Shan felt her heart twist when she saw Hari's body begin to crumble. It was pure instinct for her to wrap her arms around Hari's slender waist and pull the taller woman against her chest.

"Hari!" she cried in worry. "Are you alright?"

Against her chest, Shan could feel Hari's body tremble. In response, Shan could feel her own heart hammering in her chest.

"I'm alright," Hari wheezed. "Just…I'm spent."

Shan was barely listening after that. She watched as Hiskaya took off with a nod and flew towards the royal castle in the distance. Then she turned back to Hari.

"Easy, Hari," she said gently. "Let's sit down for a bit while you catch your breath."

Unable to resist, Hari leaned against Shan as she directed her over to a nearby log. Shan helped Hari sit down before sitting beside her. She kept a supportive arm around Hari's waist and frowned when Hari rested her head against her shoulder wearily.

"I've never seen you get so tired after teleporting," Shan commented. "Especially when it's within your own kingdom. I didn't think that coming back here from those woods would be as taxing as this."

After taking in several deep breaths, Hari chuckled. "Normally, I can teleport within the Underworld with no trouble. Teleporting from the Middle World is more difficult. I can't even make it from here to Heaven without resting right away." She slowly lifted her head. "But the Northwestern Woods is…a special area of the Underworld." She groaned as she tried to get to her feet. "Let's get back to Haki," she said heavily.

Shan stood up and placed a firm hand on Hari's shoulder to prevent her from getting up. "The forest affected you more than you said it would," she said, a slight accusation in her voice. "And you were already tired from giving your energy to Haki, which I'm guessing you did multiple times." Her blue eyes were icy in their disapproval. "You're pushing yourself past your limits and could have seriously injured yourself."

Chastised, Hari flushed. "I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "But…I had to help Haki." She looked Shan straight in the eyes. "It's my responsibility to take care of her, and I will always put her before myself. I promised."

"Promised who?" Shan asked in surprise. Who would want Hari to put her own safety at risk in order to protect Haki?

Hari turned her head and looked straight ahead; her eye focused on something that Shan couldn't see. "It was a long time ago," she said sadly.

This was unfamiliar territory for Shan. Normally, Hari was pretty open about her feelings and read like an open book. True, they had their moments where they were on different wavelengths, but Shan couldn't remember a time when she had directly asked Hari a question only to be denied an answer. Though Shan wanted an answer, she knew that she was in no position to pry information that didn't want to be shared.

Instead, Shan gently tucked a strand of Hari's fiery red hair behind her ear. "Alright, let's get back to the castle and Haki."

Before Hari could protest, Shan put her arms under Hari's knees and the other around her back. She lifted the surprised Hari and held her securely against her chest. Hari blushed and stammered a bit before she quieted down and threw her arms around Shan's shoulders.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

Shan smiled warmly. "Of course," she said simply.

Though Hari was taller than Shan herself, she was actually quite light. While carrying Hari, it took Shan roughly twenty minutes to make the trek to the Demon King's castle. They were greeted by a couple frantic guards at the door who were beside themselves at the sight of their princess looking so exhausted. But a few embarrassed reassurances from Hari kept them from rushing to get her father.

"After we check in on Haki, I'm taking you to your room," Shan told her as she carried her down the hall. "You need to rest."

Hari chuckled. "Yes, ma'am," she said easily.

They returned to Haki's room and Shan gently set Hari down. The princess wobbled and braced herself against the door while she closed her good eye. Shan frowned and watched critically, looking for any sign that Hari needed her to intervene. Hari opened her eye and gave her a wry grin before she opened the door and stuck her head in. A few moments later, she pulled back and shut the door.

"Haki and Hiskaya are both asleep," Hari explained.

"Does Haki look any better?"

Hari smiled sadly. "Better than before, but still not great. But, I'm guessing that she's doing better, or Hiskaya wouldn't be snoozing right now."

Shan smiled. "Probably not."

