As Haneul sat underneath the night sky, kneeling beside the unconscious Gongchan and staring up at the glittering stars above, it was hard to believe that only a short time ago she had been on the border between life and death, and now, the world seemed to exude an aura of peace. The rugged steppes were oddly calm, with a gently breeze rolling over the rocky landscape and making the , spindly trees shake back and forth, their branches rattling, in some kind of strangely exotic dance. Sand particles drifted over the purple-grey rock, tumbling against her legs as the wind pushed them onward. Clouds drifted lazily along the sky, occasionally eclipsing the soft white light that filtered down from the dark heavens. She glanced down at the angel beside her, gently sweeping a sweat-soaked strand of hair from his forehead, which was burning hot with fever. It was hard to believe that this man, who was at her mercy, was her enemy only a short time ago, and now she had no desire but to see him live.

“Baro will be here soon,” she whispered, half-reassuring herself. Out in the wilderness, it was hard to tell how much time had passed since the crazed angel Dong-woo had departed, leaving the pair alone to fend for themselves; it could have been hours, or minutes only. Shivering as the wind picked up, Haneul rubbed her arms to warm herself as the seconds continued to tick by. Though Gongchan had ensured her that Baro had made it out of the battle alive, she was beginning to grow anxious. Surely, the demon would have arrived by now?

As she was fretting, from above her came the sound of rushing feathers, and she glanced up to see a form half-landing, half-dropping from the sky a few yards in front of her. In the gloom, it was hard to make out just exactly who it was, but there was little doubt in her mind as she jumped to her feet and leaped over Gongchan’s still form to rush over the uneven ground and throw her arms around the figure as his feet slammed into the ground. He stumbled into her grasp, and she felt his heart hammering against her own as she pressed herself against him. Suddenly, she was trembling, as all the emotion she had been suppressing suddenly came spilling forth.

“Baro…” she whispered, her eyes full of tears as she hugged him tightly. “I was so worried!”

“Pfft, and here I was, worried about you,” he mocked gently, and though his tone was playful, she could hear the pain hidden inside his voice. He leaned awkwardly against her, seemingly unable to support his own weight, and his hand rhythmically ran over her long hair in a soothing motion. “Just a scratch, really,” he began, but then grunted in pain and held his side. Haneul stepped back to see blood oozing out from between his fingers and turning the dark fabric of his hoodie even darker. There was a myriad of scratched and bruises covering his exposed skin, and his wings had tufts of feathers pulled away, leaving patches in the once smooth black surface. As she pulled back, he went down on one knee, panting heavily.

“Give me this,” she demanded as she grabbed the hem of his sweatshirt and wrenched it over his head, causing him to yelp; yet, he obediently slid his arms through the sleeves, flopping his arms down with exhaustion as she placed the jacket in her lap and ripped off a large chunk of the fabric. She rolled it into a thick pad, then leaned forward to gently move his hand away from the wound. Her breath caught in ; it was almost as bad as the gash to Gongchan’s shoulder, a long, deep laceration that went right down to the bone. The stench of blood making her nauseated, she quickly pressed the makeshift covering the wound, applying as much pressure as she could. Baro hissed in pain, but did not pull away.

“As much as your concern excites me, this really isn’t necessary,” he muttered, leaning his head against hers as she remained bent down in front of him. She could feel his body trembling and the sweat running down the side of his head, dripping into her hair. He’s playing it off… He doesn’t want me to worry. The thought did little to warm her; no amount of bravado would save him from a potentially deadly wound. Remaining silent, she continued to press against his side, watching grimly as the gray fabric slowly blackened. “Haneul, really. Something like this won’t kill me,” he murmured with a light chuckle, and she cried out in surprise when he placed a hand on her chest to push her away from him. As she squeaked in protest, he flicked her lightly in the forehead, and the suddenness of the motion made her fall silent for a second; then, with a wry smile, he removed the makeshift pad to reveal a clean wound, slowly knitting itself shut. She leaned forward slightly, watching the gash shrink.

“Fascinating… And kind of disgusting,” she remarked with a slight frown, then glanced over to Gongchan’s unconscious body. She crawled the short distance to him, lifting up the section of white fabric she had used to staunch his bleeding; sure enough, there was no trace of any laceration, only smooth skin without so much as a scar. “So, you have accelerated healing abilities. Why didn’t you just come right out and say it?” she frowned, looking over at him accusingly.

“Well, it was pretty cute to see you all concerned. Plus, it was pretty nice having you all close like that,” he purred, and as Haneul chunked a nice-sized rock at his head, he laughed and hastily ducked. She instantly regretted it when he yelped and grabbed his side, still ripped open, and she hoped she had not hurt him further. He then grinned, glanced up at her, and snickered, “See, you got that cute look on your face again.”

