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: The next chapter is up and running!

Lucy: There is a second cure, according to Hibiki, but she didn't suggest it to Johan because she said that he would never accept what it was! So what can it be!

Me: Please enjoy!

Chapter Twelve: One, Two, Three and It's Done

"Y-you want me to kill Judai?"

Judai blinked innocently and looked in the direction of Zane's shout. He couldn't see the navyette's face, but he imagined that Zane was either furious or horrified. Judai could feel Hibiki shuffle next to him nervously.

"Yes, um... There is a little alchemy trick I learned from Daitokuji-sensei that might help," the ravenette suggested. Zane thanked any god that was listening that Shou and Fubuki were down at the cafeteria, getting some food for Judai, so they hadn't heard any of this. He clenched his fists and could have sworn that he drew blood.

"So, you didn't want to mention this to Johan?" he snarled quietly.

Hibiki looked embarrassed and glanced away. She fiddled with a lock of her hair and couldn't speak. She felt nervous all of a sudden, and felt like she couldn't suggest her ideas to Zane any longer. He seemed like he was going to get pissed off if she said any more. Eventually, she found the need to continue her explanation.

"Johan would never... actually accept this. If it was someone you cared about, would you accept them being killed?" Hibiki asked. "Johan would never let us do this, you see?"

Zane grit his teeth. "So..." his fist tightened. "You're just assuming that you can kill Judai when his back is turned? Is there even a medicine out in the fucking place that can save Judai?"

Hibiki frowned and shook her head. "No. There is no medicine. That was a lie," she admitted.

Zane felt ready to explode.

His hand snapped forward and grabbed the front of Hibiki's maroon Duel Academy jacket. He yanked her forward and brought her to his gray eye level. Hibiki gulped and looked away. The heat resonating from his gaze scared her horribly.

"So, there is no antidote?" the navyette shouted angrily. "So just sent Johan off on a fake lie so that he wouldn't be able to have a say in the way this was run? Is that it? Well, I don't know why you would lie like that, but if Johan knew that there was no other way, he might consider letting it happen! But no, you were to selfish to see that! Instead, you send him off because you don't want him yelling at you when he finds out what you are going to do! Now, how do you think he'll react when-"

"Okay."

Zane stopped shouting and gaped in the brunette's direction.

Judai was looking down at his hands, a solemn expression on his face. He fiddled with his fingers and refused to look up at the navyette. Zane could see his shoulders shaking slightly.

"You see," Judai murmured. "I have faith in Johan. But... if there is no way to cure me besides this, then I know Johan would accept it. Maybe not right away, but he would if he realized that there was no way."

Zane pursed his lips and closed his eyes. He could feel himself shaking, but he wasn't sure of what he could do. Half of his brain told him to do it and get Judai cured, but the other half told him not to do it and wait until Johan returned.

The navyette lowered his head so that his bangs were covering his eyes.

"All right," he murmured.

Hibiki stood behind Zane and nodded slowly. A tiny smile played with her lips for a moment, as she turned and went off to get a knife for the job that the navyette was going to do.

"Manjoume, have you found anything?" Johan cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to the ravenette. Manjoume glanced up and waved his flashlight in the bluenette's direction.

"No, nothing!" he called back.

Asuka brushed past Johan and glanced around in the darkness. She couldn't see two inches in front of her without the flashlight. The blonde narrowed her eyes and aimed the flashlight up ahead.

"I think I see something!" she called back.

Johan and Manjoume looked over in the blonde's direction and aimed their flashlights over towards her. They just barely caught sight of her blue skirt as she rushed into the bushes and vanished from sight.

"Come on!" Johan waved his hand and ushered Manjoume forward. Manjoume broke into a run and stayed right at the bluenette's heels. They conjoined the beams from their flashlights and called out for Asuka. She called back and gave them several directions on how to get where she was located.

It took them a few minutes, but they eventually caught up to the blonde Obelisk. Johan glanced up and saw a giant black figure towering several stories above them. He waved his flashlight over it.

The building was old and abandoned. It was a rusty color, and there were a few broken windows while the others were filled with cobwebs. One of the windows seemed to hold a light in it, but Johan imagined that it was just the reflection from his flashlight on a piece of broken glass. The main door to the building was none existent, the rusty hinges hanging and blowing creakily in the wind.

A smile creeped across Johan's lips.

"We found it guys," he chuckled. He heard Manjoume mutter "it's about time", while Asuka clapped. Johan's emerald eyes glanced up and scanned over the building again.

Hang in there a bit longer, Judai. I'm going to save you, Johan thought.

He looked towards his gang and nodded to them. They moved forward and aimed their flashlights towards the entrance, walking through the big black doorway, in search of the non-existent medicine.

Zane hovered above Judai and held a knife above his head. Judai was laying on the infirmary bed, his eyes staring up at the ceiling, though he couldn't see it. He felt as though he were in a cold sea of darkness. The pain that seered through him was calmer now that he was relaxing, but it was still excruciating.

Zane shivered and almost dropped the knife. He was torn between his decision to save Judai from the pain he was in, and his desire to let Johan know about it in advance.

Judai glanced over towards Zane and flashed him a big grin.

"It'll be okay, Zane!" he said with a small laugh. Zane felt his heart beat harder as he saw his friend smiling, though he was in so much pain. Judai gripped his fist and raised it up. "One, two, three, and it's done, right?"

"R-right," Zane managed to whisper. He raised the knife into the air and aimed it down at Judai's heart. He adjusted the knife so that it fit comfortably in his hands.

Judai closed his eyes and clasped his hands together tightly. Just think of all your favorite things, Judai! Fried shrimp, dueling, and Johan! the brunette thought. He imagined that being stabbed through the heart would hurt for only a moment, and then when he slipped into death, he imagined that it would be a bit calming. Then he imagined that he would feel great when he was revived by the alchemy skill that Hibiki told them she had learned from Daitokuji-sensei.

Zane hesitated for a moment, closed his eyes, and then plunged the knife down as hard as he could without a second thought, not noticing the small smile that seemed to creep across Hibiki's lips.

Me: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Lucy: AAAAAGH! Zane, what did you do! OH MY GOD!

Me: WAAAAAGH! Please review and we shall update. AAAAAAAAAGH!