Haki felt like she was burning from the inside out.
She lied on her bed and curled in as tight a ball as she could manage. Her hands were clutching her chest and her teeth were gritted tightly while her entire body trembled. Inside, she could feel her blood boil as her emotions raged out of control within her, too wild for her to stop it.
"Ugh," Haki groaned as tears freely spilled down her cheeks. "S-stop. Con…control it."
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push down the pain from her argument with Hiskaya in that alleyway. The way that Hiskaya had so flippantly dismissed what she had done, hurt deeply. The anger at Hiskaya calling her attempts useless was only comparable to the hurt she felt at having her own reasonings rejected. Almost as soon as Haki returned to the Underworld, her raging emotions had grown from a simmer to a boil, and Haki had barely been able to make it back to her bedroom and change into pajamas before collapsing on her bed.
In her hand, Haki held the necklace. She desperately wished that Hiskaya hadn't destroyed the magic, because having some relief from these negative emotions would have been quite welcome at the moment. But all that Haki had was herself, and she was quite proven to be inadequate when it came to dealing with the royal bloodline.
She didn't know how long she lied on the bed in agony. Her body urged her to do something, anything, to ease the overwhelming flurry of emotions. But she was scared, which only made the situation worse. Thankfully most of her magic was sealed, otherwise she feared that she would have destroyed the castle in a fury of flame.
Haki was so engrossed in her own torment that she barely heard the door.
"Haki, are you alright?" Hari began asking as she entered. "I saw your fight with…Haki?!"
She felt her older sister place a concerned hand on her forehead. Haki opened her clenched eyes and they immediately filled with tears.
"Unnie," she gasped. "It won't…stop."
Hari immediately understood. Her face turned grim and she gently tucked Haki's long hair behind her ear.
"I'm sorry, I should have come by sooner," she said guiltily. "Your blood…even I can sense it. What about that necklace Dad gave you?"
"Hiskaya destroyed it," Haki moaned as she held it out for Hari to take. "She said…she said I should stop doing useless things like that."
Anger turned Hari's red eyes cold. "Haki, was it Hiskaya that motivated you to use the necklace in the first place?" she asked calmly.
For a moment, Haki considered lying. She didn't want Hari losing control on Hiskaya. Unlike her, Hari's magic wasn't bound and could be quite dangerous when provoked. But on the other hand, Haki knew that she needed help.
"Don't hurt Hiskaya," Haki coughed. Her purple eyes cleared slightly as she gave Hari a hard look. "Promise me," she urged.
After taking a moment, Hari sighed. "Fine, but only if you tell me everything that happened."
Telling the story of the past couple days was not as cathartic as Haki hoped it would be. It did nothing to calm the fire in her veins. If anything, reliving the unpleasant memories sent her emotions in such an uproar that the inferno grew. Hari gently rubbed circles on Haki's back while she talked, but even that comforting gesture didn't help.
"Unnie, I can't stop it," Haki cried. "How do you live with the Demon's Body like this?"
Hari chuckled sadly. "The same way you live with the Demon's Spirit," she mused. "By doing the best I can." She got up and surprised Haki by picking her up and cradling her against her chest. "But I find that I can calm the royal blood by attacking freely." She began to carry Haki out of her room.
"Where are we going?" Haki asked through clenched teeth.
"To Dad's training chamber," Hari explained. "It's the only place where we can relieve this pressure without hurting anyone or anything."
As they walked down the hall, each demon that they ran into gave Haki a sympathetic look. Yoshua took one look at them and ran to her rooms to immediately check on her supply of medicines. Living in the Demon King's castle, they were all familiar with the struggles that Hari and Haki went through on a regular basis. Though, it was a strange occurrence to see Haki being impacted as severely as she was at that moment.
When they got to the chamber, Hari set Haki down and supported her with an arm around her waist while her other hand went on the large stone-carved handle. Haki panted heavily as she watched Hari gather magic to her hand and unlock the protective enchantments on the door. The door clicked and Hari opened the door before helping Haki walk inside. Once they were inside, Hari shut the door and it resealed with another click.
