Pea and Nile left the house to gather some berries and Pea wanted to hunt. They had gotten closer in these past few days so much that it annoyed Khari. He would watch them play chase, cook, do chores and sleep together and it bothered him a lot and he didn't even know why. Nile was just so gentle with him but he also kept his distance because he didn't want to irritate him. Path had taken time to revamp Nile's house to make it more comfortable for her master. She used some of the gold to get new things for Nile's house. "We not staying here forever, why are you buying all this?" Khari who seemed as if he didn't like being at Nile's house complained but he never took the initiative to leave. The two ran in the forest throwing berries at each other. Pea was like a little child when she was around Nile. They held hands and played in the forest. Before they left Khari had warned them not to be late again but he knew they would not be back soon. They had hunted down a couple of rabbits and they sat on the rock eating some of the berries they had gathered. Pea put her head on Nile, she like him as a brother and she knew he was attracted to her master. "When are you confessing to my master that you like him? You always secretly looking at him." She asked Nile with berried in her mouth. Nile put his hand on Pea's green hair. "I don't think he likes me. Besides wasn't his heart cursed so he'd lock the two of you up?" He asked her and she didn't reply him. She knew the lie had been spread by the human, Guardian and other supernatural elders to keep the secret about Jahzara safe. "Well since we out then maybe the curse also lifted, besides it said a woman and you are not a woman Nile." She said to him. Path had planted this idea of two men being normal into Pea's head and now she found really captivating and normal. "Two men being together is not really that easy Pea." Nile explained to her. He had been with a man before but to most people the man had just claimed him as a friend. He had hurt over it and the man had gone to marry someone else, a woman. Nile had always known he liked men since he was child, he had sleot with women but it didn't feel right and when he met his former lover he thought he had found his place but he hid him with shame and still married a woman. "Nile you like him and I am sure he does like you too, he just doesn't know it since he has never experienced it. Besides love is love. Don't let it pass you by." She encouraged him he squeezed her head laughing. She was the kindest person he had ever met and he wondered why they were labelled as bad. They had become good friends and he loved her like a sister. The two of them kept lying on the rock eating the berries together.
They were relaxed when Pea felt the phoenix energy close by, she quickly sat up straight and looked around them. She sensed danger close to them so she quickly transformed into serpent self and coiled around Nile guarding him. Nile stood up and waited with his fist formed as if he could fight. Nile hissed whilst she looked around. Adana and two guards showed up with their swords drawn. Pea quickly slithered right round them knocking them off their feet to the ground and going back to guard Nile. One of the guards got up but she hit him with her tail and she transformed into her human form and kicked Adana in the chest. Adana was shocked to see a beautiful girl transform from the serpent. Pea took a spin in the air and kicked the other guard with two of her feet and landed on the ground where she transformed into her serpent form and coiled right round the other guards crushing him to death. She threw his body away and slithered back closer to Nile. There were more guards coming so Pea slithered making a whirlwind so they couldn't see, she hit their legs and they fell on the ground. She transformed back to human form and stood in the middle. One of the guards came from the bushes with a bow and arrow aimed at Pea. Nile saw it and he rushed in front of Pea screaming. "Pea, watch out!" He stood in front of her and got hit by the arrow in the shoulder. He groaned in pain as he fell to the ground. Pea screamed and she transformed and hit the guard with her tail and quickly transformed ack to her human form and held Nile in her arms. "Nile, you stupid fool! Why did you do that huh?" She said in tears. She held him tight and disappeared with him. The Guardians slowly stood up and realized she had left.
Pea reached home and she sat outside holding Nile who had lost consciousness. She was crying and began screaming for help. "Path! Master! Help me! Please hurry!" She called out in tears. Khari and Path appeared from inside and rushed to her. Khari knelt next to them. "What happened Pea?" Path asked her sister whilst Khari took Nile from Pea's arms and he carried her into the house quickly. "The Guardians ambushed us and he stood in front of me to protect me." She said ad broke down. Path held her hand and they both followed Khari inside. Khari put Nile on the bed and he ripped his shirt open. "Phoenix fire? How did this happen Pea?" He asked angrily. His voice cracked with fear and Pea just started crying. Khari took a knife and cut his palm. His blood began coming out. He took Nile in his arms and place his bleeding palm on his wound. His blood began sipping into the wound whilst he absorbed all the phoenix in him. "Master you will hurt yourself with the phoenix energy." Path warned him but he didn't listen to her. He didn't want him to die. "I can't let him die. Not yet." Khari said in pain. He looked at Nile and he felt fear like her had never felt before. Nile's wound closed and Khari let him lie on the bed. He carefully put his head on the pillow and he covered him with a blanket. He held his hands, it looked like he wanted to cry but he didn't. "He will up and about in a few hours." He told Pea and Path as he tried to stand up but he stumbled and fell down. Pea and Path rushed to him and held his arms. He was weak and couldn't walk. They helped him to the next room and put him on the bed. His temperature was high. He had a fever so they helped him in bed. "You rest, I will take care of Nile." Pea said to her master who looked at her with doubt as he closed his eyes.
