Setting: Canon World, the Pillar

PoV: Toya

Notes: A thought about Sho's Deep Vision.

Toya found it unusually difficult to look into Sho's eyes.

He'd conversed with many people before, from politicians in power to the humble worker, and never found eye contact a problem. At least, he never thought he had. But Sho was different.

Looking into Sho's eyes was unnerving. He knew about Sho's power of vision, and though he understood what it meant, those eyes of his seemed clear enough to look inside his heart. A vulnerable feeling, like his soul was exposed for Sho to see despite a lifetime of hiding it, smothering it. A feeling he wasn't accustomed to, and wasn't sure he enjoyed.

In fact he hated it, because there wasn't anything to see. God knows he tried not to think about what was inside himself. Emptiness had always scared him. And he had a feeling that if he let Sho look long enough, it would scare him too.

And yet, Sho kept coming back. He kept asking for his company, kept conversing with him, kept looking into his eyes with that unnervingly clear gaze. And the longer Toya looked back, the more he realized Sho was open to him too. When he looked into Sho's eyes, he could see so much of him: his earnestness, his willingness to help, his steadfast nature. There was also vulnerability there as well; a wary anticipation of visions, a need to know that he was grounded in reality and not seeing, a fear of losing others, of losing him. Understandable fears, even human, or as human as Sho could be with a Gift like his.

Yes, it felt as if Sho could look inside Toya's heart, but the reverse was true as well. Toya envied Sho for his inability to hide, because from what he saw there wasn't anything to hide in the first place. Clean, unlike him. Not empty.

And still, Sho kept returning to his side. Toya couldn't understand why, but he didn't feel the need to ask. With each moment they spent together Sho weakened that empty feeling inside of him, like water chipping away at stone. His presence was soothing, gentle and calming. And though that feeling of unease never left him, Toya found it a little easier each time to look into Sho's eyes.

If his emptiness didn't scare Sho away, then perhaps he saw something else there. Toya could only hope Sho was right.