She was running through a darkness, the only thing that lit her path was a golden light somewhere too far for her to reach. No matter how long she ran, it never seemed any closer. It was never in her grasp...

"Get up."

She looked back to see a figure behind the light, a silloette against it. Still she didn't stop moving towards it.

"Come on."

She was suddenly being shaken by the shoulder.

"Sasha, we don't have time for you to sleep in like this." Malik's voice became clear to her, and she blinked tiredly, staring up as sunlight made it harder for her to see him. She held her hand up to the sun and narrowed her eyes to slits. Behind him, Altair was giving his horse some water, and Demitri was getting his pack on their horse.

With a sigh, she stood up. "Alright, I'm up. So we get to Masyaf today?"

"Yeah, we do." Malik answered with a nod. "Tonight. Trust me, you'll feel much more comfortable there than where we're standing now."

"It'd better be. Or I want my money back." She chuckled.

Malik only blinked then forced a laugh. "I'm afraid the humor from your time is lost on me."

She shrugged. "Everyone has their own taste in jokes I suppose."

"Indeed."

Altair coughed, rather loudly, into his fist; an obvious sigh meaning "hurry it up". Despite the meaning behind it, Malik gave Altair a challanging smirk and shook his head. With a slight nod Sasha's way, they both walked to their horses, got saddled up, and were back on the trails.

Sasha leaned into Demitri's chest. "So how'd you sleep?"

He shrugged a little. "Fine, I guess. I think it was Altair's night time outbursts that kept me up."

"He was sleep talking?" She turned to look at him. There was a crooked grin there.

"Yeah," He chuckled. "Some shit about 'I'm sorry mom' and a string of 'no don't's, I think. I have no clue what the hell he was even dreaming."

This seemed to settle like a stone for her, and she looked towards Altair guiltily. Maybe that had something to do with his attitude towards them. Did he feel bad about something? She could only wonder. Asking the man could possibly spell death. It would have to wait until, and if, they were ever friends close enough for him to trust her. Then she consitered the chances of that happening and laughed to herself. Pour bastard.

Then she thought about how Demitri was kept up by Altair when she slept soundly. Maybe it had something to do with where they lived. She was so used to loud noises, it all seemed to blur in her mind and lull her to sleep. He wasn't like that. He was used to quiet, the gentle wind whistling outside his window and crickets chirping.


It seemed like hours later, the sun had crested across the sky and was drawing closer to setting on their second day of travel. Demitri eased his grip on the reins, and whipped sweat from his brow before sighing heavily and leaning forward into Sasha's back.

"Ugh... not now, Demitri... it's hot out..." She grunted before wriggling forward in the saddle. "I'll snuggle when I'm not sweating the water out of my body."

He chuckled and sat upright once more. "Alright, I'll spare you. But only for the time being."

No one had seem it coming, it whizzed past his ear, through Sasha's copper streaked hair, and kept flying until it met it's mark. Malik screamed as the arrow sank into his back before he fell off his horse and into the dirt. To this, Altair turned, pulling his sword out while still on his own gray mount. Sasha slid off their black mare and ran straight for Malik, while Demitri cranned his neck to see a band of six men on horseback coming right at them.


"There they are!" Demitri exclaimed, Sasha looked back over her shoulder a moment before translating it to Arabic for Altair to understand. The white clad man nodded and charged at their attackers, fighting them off. She didn't watch, she only kneeled down next to Malik as he stayed still in the dirt. Hopefully the arrow hadn't peirced anything vital.

Careful not to hurt him, she gently pulled the arrow out of his back, finding the wound deep, but nothing punctured by the arrow's iron tip. After padding herself down, she took a piece of cloth that was suppose to be used for Demitri's wound, and secured it to the bleeding hole before turning him over.

"Malik? Malik? Please, answer me." She urged, gripping his shoulders tightly. When the Arab groaned as responce, she shook him a little, snapping him slightly from his daze. "Malik!"

He stared up at her almost like he was drunk, eyes dull and hardly focused. She knew he was probably still trying to process his own thoughts, but she couldn't slow her racing thoughts. She worries for him. Finally he asked slowly, "What hit me?"

"An arrow, you fell off your horse." Sasha answered him quickly. "Luckily it didn't damage anything important. It'll just hurt. You'll be alright, just try to get up."