They slowly made their way down the hall towards Hari's room. Shan wrapped an arm around Hari's waist when she stumbled slightly and helped to steady her. A faint blush decorated Hari's cheeks, and Shan felt her heart skip slightly.

Cute, she thought, almost in shame.

Shan didn't feel herself relax until she had sat the pale Hari on her bed. She frowned when she looked at Hari closely. For a moment, she feared that Hari was getting sick herself, given how pale and clammy she was. It wouldn't be surprising, considering Hari had been giving Haki her medicine via kissing.

"Stay here," Shan ordered. "I'm going to grab a cold towel."

Surprised, Hari nodded mutely, face flushed.

Before Hari could see the blush that threatening to creep on her own cheeks, Shan retreated to the bathroom. She quickly found a small towel and ran it under the faucet. Once it was saturated with cold water, she gently wrang out the excess water before returning to Hari. She gave Hari a smile before she sat next to her and gently began wiping the cold sweat off of her face.

"Do you want me to get you something to eat or drink?" Shan asked. "You used up so much mana." She uncomfortably looked away from Hari's curious red eyes. "I don't want you to fall ill as well."

Hari smiled prettily. "Thank you for your concern," she said softly. "Some water would be great if you don't mind."

Wanting to take care of Hari came as naturally as breathing. Shan handed the towel to Hari before she returned to the bathroom. Watching Hari drink deeply from the cup once Shan handed it to her, Shan took comfort when she saw that the color was slowly returning to Hari's face. Her red eyes were still slightly glazed from her exhaustion, but she was already looking leaps better than she had been shortly before.

After placing the empty cup on her nightstand, Hari stretched before she lied down on her bed. She put her hands behind her head and closed her good eye with a tired sigh.

"Are you alright?" Shan asked in concern as she sat beside her.

"I'm okay," Hari assured her. "My mana will recharge."

Shan frowned. "Are you planning on giving more of it to Haki to help her recover?"

Hari opened her unscarred eye and smiled unapologetically. "If I must," she said simply. "I'm her 'unnie' after all."

Shan bit the inside of her cheek. "I don't like you putting yourself at risk," she sighed. "But, I acknowledge that I cannot stop you." She frowned at the resting Hari. "But now, at least, are you okay now that you've regained some strength?"

"I feel a little weak still," Hari admitted. "But I'll be fine after I rest."

That was comforting, but something was still bothering Shan. She frowned heavily down at Hari. "That forest was awfully dangerous," she began. "And the next time you're in trouble, your eye is going to be a weakness. Had I not intervened, that attack in your blind spot could have seriously hurt you."

Hari just looked up at her with a neutral expression on her face. A word did not leave her lips.

This was not going to deter Shan. "May I look at your wounded eye?" she requested. "It's been over a month since you were injured." She clutched at her robes. "I…I had hoped that it would have healed by now."

Now, Hari was smiling. She closed her good eye. "Do as you wish," she said nonchalantly.

Shan frowned sadly as she looked at the scarred eye. Though it looked heaps and loads better than it had the month before, it still sent a painful jolt through Shan's heart whenever she saw it. To her, it was a reminder that she had been unable to diffuse the Rikain situation like she had thought she had. She should have done more. But she had been upset over Hari's reaction in the alley and had stepped away from the whole situation.

And Hari had very nearly died as a result.

Gently, Shan's fingers traced the scar. She felt Hari stiffen slightly at her touch. The scar felt rough and warm under her fingertips. It still looked like a fresh wound, though it was almost two months old.

"It would be nice," Shan said softly. "If you could open your eye."

Slowly, Hari opened her good eye and smiled sadly at Shan. "Why does it bother you so much?" she asked mildly. "So what if I can't see out of one eye?"

Shan blinked in surprise when Hari wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry if I upset you," Shan responded. "But I would be lying if I didn't say anything about it." She smiled gently. "You were uncomfortable, while we were in the woods. Lack of eyesight is a fatal weakness, and your response was delayed because you didn't adapt to it."

