth was Flynn has developed a small bit of hate for them all.

The only one who did not sidestep him was Yuri.

No-nonsense Yuri now makes regular visits to see Flynn. Sometimes he even uses the door. He indiscriminately approaches Flynn on either side of him, almost carelessly offers him things via his blind side. At first, Flynn was confused.

And then Flynn got mad.

For a few days, he would get angry when Yuri approaches from the blind side, or gives him things from that direction. Flynn was still adjusting to having to turn his head more to properly see a full normal field of vision, and Yuri seems to be mocking that fact.

But after a failed sparring match and Yuri offering him his hand, blind-side still, Flynn tries to grab it without looking. He had to attempt again to get a proper grip. When he was hauled to his feet, Yuri gives him a look, and Flynn understands.

Flynn was letting everyone's treatment handicap him. Make him feel sorry for himself, less than himself. Yuri was keeping him where he was, helping him overcome this issue without making Flynn sacrifice himself. Just like he did with Ragou and Cumore, even Alexei…

"Good job." Yuri says when he beats Flynn in a friendly spar. He was breathing just as hard as Flynn, though, and it was obvious the win was incredibly narrow. "Good to see you to your old self."

"I was just being nice to you." Flynn jokes breathlessly. "Are you okay, Yuri?"

"You always gotta ask that, don't you? I kicked your ass. I should be asking you." Yuri throws a towel at Flynn, who reflexively catches it with his still slightly clumsy right hand. "So, are you okay, Flynn?"

"More than," Flynn says honestly, toweling the sweat off his face. He breathes deeply against it for a moment before lowering it. "I have been unfair with you, Yuri…"

Yuri tilts his head in that manner that indicates he knew what was coming, but was going to play off that he didn't. "I don't know what you mean."

He does, so Flynn changes the unspoken topic on him. "Commanding all your time like this... I'm sure Brave Vesperia's been angry with me."

He earns a typical Yuri-scoff. "I'm not the boss of Brave Vesperia. Why you people seem to think I am, I dunno. Captain Karol's the leader. They've been managing fine when I come to see you." After a moment, Yuri loses the gruff edge, his voice a little softer. "They understand."

Flynn drapes the towel on his head and bows it slightly, hiding his face, his pale red eye. "Yuri… I'm…"

"You keep saying, 'I'm fine, Yuri' but you're not. You've let the idiots get to you. So you lost an eye. You're still Commandant. Do crap the way you want to like you used to." Yuri's eyes fix on Flynn's. The blue and red still make flashes of guilt go through him, but Yuri keeps the eye contact, refusing to back down. "Quit letting people guilt you into a corner. If anyone's guilty… it certainly isn't you. You did your damn job. Stupidly alone, but you did it."

The Commandant lifts his head, frowning. "I did not…" but upon thinking he realizes Yuri wasn't trying to start a fight. He was being brash Yuri as always, but meaning well. "I know. I'm thankful you have been treating me the same as always."

Yuri grins, toweling his own face clear of sweat. "Since when don't I?"

That was a comfort, and Flynn smiles in appreciation. He approaches Yuri, a hand reaching for his; Yuri sees it, and he grabs his hand instead, holding it off to Flynn's blind side. As Flynn automatically turns his head to look, Yuri catches him with a quick press of lips.

Flynn gapes and Yuri smirks, letting him go to turn away and start to head inside for a proper cleaning. Flynn watches him go, wanting to catch up, ask questions, something.

But he simply, slowly, follows after him, keeping Yuri in his only visible field of vision. After all the things Yuri did for him in the back, in the shadows, it was about time he actually got to see everything.