Kaito twisted his fist in V's cloak as he began to pull the taller man through the halls. His face was red out of a mixture of embarrassment and anger. The mage was stumbling behind his quick pace, but he had no plans to slow down. At the end of the hall he threw him against the wall with enough force to send vibrations through the stone face.

V's whole body flinched at the pain that shook through his body, his head ringing and vision slightly blurring. Kaito yanked him forward again, their faces nearly touching as he could feel the other's hot breath on his skin.

"Don't ever do that again," Kaito hissed, his voice rough and biting.

The sorcerer straightened himself, grasping Kaito's hand to untangle it from his cloak. He towered over Kaito, his gaze just as harsh as Kaito's spoken word. "Understood."

Steel eyes narrowed as he stepped away, "you need to leave."

"To inform the king of what happened wasn't my only business here."

A low chuckle bellowed out of him as Kaito ripped his hand back, crossing his arms over his chest. "And what was your other business? To get me to come back with you? Forget it."

"You don't belong here."

"I don't belong with murders either."

"That doesn't weigh on me, we exist to protect you, not some human."

"Haruto wasn't just some human."

V clicked his tongue. That name, that person, that thing, he still hated it even after all the years had passed. Humanity was weak, it was the one thing It had always taught him. And Kaito, a perfect being created in God's Eye, was standing in front of him corrupted by such a frail disease like mortality.

"Are they not just some humans either?" V asked as he motioned to the room behind them. He could feel the same darkness of death that crept around him in the throne room earlier; the only logical thing to assume was that the house of healing was behind the closed doors.

Kaito's fists balled at his sides, shaking as the anger started to flow from him; the feelings of betrayal resurfacing after being carefully buried for so long.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you can sense the princess is on the edge of death. Do you not care for them like you did that boy?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then why haven't you healed her?"

Kaito fell silent, his shoulders dropping as the anger flushed from his body in one swift movement following all the air from his lungs as he exhaled heavily.

"I told you, I can't do that."

"That's a-" V cut off his own thought, his eyebrows raising as a smirk slid across his face, "The king doesn't know what you are, does he?"

"No, of course not. No matter what you think, I'm not stupid." Kaito sighed once more and turned toward the door, "if you heal her, we can talk about me returning with you."

V nodded, feeling his instincts to do as instructed (no matter how much he didn't agree with them) as he followed Kaito into the healing chambers. The peaceful air he expected to be greeted with was thick with death instead. The king, who was sitting next to his sister's bedside, didn't notice them enter. In his hand he held hers delicately as his thumb brushed over the fragile skin. Even V felt his heart tugged at as he watched the pair. It was just a premonition, wasn't it? How did it leave her in such a poor state.

"Nasch," Kaito stepped forward first, swiftly moving to the king's side. He put a hand on either of Nasch's shoulders and the king slumped into the half embrace, his eyes sliding shut.

"Who is he, Kaito?"

"He's a water mage from the west," Kaito answered as one hand moved to comb the messy purple curls from Nasch's face, setting them behind his ear, "He's here by my request to heal the princess."

V stepped forward, with his hand over his heart he bowed deeply in front of Nasch, "The name is V, Your Majesty."

Nasch sat up, a little more alert as he shrugged Kaito from him. "A sorcerer? You know healing magic?"

V's deep blue eyes didn't meet Nasch's, instead watching Kaito intensely, "A bit, I was taught by the best."

Nasch nodded, head clouded with exhaustion and desperation for his sister; he motioned to one of the healers who brought over a chair for V to sit across the bed from him. V was quick to sit down as he took the princess' free hand and laid his other hand on her forehead which was ice cold. He frowned, she was so close to death now. He wanted to be as quick as he could so he could continue to talk to Kaito about returning with him.

He took a deep breath filling his lungs as the green tattoo over his right eye glowed bright; the gem in his wrist was pressed against the princess' forehead as his eyes slipped shut. Color began to wash back into her pale and tired flesh as the gentle magic began to flow through her. His previous assumptions that it was more than a bad premonition were confirmed when he felt a resistance in the dark refusing to let go of Merag.

The High Priestess is mine!

There was a surge of the dark energy that sparked through V as he let out a pained gasp, both of his hands flying off Merag as if he was shocked. Fear washed into him as his blue eyes widened and looked up at Kaito for guidance.

"What's wrong?" Nasch asked as he too let go of his sister, feeling a dull ache in his own arms.

"I-I heard a voice," V answered even though his gaze never left Kaito, "as if something possessed her."

Kaito's brow scrunched together in confusion as he moved around the bed to V's side. "Try again," he instructed as he leaned over V, his hand resting on the sorcerer's shoulder.

I'll help you this time. V heard Kaito's voice in his head clearly.

Nasch will notice the difference in strength, he'll know it's you.

No he won't.

"Come now, V. I know you can drive the darkness from her," Kaito said, his voice was calm and smooth to wash the worry that was quick to form in Nasch.

V nodded, placing his hands on Merag once more. This time, as his eyes slipped shut and the tattoo across his eye glowed, a seal appeared on the floor beneath the bed, spreading to cover the four of them in its protective circle. There wasn't even a fight this time against the shadow inside the princess as it dissolved in the light coursing through her body with no protest.

As the seal faded around them, Merag's eyes slipped open, her head falling to look at her brother as the life began to creep back into her ruby eyes. She smiled warmly at him as she noticed the relief push itself from him in the form of tears. She took his hand in hers letting out a tired laugh.

"Idiot, you worry to much." She teased and the king laughed as well, wiping the tears away before they fell.