Kind of a continuation of Rambling, but it definitely could be read by itself. Also thank you my dear readers! I'm glad more people liked the stories than I thought.

"You saved my life."

Agony. That was how Rein felt the minute she felt conscious again. Her side felt as though someone stabbed it multiple times, then hit it with a stick.

She groaned, which was a mistake because more pain shot up her side. She cursed, slowly opening her eyes as she wondered what had happened.

When she recognized the strange tuft of purple in front of her face, she almost screamed. The stinging pain that shot through her body again stopped her and she instead let out a small groan. Why is Shade...

Suddenly, everything that occurred hit her like a wave.

Shade and her infiltrated the castle in order to sabotage whatever resources they had left so they couldn't pull off a counterattack. The mission was a success, but Rein was fatally wounded during their escape. She knew she lost a lot of blood. At one point, she passed out but awoke to Shade's incoherent rambling and the feeling of hitting a cushioned floor several times.

She looked at Shade. He was sleeping soundly directly facing her, bandages covering his face. She couldn't remember how she got here, but she remembered hearing Shade's voice pulling her back from the brink several times over. Every time she felt her surroundings fade, the sound of Shade's voice pulled her back to her blurry reality.

She stared at him, cautiously bringing her hand up to brush his hair from his face. She winced at the slight pain it caused, but she was able to see his face better.

"You saved my life." She whispered to him, her hand stroking his face. She felt tears well up in her eyes and she attempted to hold back a sob. "You saved my life, Shade." She repeated. She didn't move her palm which rested on his face.

Rein wasn't sure how many minutes passed when his eyes slowly began to open. She didn't pull back her hand, partially because it would cause more pain and partially because she didn't want to.

"Hey." She said, her voice barely a whisper. She watched him blink a couple times before his eyes widened, and she could his eyes shining with unshed tears. She couldn't hold back any longer and let out a small sob. "Thank you." She said with a shaky smile. Her hand slowly brushed more of his hair away.

"You, you're really alive." Shade said, his hand reaching to touch the one that was on his face. She nodded her head, letting out another shaky breath.

"I'm alive." He gripped her hand. "I..." Before she could say anything, Shade shifted so that he pulled her into an awkward, and slightly painful hug, where his head rested directly above her chin, but not quite touching her.

"I'm so glad." Rein could feel his entire body shaking. "I'm so glad!" He sobbed. Rein couldn't hold back her sobs either. She cried with him despite the pain.

They stayed like that, undisturbed, unmoving, crying, comforted by each other's presence. They survived. Together.

Once they let all their tears out, they sat in comfortable silence. Rein was still stroking Shade's hair and Shade did not move from his resting place under Rein's chin.

"They're awake!" A familiar voice shouted. Shade moved from his position and looked up to see Elizabetta running in, checkboard in hand. Rein attempted to turn towards her, and winced. Fine, and Fango entered right after her.

"Rein!" Fine said, running up to the edge of the bed. Rein could see how tired Fine was from worry. Even now, she was trying her best to hold back her tears.

Elizabetta approached behind Fine, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her face was stern as she eyed Rein and Shade. Then it crumpled and tears immediately began spilling out. "I wasn't sure if you two were going to make it!" She cried. "I was so scared! I- I thought-The two of you-!" Elizabetta couldn't piece together a coherent sentence, instead pulling Fine into a hug. She responded the gesture, the two a crying mess.

"I don't know what I would've done if you were gone, Rein!" Fine wailed, taking her sister's hand in hers. Rein squeezed it as she cried once more.

"The scouting team found the two of you collapsed about a mile and a half from the camp." Fango said, his own expression softening at the sight of the two. "Truth be told, the only one in critical condition was Rein. Shade, you just collapsed from exhaustion."

"Don't scare me like that!" Elizabetta cried, wiping her eyes. "I don't think I could handle it."

"Thank you, Elizabetta." Shade said as he looked at her. Rein nodded, her tears showing again. "So, what happened?" Elizabetta sniffled, taking a step back to let Fango update them on things.

"The two of you were out for about four days. In that time, Princess Fine has enlisted the aid of the Sunny Kingdom and Jewelry Kingdom to help the Moon Kingdom recover from this war. The Prime Minister is in custody and awaiting trial." Fango said. "All that's left is for the new king to claim his rightful place on the throne." Fango smirked at Shade, but Shade could see the unshed tears in Fango's eyes too.

"Thank you." Shade said, lying back in bed. He was feeling tired again.

"Can I ask why we're sharing a cot?" Rein wondered.

"There wasn't any space left. You two weren't the only injured ones we found in the desert." Elizabetta said, giving Rein a gentle pat on the shoulder. She gave Rein a knowing grin before turning around. "We should let them rest you two. Wounds don't just heal in four days you know." Elizabetta said, pushing them out.

"But-" Fine began.

"You can bring them food later." Elizabetta stated, effectively cutting her off. Then she shut the door to the room. Rein chuckled.

"Ow, haha, ow." She said, placing a hand on her wound. She still couldn't believe she survived, which lead to a thought. "What were you saying when you were carrying me through the desert?" Rein wondered as she turned back to him. She was curious since she barely heard it in her daze. Shade never talked that much.

"I talked about how grateful I am to you. About rebuilding the rebuilding of the Moon Kingdom. How I couldn't do it without you. How I needed you." He said, his eyes staring directly into hers. "I begged you to stay awake. I knew I couldn't do it without you." Rein broke eye contact, suddenly feeling flustered at his comment. He began to stroke her cheek, a light laugh leaving his lips. His hand moved from her cheek to her hand. "I still can't believe you're alive, next to me." He leaned into her, their foreheads touching. He shut his eyes. Rein stared at his peaceful expression, one she hadn't seen in a long time.

"So..." She said, breaking the silence. "What now?" He didn't open his eyes.

"We rebuild my kingdom." He said, letting out a sigh. "Will you help me?" Rein closed her eyes along with him.

"Of course. I'll help you every step of the way." She replied confidently.

The fact that she was alive and Shade was safe filled Rein with the utmost confidence for the future.