Their father's training chamber was a large stone room. It was easily as wide as the entire castle. The room was bare with the exception of stones and other rubble. Light was provided by crystals that were embedded in the wall. Magic hung thick in the air to keep any attacks from damaging the castle.
Hari walked Haki over to one of the larger boulders and sat her down. She crouched in front of her and frowned in concern.
"Haki, you need to release the ill emotions that are making your blood boil," Hari said grimly. "This isn't like when your spirit makes you lose control of your magic. Your body will keep burning until you do something to cool it."
"How?" Haki panted. "Unnie, I don't think it has ever been this bad before."
It was true. Her pajamas were drenched in sweat and Haki felt like her body was practically vibrating with the urges that her blood were pulsing through her body.
"Unnie…will I become Lost?" Haki asked quietly.
A hard look passed on Hari's face. "I won't let that happen," she said firmly. She sighed in frustration. "Hiskaya is supposed to help settle you, not send you off on the deep end like this." She looked at Haki seriously. "I won't hurt her, but she and I are going to have a long talk once you're well." She got to her feet and pulled her hair back in a ponytail. "Now, you're going to calm your blood's urges by attacking me. Try to avoid using Black Lady, but you can if you feel like you must." She grinned. "I'll stay on the defensive and will wait until you burn yourself out."
Haki grimaced. "What if I hurt you?" she worried.
Hari shrugged. "Then I get hurt and I'll heal," she said easily. She frowned. "Haki, it will hurt more if…" she broke off and closed her eyes with a grimace.
No other words were needed. Haki understood. Because she had the very same fears for Hari.
Groaning, Haki forced herself to get to her feet. She never thought that she would be preparing to fight her older sister in their dad's magically reinforced chamber, while they both wore their pajamas. But as Haki braced herself for what she was about to do, her blood burned eagerly. She breathed heavily and tried to suppress the urge to call her sword and lash out at her sister with reckless abandon. Though she was able to suppress her desire to call Black Lady, she couldn't stop her nails from elongating.
Haki looked at her sister, purple eyes burning. Fangs bared. Claws itching to draw blood.
"I've got you," Hari said comfortingly while she took a ready stance.
With a growl deep in her chest, Haki charged.
*BREAK*
Hiskaya didn't sleep that night.
She gave up on getting any sleep halfway through the night and spent the remainder of the night sitting on her balcony couch and staring at the moon. She went through her argument with Haki in her head again and again. Each time, she felt guilt stab through her. But she still couldn't decipher why she felt guilty.
"Haki doesn't need to use magic to change her personality," Hiskaya mumbled uncertainly to herself. "It was stupid of her."
And yet, why did she feel like the words were thick on her tongue?
When the sun came up, Hiskaya tiredly made herself some breakfast before she got ready for training. She put on her training clothes and slowly walked down the road to the training grounds. A large yawn escaped her.
Today is gonna suck, she thought miserably.
Training was terrible. Because of how Hiskaya had sealed Haki's evil magic within her own body, it left Hiskaya's own magic weaker than it would have been otherwise. Not that Hiskaya would ever regret it. She still remembered the terror on Haki's face the day her royal insignia had appeared. But it did mean that Hiskaya was not as effective an angel as she had had the potential to be.
Eventually, Shan took notice that Hiskaya was not focused on her training at all. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at her which had Hiskaya grimacing slightly. Predictably, when training was done for the morning, Shan walked over to her.
"You're distracted today," Shan observed with a knowing smile. "Are you thinking about what happened with Haki yesterday?"
Hiskaya groaned. "You saw?"
Shan nodded. "I was watching to make sure you didn't get hurt," she said honestly. "Hari saw, too."
"Great, so now she probably wants to kill me, too," Hiskaya sighed as her shoulders slumped.
Chuckling, Shan shrugged. "She didn't seem to be feeling particularly murderous after she saw. But, I cannot guarantee that she still feels that way after she presumably spoke with Haki."
