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"Is that how you got that?" She said pointing to his hidden eye? "What's under there?" She said and moved her hand slowly toward the hidden eyes, making a move to uncover it, "Whats so wrong that you have to keep your eye covered? Its almost plasted onto your face since its so hot here." She said.

I stop playing and return the the ocarina to my jewel. I dip under water one last time and slowly climbed out. Standing there in my loincoth I shake my hair out and touch the glyph that was on the side my jewel. The jewel glowed brightly, and the glyph floated until it was in front of me. I held out my hands and the glyph landed on my hands and exploded into a sliver-blue fire. The fire extingished in a couple of seconds revealing my gi, clean and folded. I put it on and leave.

"No." Akira sat on the rock in the water, staring at the sky still. He counted the stars, one by one, never missing. He located the constellations, and named them in his head. He was a devoted man of the stars. He loved them. They gave him the peace he always needed when thinking of 'her.' He turned towards Aya once again.

Akira felt his eyes on him and looked down at her. "Is something the matter?" He saw her smile and dismissed it as a problem or concern. He sighed. Damn women and their cute faces. He grunted and placed his hand over his hidden eye. I just know she's gonna scream. Maybe not..but...They always used to do that. He carefully studied Aya and slowly moved the hair from his face. He, however, kept his hand over the eye, still hiding it. "Do you really want to see?" His voice had lost all compassion and friendlyness. There was nothing but seriousness and tension in his voice.

Akira nodded, and slowly..very slowly..removed the hand...Where an eye should have been..There was nothing. only a socket that held within its dark depths a void of loss and pain. He quickly covered the socket once again. "This is my trophy of love. Everything I ever had loved was lost, and this is how I repaid death. It holds many memories for me. Precious memories that I have once taken for granted. I see only death within this darkness. And I yearn to gain again what I have searched for for so long. If only..." His voice trailed off.

Akira looked at her impassively. "Don't pity me." his voice was hard and rough. "It does not make me sad...." He looked to the sky. "I got what I deserved, and I accepted it. I failed to protect the one I love, and now....I..." He looked down into the water. "...I dont know what to do. The pain of it makes sure that I dont forget. Never. Her scream..Her tears as she, " his voice started to shake, "..as she died in my arms... I loved her so much. She was everything to me. She was the reason I kept on living after so many years of war and so many years of killing. She was my light..." A sad smile graced his lips as a single tear fell down his cheek. "I had gone to a powerful miko to bring her back. She said 'It will be a separation of soul mates. Ye shall not find each other until someone recognizes the symptoms of loss, and near death in one. There will be no recognition on her part at first, but the heart never forgets. Give me time samurai, and I shall bring her to ye.' and I still have yet to see her. To hold her again." Akira looked to the sky again, his face shimmering with tears. "My eye, I had lost it in the battle, when I was trying to save her. But I failed. And now my curse is starting to burn, and it's power increasing." He looked to Aya. "I can see many things with this socket. There may be no eye, but I see death, and blood where ever I go. I can predict the death of a person and see the spirits of the netherworld clinging to those who are not long for this world." He paused. "It always hurts." A sickening laugh escaped his lips. "And I enjoy it. I enjoy the pain because I deserve what this. So I accept it." He looked again to the sky.

Akira raised an eyebrow. The hug was surprising none the least, but in a weird way it comforted him. He hesitantly leaned his head towards her neck. He sighed, his voice a little lighter. "You know...." He laughed without happiness. It was actually more of a grunt. "I seriously don'[t know why I am telling you all this." He did it again and once more sighed. "If only I COULD find her. She is no where though, and I can't bear that loss." His haori stuck to his chest as he moved forward. "I don't believe that I am truely long for this world myself." He paused and breathed in lightly. "She was truely beautiful. Her eyes would make me fly whenever I saw that twinkle. And her lips...Every time I kissed them I would hold her just to make sure she was real. I never wanted to let go, not for a moment. I was supposed to die protecting her..." A tear dripped onto Aya's shoulder. "..but she died protecting me. There was no reason, damnit!" He shouted loudly, his anger finally coming out. "All the time I would tell her to just let ME do the protecting, let ME take care of her that I would never let anything happen to her! It was all my fault." Akira's dignity and prideful barriers were let down, and he broke out into sobs. "She....." he cut off.

"Yes. But the worst thing is...She is out there...alive again..somewhere." He looked towards the water. "i just..don't know where. i can't find her. And I.....probably never will." Akira stated matter-of-factly. "the only way is to have someone help me. But...It is impossible. Don't even worry about it." Akira changed the subject. "I am terribly sorry for your loss. I wish that there was something I could do for you."