Haru ran as fast as he could, his feet flying as he scrambled out of the city and back towards the house. Sheer panic had taken over his body, as he pushed himself past his limits trying to get back.

"CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!" His mind shrieked. "HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING?! OF COURSE SHE'S THE FRIGGIN' DEMON LORD! OF COURSE THE KID WITH FREAKING HORNS IS THE DEMON LORD THAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DEFEAT!"

Haru's legs felt like rocks and his chest heaved with every breath, but he wouldn't stop, not this time. He kept his eyes forward focusing solely on the hill. His teeth grit together, as his mind raced faster and faster.

"THAT GIRL HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TROUBLE EVER SINCE WE MET! IT'S NO WONDER WHY NONE OF THE OTHER MONSTERS WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER! I WAS RIGHT TO GET RID OF HER WHEN I DID!"

His mind suddenly went blank, all but the thought of Reina leaving. He remembered how she looked at him, smiling at everything he did, and how sad she was when he pushed her away.

"And now, I've led them right to her…. The only person who ever gave a damn about me…. After everything I said to her…. GOD I AM STUPID!"

Haru could feel his consciousness fading. His body simply couldn't withstand running like this.

"No…. There's…still time. I can…make it there."

His speed picked up, as newfound energy burst into him. His look of exhausted worry gave way to determination, as he pressed forward.

"I am NOT going to let this ruin MY adventure! Do you hear me? I AM THE HERO OF THE PROPHECY! AND I WILL NOT ALLOW THE WELL-BEING OF SOME KID TO REST ON MY CONSCIOUS AND MAKE ME FEEL BAD! I'LL SAVE HER! AND THEN I WILL HAVE MY SUPER-SPECIAL HAREM ADVENTURE, FINALLY!"

Haru plowed into the hill, running upwards until he nearly barreled into the group of guards standing there. He tried to stop himself, but ended up tripping, flying face-first into the ground and rolling forward until he hit the big tree out front.

"Woah!" one of the guards shouted, approaching him. "Are you alright?"

Haru jumped to his feet, high on adrenaline.

"NO ONE PANIC! I'M HERE!" he shouted in a confused daze.

"The hero? What's he doing here?" another guard asked.

"Ah…listen," Haru began to say, as he shook off his stumble. "I heard you guys were here looking for a monster inside the house, right?"

"That's correct," the first guard said. "A local farmer reported seeing the monster enter the house. We were just about to enter after it."

"Oh! Well, how about this? I'll go in for you!"

"What? Why would you do that? It's probably only a small monster, it wouldn't be worth your time."

"Well, see the thing is, My…." He said before freezing up

"Crap! If I tell them Reina's in there, they'll want to go in with me," he thought to himself.

"Something the matter?" the guard asked.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing!" he said, sweat dripping from his face. "I-I was saying that I wanted to test my skills against the monster! Y'know, see what I can do."

"Are you sure? We could probably just catch it easily if we all go in."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll be in and out in no time. You can trust me, I'm the hero after all."

The guard let out a tired sigh, before conceding.

"Very well," he said. "We'll give you a few minutes. Be careful though."

The guard reached over and pulled his sword out of its sheath.

"Take this. You can't go in unarmed."

"Ah thanks," Haru said, taking the sword from him.

The blade was heavier than he was expecting, causing him to nearly drop it. But he managed to hold the sword up in the end as he turned to the guard.

"I'll be right back."

The guards watched as Haru disappeared into the house, shutting the door quietly behind him. He made his way through the house slowly, maneuvering around the furniture, until he could hear the sounds of soft weeping growing. Haru pushed past one last door to find Reina, sitting in the room he arrived in. She sat there alone wiping tears away. Haru breathed a sigh of relief, catching her attention, as he set the sword aside.

"H-haru?" she said in between sniffles.

"Yeah, I'm here. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have abandoned you like that."

"It's…It's okay…. I know I shouldn't have tried to force you to be my family."

"Hey, you're a kid. It's okay to make mistakes. But now we've got bigger problems. There's a group of guards here looking for you. I've managed to buy us some time, but they'll be coming in soon."

"Wha?! But if they see my horns, it'll be bad!"