They began walking over to the forest where they could talk without being overheard.
"Did you hear what Haki and I fought about?" Hiskaya asked sadly.
"I know that Haki was using a dark artifact to suppress her negative emotions," Shan answered. "And that it made her a little more aggressive than usual." Her smile grew tight. "Hari told me that Haki was being a little…suggestive. And Haki even mocked me."
Hiskaya's silver eyes grew wide. "So, it's a good thing that I took it off," she said eagerly. "Haki isn't like that. Why would she want to act like that in the first place? She said it was to make me happy, but I never told her I wanted that."
They stopped at the top of the hill that overlooked the edge of the floating island and sat down. Their companionable silence was a comfort to Hiskaya. She trusted Shan to always stand with her and look out for her. In a way, Shan was the older sister she never had as well as a dear friend. But, she didn't know for sure if Shan would tell her if she was wrong about something.
Was she wrong about Haki?
A jolt broke Hiskaya out of her thoughts as her magical senses alerted her to a strong source of magic approaching. She turned her head and stared, grabbing Shan's attention as well.
"A devil, a strong one," Hiskaya said. She got to her feet with Shan following suit. "Haki?"
It was a disappointment when Hiskaya saw the familiar head of red hair start to appear from the forest.
"Great, Hari is here to kill me," Hiskaya sighed.
"I'm sure she won't go that far," Shan said cheerfully. Then her smile faded and her eyes cooled as she watched Hari emerge from the trees and approach them. "Hari?"
At that moment, Hiskaya realized that Hari's arm was in a sling and her neck was covered in bandages. Because Hari was uncharacteristically wearing long pants, long sleeves, and a higher neckline, Hiskaya assumed that she was trying to hide other wounds on her body. Even her usual heels had been swapped out for flats. To Hiskaya's ever growing concern, she was also limping. Heavily. There was a grim look on Hari's face.
Hiskaya's stomach dropped.
"Hari, what happened?!" Shan demanded as she darted forward. She stopped right before the princess and hesitated for a moment before she placed a gentle hand over a bandage on the side of Hari's neck. "Was there an attack?"
Hiskaya swallowed and ran to join them. "Is Haki okay?"
"I'm fine, and so is Haki," Hari assured them. "There wasn't an attack, everyone is fine."
Shan frowned in displeasure as she looked at Hari's injured arm. "You don't look fine," she said coolly. "Tell me what happened."
Listening to Shan use her battle-ready captain voice had both Hari and Hiskaya flinching.
"I will," Hari promised. She looked at Hiskaya. "But first, I wanted to ask you to tell me what's happened between you and Haki these past couple days. From when she ended up sparring with you to your fight in the alley."
Surprised, Hiskaya blinked. "What does that have to do with your injuries?"
"Just tell me," Hari ordered in an authoritative tone.
There was a calm edge to Hari's voice that had Shan frowning heavily and Hiskaya sweating. It wasn't often that Hari used her princess mode, and Hiskaya never remembered it being used on her. That just told her that whatever had happened, it was serious.
So, Hiskaya talked.
Through the long story, Hari listened without commenting. Her eyes narrowed a couple times, but she took a deep, calming breath each time. Shan kept looking between the two of them, her own thoughtful frown on her face. When Hiskaya was done, Hari exhaled.
"Hiskaya, did you tell Haki that jealous women are difficult to love?" she asked.
Immediately, Hiskaya felt the guilt return tenfold.
"I-I was joking!" she protested. "I love it when Haki gets jealous!"
"And that's why you try to set her off?" Hari asked evenly.
Hiskaya fidgeted. "She's…she's really cute when she gets flustered and jealous," she protested weakly.
"Oh, Hiskaya," Shan sighed deeply.
Now, Hiskaya was beginning to think that maybe Haki wasn't the wrong party in this situation after all. Had she missed something important? Apparently so, because Hari was very clearly struggling to reign in her own temper.
