Rin woke up to something nudging against him insistently. "Go 'way," he mumbled, weakly pushing it away as he turned over and pulled his blanket over his head. Unfortunately, this did nothing to hinder the poking and prodding, but Rin was a master in the art of sleeping. If he could sleep through Yukio screeching in his ear every morning, he could stay comatose through a few bumps.

All of these plans were ruined, however, when his entire blanket was violently tugged out from underneath him, causing him to land on the cold floor in an undignified heap of sleepiness.

"Why," Rin whined pathetically. "Why me?"

His offender growled, and Rin finally opened his eyes to see Behemoth vibrating excitedly next to his head. "Behemoth?" Rin's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What are you doing here?" Behemoth hopped back and forth, bumping his nose gently against Rin's forehead. Rin laughed, attempting to untangle himself from the blanket, and he reached out a hand to place on the pet demon's head.

"He wants to play," a voice murmured next to his ear. Rin shrieked and jerked his head straight into the hard wood of the ground. He whimpered. Amaimon stared.

"Don't do that ever again," Rin pleaded, sitting up and cradling his head. The blanket fell into his lap as he glared childishly at his older brother.

"Okay," Amaimon said agreeably.

Rin was distracted from his scolding when Behemoth crawled into his lap. He smiled, holding out his hand so the creature could nuzzle into it affectionately.

"Jeez, I'm surprised Yukio hasn't woken up yet from all of this noise," Rin commented, snorting. Then he began to register what he said.

"What are you doing here?!" he cried, standing up abruptly and ignoring the yelp from Behemoth as it tumbled to the ground along with the blanket. "If Yukio catches you, he'll try to kill you!"

Amaimon blinked. "The human brother left while you were still asleep," he said.

Rin relaxed. "Oh, I see." Then he looked at the clock. "I'M AN HOUR LATE FOR CLASS," he wailed, pulling open the closet desperately and tossing every article of clothing to the floor in panic. Amaimon and Behemoth watched in fascination.

"Humans have very odd rituals," Amaimon mumbled, hugging Behemoth to his chest as Rin frantically shoved a shirt over his head and tripped over his jeans.

Rin hurriedly grabbed his bag, practically teleporting to the door. "See you later Amai-nii!" he yelled, slamming the door close behind him.

Amaimon stared at the door for a few more moments, biting his nail almost nervously. He glanced down at his Behemoth. "Rin will get mad at me if he finds out," he told it. Behemoth did not respond, only squirming out of his arms in its desire to explore. Sighing, he released the Behemoth, allowing it to bounce around the room.

Standing, Amaimon eyed Rin's bed. He focused on the pillow, finding what he had come for in the first place. Small strands of dark hair stuck to the fabric, and, after guiltily checking the door again, he collected the hair carefully.

His hand stilled for a moment as it brushed against a familiar stuffed bear. After a moment of hesitation, he pocketed the strands of hair, turning away from the watchful eyes of the inanimate toy.

"Come, Behemoth," he called, stepping up onto the window's ledge. His Behemoth bounded happily into his arms, and he jumped down to the ground after a fleeting glance at the smiling bear.

/

"I can't believe I got detention," Rin grumbled as Shiemi smiled sympathetically.

"Don't be sad, Rin!" Shiemi attempted to cheer him up. "Summer holidays are coming up soon, so let's have lots of fun, okay?"

Rin brightened. "Yeah! I almost forgot about that!" He grinned happily at Shiemi, and a faint red crept up to her cheeks.

"All right, class," Yukio clapped his hands together to catch the students' attention. "I have an announcement to make. Since the exwire exam is coming up soon, I'll be holding a one-week training camp for the examinations next week. If you're interested in participating, please fill out this form with your intended Meister."

Rin stared down at the form, confused. "Meister? What's that?" he asked obliviously. Shiemi perked up.

"Oh! It's the type of exorcist you want to be," she said enthusiastically. "There's Tamer, Knight, Doctor..." she trailed off. An embarrassed flush spread across her face. "I don't remember the rest, though."

"You want to become an exorcist, and you don't even know this?" Suguro exclaimed irritably. "Get real!"

"Isn't it funny that Okumura-kun knows so much about some aspects of being an exorcist, but he hasn't even heard about the basics?" Shima teased jokingly.

"Shut up!" Rin retorted smartly. Shima snickered.

"There are five categories of Meister. Moriyama-san already listed three of them, and the other two are Aria and Dragoon," Konekomaru explained. "Shima-san and I want to become Arias, while Bon is aiming for Aria and Dragoon."

Rin was impressed. "Seriously? As expected of Bon!"

"Okumura-sensei has a Meister in Dragoon and Doctor," Konekomaru added.

A spark of pride and something a bit sadder swelled in Rin's chest as he watched Yukio gather his papers and leave for the next class. "He's really something, huh?" Rin pushed the feeling away and scanned the list determinedly. "Then, I'm gonna become a Knight!" he proclaimed triumphantly.

The class settled down when the next teacher entered the room. "Today, I'm going to be summoning my familiar," he said, drawing a large circle on the ground. "Some of you will be able to achieve this, and some of you will not. Your blood and a certain amount of appeal are necessary for a proper summoning, but be careful not to mess up the writing or the summoning will be broken."

He dusted off his pants and waved the class back. The teacher cleared his throat and began to chant, "Son of Typhoeus and Echidna, answer my request and come out!"

Several students covered their noses as a rank stench filled the room. The gruesome creature limped toward the teacher obediently. He turned back to the students, saying, "There is an incredibly small amount of humans who are able to summon a demon. Not only do you need spiritual fortitude; natural talent is also essential to taming demons."

"That's a Naberius!" Suguro hissed under his breath. "It's my first time seeing one." Rin examined the deformed demon with a level of disgust. He had fought a plethora of demons in the past, but this one was probably at the top of his 'Ugliest Demons' list.

