(Sorry for the cliffhanger, people! I didn't even realize. I forget that you don't know what's going to happen, I just automatically think that if I know what's going on, everyone does. XD I'm horrible! Ok, I'll shut up now and let you all read…)

I do not own anything.

Kenshi had never thought of Ermac as a very self-conscious person. Sure, he always made sure to bathe alone, or was always dressed in a matter of seconds, but Kenshi never actually thought of his friend as self-conscious.

That was, however, until he stepped into his hut and heard shouting. Kenshi's first thought was that the she-demon had attacked his friend and he immediately started to act.

"Wait," Ashrah said, sounding extremely angry. Kenshi stopped, and waited as she had instructed. She had better have a good explanation as to why she was attacking his friend. The woman took a few needed breaths before continuing. "I need to check his injuries - "

"Get the hell off of us!" Ermac roared, causing Kenshi to flinch. Wow, somebody was not happy…

"Shut up," Ashrah demanded, her voice just as harsh as Ermac's was. "I need to see his injuries," Ashrah said, the tone in her voice saying it all. Kenshi smirked as he knelt down closer to Ermac's pinned down form.

"Ermac, let her undress you." The room grew quiet, something Kenshi didn't expect. Maybe he worded that wrong…

"Kenshi," Ermac started. He sounded out of breath, something that bothered Kenshi. The blind man waited as Ermac caught his breath and continued. He seemed to be doing a lot of waiting lately…

"Get her off of us, please." The pleading undertone in his voice made Kenshi feel immensely sorry for his friend…and, well, rather amused at his plight. Amusement won out, and Kenshi patted Ashrah on the shoulder reassuringly.

If only Kenshi could see the look on Ermac's face, he would savor it forever.

"I'll be here if you need assistance," Kenshi stood, and headed toward the door.

Ashrah made a confused noise in the back of her throat. "What…where are you going?" Kenshi chuckled.

"I'll be outside. I need to meditate - "

"Kenshi!" Ermac yelled, rather uncharacteristically. Kenshi was downright shocked. Ermac had never yelled at him like that. Well, sort of. He had yelled at him before, just not in such a panicked voice. Was it that bad? Was this woman that revolting? Somehow, the blind man doubted it. She had a very nice voice. Deep, smooth…

Kenshi heard a thump, then the sound of fabric hitting the floor. He smirked, and walked outside. Ermac had finally given up. Good. The idiot was going to really hurt himself if he continued being so stubborn.

Ashrah was beyond angry. She had finally gotten the idiot to lay down; she practically had to sit on him - carefully, she didn't want to hurt him - to get him to listen to her. Ashrah, her knees carefully placed away from the man's injured sides by a good inch or two, grabbed Ermac's collar and began undoing his shirt. She heard Kenshi exit, something she was glad of. The demon then threw the shirt to her left and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from seeming too surprised.

The man's sides weren't too badly bruised, but the purple patches were bad enough. How was she going to help him? She had no medical experience whatsoever. Ashrah sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump.

"Are you done?" Ermac asked quietly. Ashrah began to glare; what was his problem? She was trying to help! Why the hell wouldn't he let her help him? It was getting ridiculous.

Ashrah moved her focus from the man's body to his face. "No," was her simple and curt reply. Ermac's eyes were slightly narrowed, and Ashrah snorted. "I'm not frightened of you."

At least, not right now. There was nothing to be scared of if he was too injured to stand. But when the man was in full health, he was formidable. Beyond that, even. Well, to Ashrah at least. She had never thought of herself as weak by any means, but fighting Ermac had put her in a place where she was reconsidering her abilities. She needed to train. Heavily. She had felt better with the Kriss, but now that it was gone, she had an uneasy feeling. It was rather pathetic to be dependant on a weapon. Yes, she had her powers as a demon, but she hadn't relied heavily upon those powers in a while…

Ashrah felt a slight tremor beneath her, shaking her out of her melancholic thoughts. She studied Ermac's masked face, trying to find anything. "Ermac," she said softly. He continued to glare at her, wordlessly. Aggravated, she tried again. "Listen, I can't help you if you won't let me." Her voice was surprisingly calm.