He nodded a little and backed away from her hands as he sat up, using an arm to support him. When he looked up again, his dark eyes widened. "Sasha! Behind you!" He then shoved her to the side as a battle axe came crashing to the ground where she had been a second ago. Malik stayed over her protectively as he drew his sword out. The man he was facing was clearly European, his skin lighter than even Altair's, and some blonde hair poked out from behind his metal helmet. Green eyes met black as they both glared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

The blonde's impatience got the better of him, and he charged at Malik with his axe in the air. But he was quickly kicked in the stomach, the blow enough to stun him while Malik impaled his neck. The man collapsed to the dirt choking on his own blood, spitting out crimson stained saliva and letting it dribble out of the corners of his mouth. He didn't die right away, he just kept coughing as his blood begun to pool around his neck. Sasha could only watch in horror as the man struggled to breathe, to get air in his lungs instead of his own blood. It was funny how something that should help you live, can end up killing you too.

Malik sighed and sunk the tip of his sword into the man's chest. Into his heart. A quick mercy to end the agony. He then turned to her. "Are you alright?"

She was breathing harshly. "I- I'm fine... thanks..." She assured as she tried to stand up. How could her knees have gotten so weak?

Altair had stayed on his horse the entire fight, and sheathed his sword. Behind him, five horses were trotting away from the other bodies. "Probably some more of de Sable's men, we should hurry before he sends more."

"What they wanted with us is beyond me." Malik responded. "But you're right. We should make hast, Masayf isn't too far now."

Sasha stared at the body of the blonde, thinking about how she could have been the one dead on the ground. How would Demitri act to it? Would he cry? Or would he grow depressed and commit suicide? She wasn't sure. All she did know was that she was alive, and that guy was dead. Funny how this sort of thing works.

"Sasha, come on." Demitri's voice snapped her from her thoughts, and she looked up to him. He was holding his good hand out to her so he could help her on the horse. She took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up in front of him. Then they were on the move again. Malik and Altair were speaking in hushed tones to each other, probably about their procuers.

Night fell and embraced the desert in a chilled blanket, she shivered slightly and nuzzled in closer to Demitri and his fevered body. He didn't argue, only kept his broken hand on her thigh as the black mare they rode on continued to move at a steady trot.

She soon found herself dozing off to the bounce of their transportation, and watched the world pass her by. For some reason, she felt light headed, warmth had come to her side, warmth and a harsh throbbing pain. Though she hadn't bothered to look. Something about the peace around her kept her from even bothering to look down at the pained side.

"Are you okay, Sasha?" She heard Demitri's voice ask in a concerned tone. Her answer was a light hum.

A hand patted her side, and the horse suddenly stopped as she was pulled from the saddle. Sasha stared up dazily at the sky, and soon Demitri's face as a hand pressed to her throbbing side. He was shouting over his shoulder in what little Arabic he knew.

"Sasha. She is bleeding!" He exclaimed.

The vibrations that came from quick paced footfalls were strangly soothing, a small reminder that she was still able to sense the world around her. That she wasn't too far gone.

The hand was removed before being replaced by a cloth and a pair of wider palms. The hand that had been holding the side now took hold of hers, intertwining fingers. She looked up at Demitri distantly before he and Malik attempted to move her. The throb was sudden agony, one that forced a scream from her throat. A near soundless, unnerving scream. She held Demitri's hand a little tighter then before she told them through gritted teeth, "Stop... this isn't helping at all..."

Demitri appeared desperate now, his fear bubbling to the surface. Making a quick desistion, he told Malik quickly, "Go. I stay here and watch over her."

Malik shook his head. "That's probably not a good idea. What if more of de Sable's men come back? You can't defend yourself with a broken wrist and ribs." Though Demitri didn't seem to understand it all, he got the point. So the Arab continued. "Go with Altair, get a cart so we can roll her back. I'll stay here and make sure she doesn't die."

Her boyfriend got up when Malik nodded towards his black mare, and Altair already on his horse. She watched him get on before casting her a worried look and riding away with Altair. When they were got, she felt another cloth added to the other and the hands press a little more into her bleeding side. Sasha sighed, letting her eyes flutter shut.

"Don't you dare close those eyes." Malik rumbled.

She didn't answer, only found her breathing slowing down as a relieving numb sensation started to creep in.

One hand pulled away from her side and took her by the chin, angling it up to the sky. "Come on, Sasha. Stay with me. You're going to be alright."

Eyes cracked open just enough to see Malik's conserned expression, she chuckled weakly with a dark humor. "You want to learn my methods of healing? I guess this can be your first lesson... put your hand back on my side, put pressure on the wound..." Malik obliged and she then asked, "Why did you stay behind?"

"Are you saying you'd rather be with Altair?" Malik questioned.

"No... But why?" She pressed.

He sighed quietly, his gaze returning to her side where his fingers still held the thick pad of cloth to it. "Maybe because I'm too kind..." She felt her eyelids slowly closing on her as she listened. But Malik was quick to snap her back with a harsh, "Don't even think about falling asleep."

After that, her memory failed to record what came next.

Yup, sorry about the really long delay here. I started writing another fic and got distracted. So here we go, another chapter.