To Hiskaya's surprise, Hari turned and began walking towards a nearby stone. She sat down with an angry huff.
"Hari, you haven't told us what happened," Shan said in slight accusation.
"I'm getting there," Hari promised. "But Hiskaya needs to understand something first."
Well, that wasn't comforting.
For a while, Hari stared at the ground while she inhaled and exhaled evenly. It was clear that the princess was trying really hard to regain control over herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Shan's blue eyes were narrowed and were as warm as ice as they trailed all over Hari's body. No doubt trying to assess any other injuries that were currently concealed.
"I promised Haki I wouldn't hurt you," Hari eventually said. "But, you're toeing a dangerous line that's going to hurt both of you." She shifted to make herself comfortable and grimaced slightly before she placed a hand over her leg. "For the record, I don't think the necklace was a good idea either, but I don't blame Haki for feeling like she needed it."
Now Hiskaya and Shan were helplessly confused. Shan hesitated for a moment before she took a seat next to her on the stone. She slowly reached out and her fingers trailed over Hari's injured arm.
"Hari, what is this about?" Shan asked. "And should you even be moving around like this? We could go get Hanulim and have her heal you."
"After," Hari agreed. She took in a steadying breath. "You two know how demons can be temperamental," she began cautiously.
"That's an understatement," Hiskaya said dryly, but she quickly shut up after Hari gave her a warning glare.
"And you know that Haki and I are of the royal bloodline," Hari continued. "But I don't know if Haki ever explained to you what that means." When she saw blank looks from both Shan and Hiskaya, she smiled wryly. "First off, just being family doesn't mean we have the royal bloodline," she began. "Dad has plenty of siblings who are royalty technically, but not of the royal bloodline. Haki and I would have remained princesses, but we didn't know that we were eligible to rule until our insignias appeared upon adulthood."
Hiskaya nodded sadly. "Haki was…scared when hers came," she said softly.
Hari nodded in agreement. "Only the royal bloodline can inherit the throne," she said. She held up two fingers. "There's two parts that are needed to make up the royal bloodline. One, is the Demon's Spirit. That's what fuels our magical abilities. Haki's Demon Spirit was off the charts before it was sealed."
"And the second?" Shan asked.
"Demon's Body," Hari said. "The royal bloodline can be like Dad and be equally strong in both. Or like my sister and I, proficient in one, but stronger in the other." She shrugged her good arm. "My insignia revealed that I am stronger in body. When I awaken, safely this time, then…" she broke off uneasily. "I will rival my dad in terms of raw power."
Shan was frowning thoughtfully at her. "I thought you said Haki was stronger than you."
"In magic," Hari corrected. "Or Demon's Spirit. I'll win in terms of a physical match-up, but it wouldn't be easy if her powers weren't sealed." Her eyes drifted to Hiskaya. "You remember how Haki's magical powers used to act up all the time when she was younger?"
Hiskaya nodded. "It was a big reason why I helped her seal them," she said softly.
"You helped to mute her Demon's Spirit," Hari explained. "But she does still have the Demon's Body part of her bloodline."
This conversation was really making Hiskaya uneasy. The heavy implication that Haki had been keeping something from her was making her more and more on edge.
"Demon emotions already run high," Hari continued. "But the royal bloodline? It's…challenging at times. That's because when we feel, we feel so strongly. And when our emotions run out of our control, our blood responds." She placed a hand on her wounded arm. "Our Demon's Body punishes us for our weakness," she said sadly.
Hiskaya felt herself pale. "Hari…why are you telling me this?" she asked.
Hari looked her dead in the eyes. "Because whatever has been happening between you and Haki these past couple days has sent her emotions spiraling," she said bluntly. "She used that necklace to try and control it. When you broke it, her emotions began to consume her and her blood roared." She smiled grimly. "Haki is the one who wounded me."
Unable to comprehend, Hiskaya stared at her.
"Haki has never been that violent before," Shan gasped. "Why now?"