He gave himself away, however. Ashrah noticed a slight movement in his jaw when his body shook again. His wrappings moved as his jaws clenched tightly together. Worry filled Ashrah, even though she was still angry. The way he was still glaring at her…she wanted to slap him. But at the same time, she was reeling with anxiety. She quickly placed a hand on the man's forehead, then his neck. He was burning up - that was not good.

"Shit," Ashrah growled as she stood, heading for the door. Having a fever was not a good sign - she couldn't help him. They needed to find someone who could help before…

Before what? What did she care if he died? He had been her enemy, and he didn't even want her help. He had it coming. She could just leave him to die. She would find a way to fight Kenshi off, and there she would be. Away, going on with her life. Sounded like a plan to her. She turned to Ermac, expecting to see those eyes still narrowed at her.

But they weren't. She noticed his eyes weren't open at all. They were screwed shut, his jaw still clenched. His breathing was, no matter how hard he seemed to be trying, erratic. Ashrah stood in the doorway, watching. Ermac opened his eyes, seeing her staring at him. He blinked a couple of times, as if he was having trouble focusing.

"…Kenshi," he breathed out. Ashrah was motionless. Speechless, even. She never expected to see Ermac so weak. Why wasn't she moving? She then realized that she wasn't even breathing! All she could do was look at Ermac's muscles do their best not to allow his body to start shaking. It was getting harder, she noticed. He eventually gave up, allowing his body to shiver violently. He sucked in a shaky breath, looking at the woman once again. "Get Kenshi."

Ashrah finally moved. She turned and ran out of the dwelling, hoping the blind man was close. He was, and the demon didn't hesitate to shake him from his meditation. "He has a fever," Ashrah started breathlessly. She hadn't ran that far, why was she out of breath? Surely she couldn't bet that worked up.

Kenshi stood almost instantly. "What?" The man's voice was hard, but worried. He didn't wait for an answer, and started toward the hut. Ashrah followed, not entirely sure why. She could run away then. She didn't need this.

When the two entered the hut, Ermac was sitting up, a hand over his mouth. Kenshi knelt down beside him. "Damn," he paused, pointing toward the opening to another room. "There are blankets in a chest." Ashrah nodded, knowing it was stupid because he couldn't see it, and went to retrieve the mentioned blankets. She came back and laid them beside Kenshi.

"There's a small village a few miles from here. They have a doctor." Kenshi said as he placed the blankets over Ermac's quaking form. He gently pried his hand away from his mouth, and cursed once again. Bright red colored his palm. Ashrah felt herself frown. Kenshi laid his friend down and stood, heading for the door. "I'm going to get him." Ashrah had a feeling she wasn't going to like what was going to be said next.

"I need you to stay here and watch him." The blind man's voice was laced with venom. "You had better make sure he's alright when I come back." Then he was gone. Ashrah stood, speechless for a moment. She then looked down at Ermac.

He seemed to have calmed down slightly, something that brought her relief. Why did she care? She could leave right then. Ashrah sat down beside Ermac, not entirely sure what she should do. So, she watched his chest rise and fall sporadically. At first his breathing was rather quiet, even while wildly not normal. Then his voice started to catch on his breathing. Ashrah was startled, she had grown used to the random rhythm of his breathing, the hollow sound of air.

Ashrah panicked. She grabbed hold of one his hands and gently began stroking it. She didn't know why - it was ridiculous! Ermac's moans, however, quieted. The woman was surprised. She thought that never worked.

Then he started mumbling things. Ashrah didn't catch any coherent words at first, but after a bit she realized what he was saying. She felt slightly guilty for listening in on whatever the fever ridden man was saying, but she had nothing better to do, and how knew? She might find out something interesting.

(…Ok, that cliffhanger was intentional. This story will get back to being funny, I promise! XD I hope you enjoyed it.)

Red