Title: Love is Blind

Genre: romance, hurt/comfort

Rating: T for language, mild violence, and suggested themes

Pairings: JohanXJudai (hinted other pairings)

Summary: When Johan goes back to North Academy, he confesses to Judai just before he leaves. He then gets word at North Academy that Judai has fallen into a coma. Johan rushes to Duel Academy in hopes that Judai will awaken. Judai does, but when he awakens from his coma, he's blind! Is his blindness permanent or temporary? Can Johan cure it? And is it just blindness, or is Judai's life in jeopardy?

Me: This is the next chapter!

Lucy: We see what Judai's mind is like now that he's in a coma! We also get to see what is going to happen with Johan! Is he going to come and rescue Judai from the darkness?

Me: Read on to find out!

Chapter Three: Digging Deeper

It was... dark. It was all around, as if a great fog had built up. Where it began or where it ended remained a mystery. Was he able to see? Or rather, was there anything to see?

Deep, chocolate brown eyes stared blankly ahead, their color slowly dulling into a pale black. Long, messy bangs fell in front of his eyes, shielding more than half of his paler-than-usual face. His knees were drawn to his chin, arms holding them close. He didn't even notice the dirt and mud that was covering his Osiris Red jacket or his white jeans.

How long had he been there? When had he arrived? These questions and many more just buzzed around in his mind. He didn't know where he was. He didn't care. Wherever it was, it was as black and vacant as his heart.

Drip.

He was jostled back into awareness by the sound of something dripping. He didn't look up, but he kept an ear out for the noise. That way, if it happened again, he's know where it came from. The noise echoed, then fell silent.

Dr-drip.

He slowly lifted his head up, looking from his knees and around. The darkness was everywhere. He felt cold and numb. His body was like lead, sore and tired. He had no sense of time. How long had he been here?

"Ugh..." he tried to open his mouth and call out, but nothing came except for a low groan. He couldn't feel. Nothing except the cold loneliness that seeped through him.

Where is this place? he thought. Where am I?

"Hey..."

Eyes widened slightly. His head lifted up and looked around. There was still nothing. He was now, however, aware that he was levitating in the air, seeing what looked like a pool of dark, thick water below him.

"Ah?" he made a soft noise deep in his chest as he looked around.

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around."

He knew it was his voice. He closed his mouth, but he could still hear it echoing off the walls around him. Walls? There weren't any walls. But if that was the case, then why was it echoing? He wasn't saying anything. His lips hadn't opened in several minutes, so why was his voice still being heard?

A thought, maybe?

"Well, when you say it like that..."

Eyes widened. His heart started pounding at a rate that he thought it was going to explode. He didn't have to try and think. He knew who this voice belonged to.

"J-Jo..." he parted his lips and tried to speak the name. "Jo...h-han..."

Judai could hear the voice, but he couldn't see. He glanced around and saw nothing but the water and the darkness. Where was the voice coming from? Where was Johan? Where was anything?

"Eh? That Johan guy... That's me."

Judai would know that voice anywhere. He heard a laugh echo as well, a laugh that he had missed so dearly. He glanced around desperately now, now fully aware of his surroundings.

"Johan..." he started off softly, but his cries grew more frantic with each and every second. What was happening? Where was he? What was going on? Where was Johan? Johan...

Something warm and wet was sliding down his cheek. Judai didn't know what it was. It slid down his cheek, to the edge of his chin, and stayed there for a short while.

"Johan..." Judai whispered weakly. Where was he?

"Judai..."

The crystal tear seemed frozen in time, just waiting for the moment when it would be freed from the brunette. It was waiting for its moment. A silent countdown was issued through the darkness.

"I love you."

Judai sniffled and shuddered. "I-I..." he trailed off, unable to speak anymore. Johan wasn't here. Johan wasn't coming anymore. Johan had left for North Academy. Johan wasn't ever going to come back.

He seemed colder than before, all of a sudden. A dark feeling swept over him. Memories of the bluenette smiling, laughing, grinning, all of them seemed to flash before him like a movie. He couldn't hear Johan speak anymore, but he could see him. It hurt. His heart hurt. The man that he cared the most for was gone.

"I..."

The tear was finally freed, and went falling ever so slowly. The small bead of salty water that held the brunette's love, sorrow, desire, and want fell slowly through the air, towards the ground.

It landed gently on the surface of the dark water. The countdown had been finished.

CRACK!

Judai felt something latch onto his wrist and drag it down. His dull eyes glanced over and saw a gray blur wrapped around his wrist. He struggled and shook his wrist, trying to get it off.

Another wrapped around his other wrist. Judai glanced over and saw a thick amount of chains surging towards him from the water. They wrapped around his body, squeezing the life out of him. Judai's cries of agony were lost in the darkness as he screamed and flailed. He wasn't going to let his tears fall again.

JOHAN!

The thought vanished from his mind almost instantly. He couldn't shout the name. His throat was squeezed by a thick chain, cutting off any ability he had to speak. The chains tightened and started yanking him down towards the darkness. Wherever the water led to, Judai was going to it, no matter what he did to fight against it.

Tears started to fall down his porcelain-colored cheeks.

Johan, the name was thought so softly. His pale lips moved to mouth the name as he was pulled to the water. Once the chains started to drag him through, he was aware of the cold feeling.

The chains started pulling him down gently. He was up to his ankles in water, now to his shins, now to his knees. The chains seemed to loosen as he was being dragged under. He couldn't fight back. There was no need to keep him so tight. Judai kept silent, his tears falling until he was up to his neck in the water.

Save me.

The chains finally released and Judai was fully submerged in the thick water. Judai opened his mouth to scream, but he was still mute. A mass of bubbles rushed from his throat, and his chest started to hurt. Was he dying? It didn't seem to matter to him anymore. He just cried softly and let the water take him under.

He couldn't get any air... His eyes were closed tightly as he tried to maintain any consciousness he held, but soon, he felt his mind slip into the deepest depths of the darkness, and he lost himself.

Johan...

Me: Oh noes! Johan, you better hurry before it's too late!

Lucy: Hopefully, he'll be able to rescue Judai from the darkness before he doesn't awaken ever again! And if that's the case, what will Johan do? He will lose his mind is what he'll do!

Me: Please review! We update faster when we get reviews xD