Chuckling, Hari reached up and gently trailed her thumb over her cheek. Shan felt her skin tingle from where Hari's skin made contact. The simple, intimate, gesture had her cold heart doing flips that they hadn't done in over a decade. Shan stared down at Hari and felt her eyes unwillingly drinking in the sight of the beautiful woman lying on the bed.

"I figured that you'd say something like that," Hari said in amusement. "And, I hate to admit it, but you're right. Fighting when I can't see on my right is very unsettling." She gave Shan a wry grin. "And next time, I may not have you watching my back like that."

"You could stay close to home until your eye heals," Shan pointed out.

"No, I can't," Hari countered. "As princess, it's my job to protect my people. The royal bloodline's purpose is to serve, not to hide in the castle when things get scary."

"Why can't someone else take on the monsters?" Shan urged. "You deserve to take time to heal until you're ready."

There was no anger on Hari's face at Shan's tone. But the sad resignation hurt more.

"The monsters need to be taken care of," Hari said gently. "And I won't risk my people when I can do the job myself. Shan, that's what being of the royal bloodline means." Her eyes were tired. "It is my duty to care for all Asmodians, no matter where their paths lead them."

That was a little cryptic for Shan's taste, but she decided to let it pass for the moment. "And the next time you're attacked in your blind spot?" she challenged.

Hari sighed. "You're really worried about this, huh?" Apparently, Shan's face was an open book to the princess because she just smiled. "Alright then. I want to open my right eye."

Whatever Shan thought Hari was going to say, it wasn't that.

"Hari," she gasped. "What are you…?"

"As time goes on, I don't want to live without using my right eye," Hari cut her off. "Yes, being able to stay safe is a big reason. But it's not my most important one." She cupped Shan's cheek. "As time goes on, I won't be able to bear it." Slowly, with a grimace, her right eye opened. "Just looking at you with one eye."

Staring into twin red eyes, Shan gaped in surprise. She shot back and pulled her hand back.

"Hari, your eye has recovered?" she gasped in disbelief. "It was hurt for so long. Isn't it painful for you to open it?"

There was a mischievous smirk on Hari's face. "Since the origin, devils have enjoyed seeing flabbergasted looks on others. I think I'm the same because your stunned look right now is very humorous to me."

Shan frowned. "So, you've been tricking me?" she said flatly.

Hari sat up with a groan. "No, my eye is still recovering. It stings a bit right now, but it's actually a lot better than it had been a few days ago when I tried to open it. I just figured that I don't need to close it anymore." She smirked. "But it is nice to surprise you for a change," she teased.

"Why didn't you open it in the forest?" Shan demanded in confusion. "You could have been seriously injured earlier."

"I almost opened it after," Hari admitted. "But I didn't feel like my life was in danger with you watching my back. And I wasn't totally sure until now that my eye doesn't cause much pain when open." She shrugged. "I figured I would be less distracted if I didn't try to open it in the middle of battle." She reached for the towel that had been dropped, forgotten, on the bed and placed it on her right eye with a grateful sigh. "And I think I was right. Because this would have been quite distracting."

Shan placed her hand over Hari's without thinking, holding the towel in place. "Maybe you should close it then," she said uncertainly. "Perhaps it is too soon."

"I think it's just because it's been so long," Hari disagreed with a comforting smile. "Like how the body aches when training after a long absence. My eye just needs to get used to being open again."

When Shan removed the towel to look at the wound once more, she did have to admit that it was great to see Hari's two red eyes staring at her. There was a warmth in them that washed over Shan like she was stepping into the sun after years of darkness. The way that Hari looked at her with such trust, admiration…love…it brought warmth to Shan's cold heart. And unending terror.

I know that this will only end in pain, Shan thought sadly, her fingers gently tracing Hari's cheeks. Please God, grant me the strength to stay away.

Hari smiled tenderly at her.

And protect Hari from my own weakness.