You once told me that the night was your friend.

You were so young then, blinking up to me with those crimson eyes of yours. Large, child-like... but not innocent. You have been jaded far too early.

Of course, I asked why, in that amused tone I always used to cover my apprehension. And your answer was so short, so simple, that it hurt:

"Because no one's around to see what I am."

I hated everyone for making you think this way. You should've been playing games like the other children, not thinking about surviving in a world black with bigotry. They judged you, even feared you, for what they thought you were--not taking the time to just see you... the way I do.

But the world was never ours to change.

Still, you stay the same. I watch you sleep as I bend over you, your companions unaware of my presence. This was one skill I know I have mastered: the art of being invisible when I want to.

And tonight, in this lonely forest with its sleepy trees, time can be forgotten.

I sweep your hair aside, delighting in their soft touch. Like feathers, they brush against my skin, astounding me in more ways than any battle could ever do.

Your eyes open, waking slowly the way you always do, as I have always watched you. And you smile as you see me--the lost innocence there, only for me to see.

For your red never fades with night.


FIN

A/N: This was written in less than 20 minutes in an Internet Caf� one morning when I locked myself out of my house. Earlier, I entered into a conversation with Celeb and we wondered whether there was something about Doku and Gojyo in the Saiyuki �cave� episode. We managed to convert each other into becoming Doku/Gojyo shippers that day.