“You are hopeless! I was worried about you, and you had to make it out to be a little game!” she cried angrily, crossing her arms and looking away with a haughty huff. Though his teasing never ceased to irritate her, most of her reaction was for show; truly, she was glad that Baro was relatively unharmed. As she moved to glance back at him, she was surprised to find that the lithe demon had slunk up behind her, and he gently grabbed her underneath the chin to turn the side of her face towards him. He had a deep frown etched onto his face, and he drew a finger over her cheek, causing fiery pain to blossom in the side of her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to subside and not quite sure what it had originated from in the first place.

“That’s a really nasty bruise. Where did you get it?” he asked softly. Despite the gentleness of his words, the edge of his voice was hard as stone, and she could feel the anger simmering inside him.

“Dong-woo,” she realized suddenly as she raised a hand to her cheek, the bruised skin and wincing at the pain that sprung forth as a result. “The angel that kidnapped me… He got angry when I wouldn’t…” she trailed off, dropping her gaze slightly.

“What?” Baro asked forcefully, assuming that it must have been something nefarious. She blushed lightly, glancing up at him.

“When I wouldn’t give you up,” she answered honestly, and Baro blinked down at her in a mixture of happiness and amazement. He played it off well, blushing lightly and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “He got really mad at me, and he slapped me…”

“Well, I’ll just have to repay the debt with interest, now won’t I?” he grinned darkly. Haneul blushed when he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a light squeeze, and pressing his forehead against the side of her head. She gripped his arm lightly, heart pounding. “Thank you for having faith in me…” he murmured softly in her ear, and she smiled lightly, joy filling her body. She pressed against him, closing her eyes and enjoying the closeness.

“Of course, Baro. I’ll always have faith in you,” she whispered back. He then heaved a aheavy sigh and plopped his chin on her shoulder, staring blankly at Gongchan’s unconscious form.

“So, what’s his story?” he asked quietly.

“When Dong-woo got mad, he said he was going to ‘teach me a lesson,’” she frowned lightly. “He intervened, and he defended me… All this time, all he wanted to do was protect me, and he even went up against his own superior…” she murmured. Once again, her heart swelled with gratitude for the angel, and she felt guilty for treating him so harshly. From this point on, I’ll make an effort to be kinder to him…

“Huh,” was all the demon responded with, and then glanced down to his side. The wound had completely closed, the only trace of it left being the bloodstains spattered on his clothing. He pulled at the ripped tee, frowning. “Man, and this was my favorite shirt,” he mumbled, looking up at Haneul with a small smile. He climbed to his feet, holding out a hand for her; she took it gladly, allowing him to pull her to her feet. As he unfurled his wings, preparing for takeoff, Haneul glanced uncertainly back at the sleeping Gongchan. “Aw, come on, he tried to kill me!” Baro complained as she walked over and crouched down beside the angel, pressing the back of her hand lightly to his forehead. Heat radiated from his skin, and he was breathing roughly, his face screwed up in pain.

“We can’t leave him like this. He could very well die,” Haneul insisted with a pointed look at the demon, and his rolled his eyes and groaned loudly before stomping over to place his hands on his hips and glare doubtfully down at the angel. He then squatted down and pulled Gongchan’s arms about his shoulders, heaving him up. The angel stirred, and his eyes fluttered open to peer uncomprehendingly at Baro.

“Wh…What…?” he mumbled in confusion.

“We aren’t friends. Hanuel asked me to,” Baro clarified sharply, and Gongchan nodded slowly before focusing his energy on putting his feet in front of him. With Haneul following closely beside him, Baro began half-leading, half-dragging the boy across the rugged landscape, picking his way carefully over the crags as he navigated in the sparse light. The wind had picked up, snatching at their clothes and hair and making them shudder with cold. They walked in silence, simply trudging on through the bleak wilderness and contemplating on the strange events of the night. “So, this Dong-woo guy,” Baro suddenly addressed the weary Gongchan. “What’s up with him? Is he the one who sent the demons after her?”

“Yes,” he admitted instantly. “He’s an officer angel, of middle rank, and my superior. I had always known him to be righteous, but this, ah, incident seems to have brought out a side of him that I never could have imagined,” he murmured. Haneul felt slightly bad for him; he had been following orders dutifully, only to discover that his superior was a monster. “I am sorry for attacking you,” he apologized suddenly, and both Baro and Haneul ceased their advance to stare wide-eyed at him. The pale angel blushed lightly in embarrassment and looked away. “Once I learned that Dong-woo had pulled such a stunt, I grew almost hysterical with concern… Haneul, whether she accepts me or not, is my charge, and learning that my own superior had put her life at risk… It was a hard pill to swallow,” he admitted.

“Gongchan,” Haneul sighed, but fell silent as the man disentangled himself from the demon and bowed awkwardly.

“I thank you for your assistance; now, I must be on my way,” he smiled wanly.

“Wait! Where will you go? Dong-woo will surely kill you if you return,” Haneul fretted. A look a wistful pain passed over the angel’s features for a brief moment, and then, he was smiling reassuringly to her, as if nothing was wrong.