"I know. So listen, I've got an idea. It's not a great one, but it might just save us. Will you help me?"

Reina nodded, ready to help.

Outside, the guards were just about ready to go in, when a sudden crashing sound coming from inside stopped them. The entire house shook as Reina used her powers, causing windows to fly open from the shockwaves.

"What's going on in there?!" a guard shouted.

"HIYAH! TAKE THAT FOUL BEAST!" Haru shouted from inside the house. "I'LL TEACH YOU TO ATTACK THIS PEACEFUL NATION!"

The guards stood there looking at each other, unsure of what to do next. There was nothing in their training to prepare them for such power. The house shook once more, the sounds from within getting louder.

"HA! YOU MISSED! NOW FEEL THE POWER OF MY BLADE!"

The house shook one last time before going quiet. The guards slowly approached the door, hesitant to open it. The guard at the front carefully reached for the handle, nervously anticipating what they'd find inside, but suddenly the door opened from the other side. Haru stood in the doorway with Reina wearing her hood.

"Are you alright?" the guard asked.

"We're fine, but the monster teleported away." Haru responded. "They were way more powerful than we thought. Thanks for the sword by the way, it was a real help."

He handed the guard his sword back, pretending to dust himself off.

"I…see you can handle yourself after all. It's good that we had you with us."

The guard then noticed Reina, who nervously hid behind Haru once spotted.

"And who is this?" the guard asked.

Reina froze, unable to give a proper response.

"Umm, I'm…." she began

"She's my little sister," Haru said. "She was brought here with me as well."

"I see. It's a good thing your big brother was here for you young lady."

"Ah…yes!" Reina said with a smile.

"We'll be going then. Stay safe."

"Wait," Haru said. "Would it be alright if we stayed in this house? I want to keep my sister safe."

"Go ahead. It's your house to begin with."

"Huh? It's mine?"

"Of course! This home belonged to the hero of the past. If you're going to be the new hero, you might as well use the house as well."

"Ah…. I…. Thank you."

The guards left, leaving Haru and Reina alone.

"Are you sure about this?" Reina asked. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't let an innocent kid suffer for my sake. I'm not that bad of a person. I-ARRRGH!"

The adrenaline suddenly left his body, and the exhaustion and pain he had been ignoring the entire time finally surged through him. Haru fell to his hands and knees, moaning in pain as Reina grew worried.

"Ah! Are you alright?!"

"I-I'm fine…." he said, in between dry-heaving. "I think I just need a rest."

Reina went quiet, letting her emotions build.

"Haru…. Why?"

"Huh? Why what?"

"Why did you risk yourself trying to protect me?"

"Does that seem all that strange?"

"You're the hero, right? That's what those men called you."

"Well, yeah. I guess I am from what people have been telling me."

"The monsters told me to fear you. That you would try to hurt me."

"And have I?"

Reina paused a moment before relaxing.

"No…. You haven't."

"Listen, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing as the hero. But I know I don't need to be your enemy, and I'm definitely not going to hurt you."

"So…what happens now?"

"Well, that depends. You could choose to leave here and go back to the monsters for protection. It'd be a lot safer for you there."

Reina looked gloomy, knowing that the monsters would just pass her around again, and she'd never be happy.

"But…. If you're willing to risk it, you could stay here with me."

"Huh? Really?!"

"Yeah. I mean, I don't want to live alone to be honest, and I need to keep an eye on you as the hero. So this will let me do both."

Reina's face lit up, as she became overjoyed.

"YES! YES! YES!"

"Hey take it easy! You have to remember, you can't be seen by anyone. That means wearing your hood outside and not using your powers."

"Okay!"

"So we'll be living together from now on, alright? We're family starting today."

"Umm…. Does that mean…."

Haru let out a pained sigh.

"Yeah…. You can call me that."

"BIG BROTHER!" She shouted with glee as she forcefully hugged him.

Haru allowed himself to smile, but only just a little bit.

"Geez, she's lucky she's cute," he thought to himself. "Well…maybe she could be useful. Every good harem needs its mascot. And who knows, she might attract more girls."

Haru looked up at the sun, seeing it setting in the distance.

"Besides, it's nice knowing I'm not alone anymore…."

They walked back inside the house, and the day ended.