Adana returned to the palace to give a report to her queen. She walked into the palace gates and went straight to the throne room. Imani was sitting with the council when Adana got to the doors. She stood there and waited for her presence to be announced so she could enter. "The chief commander is requesting the presence of the queen." The palace eunuch announced and the queen raised her hand as a sign of approval to the request. Adana walked in with her hands behind her back and she bowed her head before the council and the queen. She stood up straight and gave her report. "You brother has taken refuge in the house of a human, he is a young man." She reported to the queen. Imani and the council members looked at her shocked. "Is he under duress? Did they cast a spell on him?" She asked Adana. Adana shook her head and replied. "He is neither under duress nor under a spell. He is familiar with the serpent. He took an arrow for her." She further explained to them. "You called the serpent her? How do you know it is a she?" Dain asked Adana confused. For as long as they remembered the two serpents had always been two gigantic pythons who had never reproduced so no one knew their sexuality. "The serpent can take human form now and the green one is a she, your highness. The human jumped in front of her." She told them and the elders began speaking amongst themselves. "The human will not survive. He took a stab from an arrow laced with phoenix fire. To human it is deadly and poisonous." Imani said to them. She felt relief to know that maybe the reason why her brother's curse was breaking was all because of this human. She worried also because the snakes could turn human. A lot of things were not making sense. "Thank you, Adana, stand guard and watch over again. Report to me as soon as you see anything unusual. As for the human, it was pure bad luck. This should teach them not to hang around bad company." She said with her cold look on her face. It was he duty to protect the three worlds and she intended to do exactly that.
It was a couple hours later when Nile came to it. He slowly sat up straight and Pea rushed to help him. "You up now? Let me help you sit up straight." She said as she helped him up. He coughed a little and held his shoulder. His wound was not there anymore, it was as if he wasn't even hurt. "It's gone now. What happened to me? Are you hurt Pea?" He asked her concerned. She smiled at him and nodded her head. "How is all healed up?" He asked her again, she sighed and held his hand. "Master healed you, he absorbed all the phoenix energy that was in your body or you would have been dead by now." She explained to him. Nile looked at Pea and his eyes filled up with tears. "Where is he?" He asked her and she pointed the next room. Nile got off his bed and walked into that room and he saw Khari sleeping. He walked over to him and he slowly knelt besides the bed. He put his hand on his forehead and it was burning. "You fool, now you have what we call a fever." He said quietly to Khari as his tears streamed down his cheeks. He stood up and rushed out of the room. He went to the kitchen and got a few herbs in a bowl and poured warm water in it. He took the bowl and a piece of cloth with him. He put the bowl on the floor, put the cloth in the water, rinsed it and put it on Khari's forehead. He kept doing this for the next hour. Pea and Path just sat on floor on the other side of the room.
The water grew cold so Nile wanted to change it but as he was about to leave Khari slowly opened his eyes and grabbed his arm. Nile stopped walking and saw Khari half asleep holding his arm. "I am cold, please hold me." He asked Nile. He was still so beautiful even when he was sick. Nile took his hand, turned and slowly got in be. He took Khari's head and placed it on his chest and held him tight in his arms. Pea and Path saw this and they left the two alone. They took one of the candles with them and went to sit in the other room. Nile held Khari in his arms until he fell asleep too. It was almost midnight when Khari woke up. He still felt a bit weak from all the phoenix energy he had absorbed but because he had inherited his father's water energy it quickly helped him heal. He saw Nile sleeping next to him and he just looked up and saw him still sleeping. He kept on looking at him, he was a beautiful man and he couldn't stay away from him. "What are you? Why does your presence bother me so much?" He asked himself looking at Nile sleeping. He took his hand and he gently touched Nile's face with it, Nile didn't even move. "Sleeps like a rock huh. What if I kill you Nile?" He asked Nile quietly but Nile didn't even move and this made Khari smile. He moved and slept next to Nile so he could clearly see his face. He kept on looking at Nile for a couple of more minutes until Nile slowly opened his eyes as he was waking up. When he opened his eyes, they were met by Khari's and the spark between them was undeniable. It was as if there were magnet fields drawing them together. Nile didn't take his eyes off Khari's and they stared into each other's eyes like it was the most beautiful sight they had ever seen. Khari wanted Nile to kiss him and to teach him things he didn't know, things that would make his world brighter from just the darkness he had. "Nile, kiss me. I need you to kiss me." He whispered to Nile. Nile opened his huge beautiful eyes and stared deep into Khari's eyes surprised. He looked at Khari's lips and he knew he wanted to kiss them, he had wanted to kiss him since the day they met. Nile moved his head slowly towards Khari's, he hadn't stopped looking into his eyes. Khari didn't move his as well. Nile's lips gently touched Khari's lips as they both closed their eyes. Khari's lips were soft and sweet, he kissed him gently and Khari kissed him back. Nile put his hand behind Khari's head touching his silky and soft long hair as he kissed him. Khari drew Nile closer with his hand and their bodies touched. It was electrifying and the two of them went in deeper for the kiss. They kissed each other deeply and Nile put his leg over Khari's waist and Khari pulled him tighter and closer to him. Nile touched Khari's bare chest and it made him grab his waist and kissed him more. Nile slowly stopped kissing him, he was breathing heavily and his heart bit fast. He lifter his head and looked into Khari's eyes, they were beautiful but they looked as if he was sad. He touched Khari's face gently as he looked into his eyes, Khari kissed him on the forehead, wrapped his arms around him as he pulled him closer to him. He held him so tight and Nile put his arms around Khari waist and closed his eyes on his bare chest. Khari had never felt that blood rush before, even his male organ responded to this man's touch. He was confused, scared but he also knew he liked it so he held him like he didn't want him to disappear from his sight. He felt that pain in his chest again and he groaned in pain silently because he didn't want Nile to know.