Hari sighed and looked at her wounded arm.
"When we're upset, we can normally work past it," Hari explained. "Try to picture it like a dam slowly giving way before it eventually bursts. If we can't get a handle on it, then it becomes more difficult." She looked up and looked Shan in the eyes. "If we can't stop it, then eventually we'll be swept away."
Shan visibly tensed.
With a sigh, Hari slowly got to her feet with Shan immediately following. Once up, Hari groaned and staggered which prompted Shan to steady her. Hiskaya barely registered that as she was staring at the ground.
She had hurt Haki. In more ways than one.
"I…I never meant to hurt her," she whispered. She looked up at Hari with eyes shining with tears. "Can I go see her now?"
Hari straightened and gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, but no," she said. "After last night…Haki needs to rest."
"Did you wound her?" Hiskaya asked numbly.
Hari chuckled. "No, all I did was let her calm her blood before…well, she needed to let it out." She looked at Hiskaya seriously. "I didn't come here to make you feel bad," she said. "But, you took your teasing too far. Haki hates how she gets worked up and loses control which normally ends in her lashing out against you. She doesn't want to hurt you, and lately, that's all she feels she's been doing."
Hiskaya turned her head so they wouldn't see her tears.
"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly.
A soft hand on her shoulder surprised her. She turned her head and saw that Hari was smiling gently.
"This isn't just on you," she said. "Haki may be shy, but she should still be trying to discuss what's bothering her with you." She pulled back. "She'll be okay, but I don't want this to happen again." She smirked. "I don't want to be her demonic punching bag again. Poor Yoshua was beside herself, thinking she'd run out of medicine."
That had Shan frowning. "I don't like that, Hari," she said firmly. "Next time, come get me and I'll help calm Haki down."
Hari smiled, but shook her head. "Sorry, but it's a demon thing. If it makes you feel better, Dad said to go to him first if it ever happens again."
"Have you ever had your…blood roar…like Haki?" Hiskaya asked.
Hari snorted. "My blood roars every day," she said dryly. "But, I picked up a few tricks to keep it from getting too dangerous."
This didn't seem to comfort Shan in the slightest as her eyes narrowed.
Hiskaya shifted her feet. "I'll come by tomorrow," she said. When Hari frowned, Hiskaya scowled. "I have to see her and apologize," she insisted.
"I know," Hari placated. "But Hiskaya, you wouldn't be allowed to see her anyway."
"What?!" Hiskaya shouted. Her fists clenched. "Who's trying to keep me away from my Haki?!"
Wincing at having Hiskaya shout, Hari scowled. "The entire castle knows what happened between you two and blame you for what happened to Haki. Lee-Sol was furious when she saw us this morning and made sure everyone knew about your fight." She hesitated before taking a deep breath. "Until Haki fully recovers, no one will let you in, and my dad isn't exactly jumping to overrule them."
This was terrible! Haki was hurt, because of her, and now she wasn't allowed to see her! Tears filled Hiskaya's eyes and her bottom lip trembled. Seeing this, Hari smiled sympathetically.
"I'll try to keep you posted on how she's doing," she promised. "And I'm sure that Haki will want to see you soon."
That wasn't enough. Hiskaya struggled to reign in her tears while Hari started to limp away. After giving Hiskaya a sad smile, Shan darted after Hari and whispered urgently to her. She placed a soft hand on Hari's injured arm. Whatever the two were saying to each other, it clearly wasn't making Shan happy because she was almost scowling. Eventually, Hari ducked and pressed her lips against a surprised Shan's forehead before stepping back and teleporting away with a wave. Now Shan was glowering.
"Cheater," she complained. "She distracted me so I wouldn't drag her to Hanulim." She turned back to Hiskaya and smiled sadly. "Are you alright? You're crying."
It was then that Hiskaya realized that tears were flowing down her cheeks. She didn't bother to wipe them away.
"No," she said brokenly. "I'm not alright. And I don't know how I'm going to fix this."