"I will now be testing you to see if you have this talent." The teacher passed out small squares of paper with less advanced versions of the summoning circle on the ground. "Drip your blood onto the paper and say anything that comes to mind."

Rin wasn't very surprised when Izumo managed to summon two Byakkus, but he was a little shocked when Shiemi managed to call out a Greenman spirit.

"K-Kamiki-san!" Shiemi was brimming with joy. "Look, I summoned a familiar as well!"

Izumo scowled before plastering on a fake smile. "Wow, it's so small and cute - like a speck of dust."

Rin frowned, uneasy at the sarcastic tone, but Shiemi's eyes brightened, and a cheerful agreement passed her lips. He decided to leave it for now, but he'd keep an eye out if Izumo's passive-aggressive attitude continued to get worse. It seemed like Paku, Izumo's friend, also disapproved of the rude remarks.

"Dammit, I've got no talent," Suguro and Shima muttered simultaneously. Shima laughed good-naturedly, sucking on his bleeding finger while Suguro grunted moodily.

"Me neither," Konekomaru sighed, staring at the slip of paper hopelessly. Shima patted his back in condolence.

Rin eyed his own paper cautiously. He was about to shrug and throw it away (it wasn't like he wanted to become a Tamer in the first place) when Shiemi noticed him and brightly called out, "You should try, too, Rin!"

With her bubbly personality and wide eyes, it was difficult for Rin to refuse. Hesitantly, he pricked his finger and smeared the red liquid across the flimsy sheet. "Uh...come on out?" Izumo rolled her eyes, and Shima cracked up laughing behind him. Rin scowled, blushing a little. "We can play games or something," he tacked on, feeling stupid.

Shima howled in laughter. "Yes, let's play hide and seek with a demon!"

"Shaddup!" Rin stuck out his tongue. "This is dumb anyway!"

Suguro was clearly about to make a snarky comment when Rin's magic circle began swirling up into the air. A breeze of freshly cut grass permeated the room, and suddenly a large round body was knocking him down.

"A hobgoblin," the teacher announced, a peculiar look on his face. "Not as common as regular goblins, but still rather average when it comes to strength." Rin wheezed as the extremely familiar hobgoblin hopped on his stomach. He had a feeling that he hadn't managed to summon this particular demon with his own abilities.

Behemoth made a strange purring noise as it bumped into his chin. Rin sighed and scratched its head, causing the rumbling to get louder.

"It is oddly affectionate for a goblin," the teacher noted as Rin sat up, cradling the creature in his arms.

"Well, I am an affectionate person," Rin said dryly.

Suguro snorted. "You're as affectionate as I am stupid."

"So you're finally admitting you're stupid?" Rin grinned, inwardly cackling at the scandalized expression on Suguro's face.

"Of course not!" Suguro said heatedly. Their bickering continued until they were right in each other's faces.

"At least I don't look like a rooster!" Rin smirked, intentionally looking up at Suguro's dyed hair.

"Why you-!" The teenager grabbed Rin's shirt, about to shake him back and forth when Behemoth growled loudly. Suguro froze, and Rin looked down at the earth demon in surprise. When Suguro didn't immediately let go of Rin, Behemoth snapped its teeth together audibly, and Suguro's hands dropped him. Behemoth settled back down, sitting on Rin's feet without taking its eyes off of Suguro.

"It looks like we have a handful of Tamer prospects this year," the teacher interrupted the tense atmosphere. "Remember, a familiar won't follow someone that is weaker than itself, so don't lose confidence in yourself unless you want it to turn on you. And with that note, class is dismissed. Good work today."

Rin reached down and collected Behemoth into his arms, trudging his way back to the dorm. Yukio had already told him he was going to be home late today, but he figured someone else would still be there to welcome him back. By the time he arrived, Amaimon was already waiting in his room.

"Welcome home," Amaimon said blandly, spinning in Yukio's chair.

"Stop that," Rin said absentmindedly, holding the chair so Amaimon couldn't spin. He dropped the hobgoblin lightly into Amaimon's lap. "Want to explain this?" he asked expectantly.

Amaimon's blank expression did not change. "It's my Behemoth," he offered.

"Yes," Rin agreed pleasantly. "So why was I able to summon your familiar during class today?"

Amaimon shifted uncomfortably. "I told it to answer your call," he explained like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Why?" Rin asked exasperatedly.

"Because Rin attracts trouble," Amaimon said, stubbornly crossing his arms. "Behemoth will protect you from anything that tries to hurt you."

Something warm and pleasant bubbled up in his chest. "I'm at school all the time, nothing is going to hurt me," he said, pretending not to be pleased with the sincere intentions. "Besides, I'm already in high school, and I can fight pretty well, I don't need anyone to protect me!"

Amaimon looked doubtful. Rin sighed. "...But if it means that much to you, I guess I'll let him stick around for now." Amaimon immediately perked up, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.

The sound of a door closing echoed throughout the dorm. "Nii-san? Who are talking to?" Yukio's voice called out, muffled through the door. Rin and Amaimon both froze.

"No one!" Rin answered, hastily shoving Amaimon out the window. By the time Yukio opened their bedroom door, the King of Earth was already gone, leaving behind swaying curtains and an open window.

"I got some bread-" Yukio stopped abruptly. Rin swallowed anxiously. Yukio squinted at Rin's bed.

"...Is that a hobgoblin?"

Rin laughed nervously, barely concealing his relief at the getaway.

hey guys, it's been a while. sorry about that lol. anyway, congrats on season 2 amirite! thanks for everyone's support despite the hiatus. hopefully i've matured a little in my writing. all of your reviews have gotten me to where i am now. thank you so much for everything.