Hikari felt hot, hotter than she ever imagined by the time Asa got her to her bedroom. Asa helped her clean up, change, and tucked her into her bed. Izo meanwhile had brought Father, still asleep, into the room with them and set him to rest on her couch. He also had made up medicine for her to take in case of infection, which seemed more and more likely as she felt sweat prick up all over her.

Asa had her laying down, tugging her loose fitting shirt over, checking her shoulder and neck. "Red and inflamed," she commented clinically. Izo handed her the medicine in tea form, who passed over to Hikari to drink down. Mother always seemed to flinch to drink something herbal given to her. Hikari wondered if she just didn't like the taste. "Did you put something on the wound before healing it?" Asa asked Izo.

Izo shifted on his feet, suddenly nervous in front of their surrogate elvish grandmother. "I... I didn't... I forgot to top it up after healing Mother."

Asa looked disappointed. "That can be a costly mistake," she lectured. Hikari watched Izo looked downcast. "She'll need a double dose then. Go and fetch that. While you're at it, get yourself a new dose of your emergency vial of medicine."

"Yes, ma'am," Izo said, rushing himself out of the room.

Asa turned her attention to Hikari, who holding her hand out for the cup. Asa passed it to her. Hikari made quick work to finish it off. "It doesn't taste that bad. Why does Mother not like to take it?" she asked aloud.

Asa pursed her lips, studying her lovingly. "You should ask her that question. When she comes back and you are better. Lay down, sweetness," she advised. Hikari did as she was told. Hikari felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her. Asa laid her hand on her forehead. "Much to warm yet." Her hand came down to the ends of her burned hair. It unfortunately stopped short of her neck now. "You worked so to grow that out and take care of it," she commented sympathetically.

Hikari did not want to think on that just now. Rather all she wanted to think about was sleep. "We can trim it up later," she said sluggishly. She closed her eyes, falling asleep quickly.

Hikari jumped awake, feeling hot and sweaty. Asa was shaking her arm in a rush. "Wake up, sweetness," she said. "You've gotten worse and need to take more medicine."

Asa helped her sit up, guiding the cup to her lips. She drank it as fast as Asa would let her, feeling so thirsty.

"Is there any just water?" she croaked.

Asa was sitting next to her bed, wrapped in a warm shawl. Izo was still in the room with her. The room's air had a bit of a blue tint and it was colder than she preferred. She was only under one thin blanket. She was still too hot. He went over to the table, grabbing a glass of water and bringing it over to the bed with him. She could feel the cold rolling off of him. She snatched the water from him, starting to drain it.

Asa put her hand on the tip of the glass. "Slowly, slowly," she advised.

Hikari drank slower, but finished the glass faster than Asa would probably have liked.

Izo took the glass away. Asa checked her shoulder and neck again, frowning. "Sweetness, we're going to have to cut the wound open and apply medicine to it directly," she warned.

Hikari felt herself start sweating all over again, but not because she was too hot. She turned her face away from Asa, squinted her eyes shut, and mumbled, "do it. Don't tell me anything, just do it."

Asa ruffled her hair affectionately. "We can heal it fast," she soothed.

Hikari felt a sharp tug on her shirt. She felt Izo's freezing cold hands grip her warm hands firmly. Then a sharp pain dig into her shoulder. She cried out, but willed herself to stay still, even as the sharp pain repeated against her neck and shoulder. They seemed endless, no matter how much she cried out. Finally, mercifully, the pain stopped, but she felt Asa's hands rubbing all over her once more wet and bloodied shoulder. Lastly, she felt Asa heal the wounds she inflicted on her. Izo let her hands go. Hikari watched him get up and fetch a bowl of cool water and a wash cloth. Asa helped her out of her now bloodied shirt, which made her feel self conscious in front of her brother, who mercifully, was up at her wardrobe, looking for a new shirt for her to wear. Asa cleaned her up. Once finished, Izo, without looking, handed Asa a new shirt for her to wear and took the bloodied one from her.

Asa took the bloodied towel and bowl of water away, into her bathroom. Hikari laid herself back down, ready to fall asleep all over again. She would have, had Father not jumped awake on her couch. Hikari heard him gasp, so she jumped alert, gasping in tune with him.

"What happened?" he demanded, standing up in a rush. "Where's Nanashi?" he demanded.

Izo answered him, "she went with Prince Takashi to lead an attack on the caves. You showed her the layout that you took from Ichiro's mind. She wanted to attack them before they realized he was dead."

"Who killed him?" Father demanded.

Izo kept speaking, "after you passed out, he told that wolf demon who had Hikari to kill her if Nanashi killed him. She couldn't do it after that, wouldn't risk it. Prince Takashi shot him for her. Then Hikari was bit by the wolf demon right before Prince Takashi shot him. The wound did get infected."

Father looked unreadable. He studied Izo, then Hikari, then Asa. He turned around, running out of the room in a flash.

"Where's he going?" Hikari asked, laying herself back down.

"To help Mother," Izo inferred.

Hikari laid herself back down on the bed, wondering how the fighting in the cave was going. She was tempted to touch her lips, but fell back asleep before she could.