“I have no intention to return to his side. I will manage. There are… Things I need to think about,” he responded vaguely and bowed to her once more. He stood upright, facing Baro for a moment before giving the demon a courteous dip of the head; unsure how to respond, Baro simply blinked and returned the gesture. Then, without another word, the angel flapped his bedraggled wings and rose unsteadily into the night sky, vanishing into the darkness above and leaving the pair of them alone.

“Man. That must be rough. He’s having the identity crisis of a lifetime,” Baro frowned lightly before glancing down at Haneul, who was staring up into the starlight where Gongchan had vanished.

“I hope he finds himself,” she murmured. Baro smiled slightly and gently patted her on the head, causing her to glance up at him, slightly confused at the gesture.

“You really are just good,” he laughed.

“What?” she frowned, befuddled at the strange remark. He chose not to respond, however, only smild wider and wrapped his arms around her waist. Blushing darkly, she put her hands on his shoulders and attempted to widen the distance between them, unsettled by his sudden brazenness.

“At last, we’re alone again,” he purred.

“Come on, we’re out in the middle of nowhere. Is it really the time for all this?” she complained. Though she was exhausted and starving, her heart refused to be still, and was instead pounding defiantly inside her ribcage at the demon’s touch. Damn him and the way he makes me feel, she cursed silently.

“If we’re out in the middle of nowhere, there’s no one to interrupt us, right?” he answered matter-of-factly, smirking at her and bringing his face close. With a whine, she tilted his head away by pushing on his cheek, and he snickered at her resistance. Detecting she was in no mood for such games, however, he obediently relinquished his grip and backed away, much to Haneul’s relief. It was just in time, thankfully, for no sooner than Baro had retreated did the sound of softly rustling feathers float down from the sky, and they both looked up to see Jinyoung spiraling down from the night, landing lightly beside them.

“Ugh. Look at you. You look like you got your kicked,” the red-haired man frowned as he checked Baro over. Placing a hand on his heart as if he was wounded, the black-haired boy scoffed at him and made a shocked expression.

“Uh, nice to see you too?” he mocked, then grinned and punched Jinyoung lightly in the shoulder. “Late to the party as ever. You missed the -kicking- and no, it wasn’t mine being kicked.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” the other snorted and glanced at Haneul, giving her a once-over. He frowned when he saw the purple-black bruise on her cheek. “Oh, great. Now I have to come up with another lie for the buffoon. What’ll I say this time? She’s a klutz and fell on her face?” he cried in exasperation, whirling on Baro in annoyance. “Can’t you go one night without causing problems for me?” he complained.

“It’s not my fault! Gongchan started it!” Baro whined pitifully, sounding like a child being scolded. Haneul giggled at the exchange, amused at the banter. Both of the boys glanced at her in mild shock, and their cheeks reddened when they realized how silly they were being. Jinyoung abruptly glanced to the horizon as a strip of red-orange began to spill over the sky, rapidly turning the black night sky a hue of royal purple.

“Dawn isn’t far off. We should get her home, and then you can tell me what went down,” he told Baro firmly. The black-haired boy shrugged before holding out a hand expectantly for Haneul to take; as she did so, he grinned stupidly and suddenly pulled her up against him, wrapping his arms securely around her. Jinyoung rolled his eyes and made a “throwing up” gesture, to which Baro responded by sticking out his tongue. In unison, the pair of demons unfurled their dark wings and took to the sky, soaring into the receding stars. Peering over Baro’s shoulder, Haneul watched as they faded one by one, watching the sky turn from indigo to rich royal blue to periwinkle, while the horizon below became flooded with reds and oranges as the golden sun came spilling into light. Held in Baro’s arms, Haneul became aware of just how exhausted she was, and she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, simply enjoying the sound of his heartbeat.

She raised her head as he spiraled down over the house, dropping neatly through the open bedroom window. Jinyoung perched on the windowsill, waiting impatiently as Baro carried the exhausted girl over to her bed and whipped the covers back to gently lay her down.

“Besides the terrifying parts, tonight was pretty fun,” she chuckled lightly as she looked sleepily up at him. He smiled wryly and poked her in the forehead, causing her to flop back against the pillow.

“You’re nuts,” he laughed.

“Hmm, well, so are you, for putting up with me,” she responded as she pulled the covers up to her chin and snuggled into the bed. She then frowned, nervousness creeping into her body as she realized the demon would be departing. “You don’t think Dong-woo will come for me again, do you?” she asked quietly as he turned his back to leave. He tensed, then glanced over his shoulder to give her a reassuring smile.

“Nah, we’ll make sure of it. Right, Jinyoung?” he grinned, and the redhead just snorted and waved his hand as if to say, “Yeah, whatever.” “See? Nothing to be worried about. You’re in good hands!” he grinned.

Yes. I really am, she smiled as her eyes drifted closed. The last sight she saw was the pair of demons departing into the rich sunlight, and Baro smiling kindly at her as he waved good-bye.