Disclaimer: Do I still need these? Do these even work why do I even bother I don't own anything

AN: Oh my god hi guys I'm so sorry so so so so so so sorry I checked I think the last time I updated was like last year (can you say 'worst writer in the world' yep thats me) but I got a message from someone recently and you guys seem like you are willing to forgive my radio silence, so I wrote up a chapter! Thank you for your encouragement, you guys really keep me going! Thank you so so so much, I really hope you enjoy! (Also I recommend rereading some chapters to remember what the hell is going on huehue sorry)

"Huh? What's that?" Rin peered into the distance. "Looks like Shiemi became one of Miss Eyebrows followers."

"Miss Eyebrows?" Konekomaru questioned.

"That's Kamiki, I guess," Shima said light heartedly.

"They're just playing," Bon scoffed and turned around. I bit my lip worriedly, raising a hand in her direction and almost calling out, but my shyness overtook me and I closed my mouth, turning around to trail after Rin.

"How interesting," Mephisto cackled, patting Behemoth on the nose. I gulped, tail swishing between my legs as he whirled around to look at me. "I'm sure you understand why I've called you here. It's quite amusing to see your natural instincts coming out to play – I was hoping you'd summon Carreau, but I suppose the Trio isn't too unsatisfactory."
I watched Behemoth – full sized, fire breathing Behemoth lower his head at Mephisto's gesture, wondering just who on earth this 'principal' really was, to be able to control a demon so easily.

"…I can't really command him, when he's in his real form," I admitted reluctantly, a small flame of jealousy in the pit of my stomach at Mephisto's power.

"Well, this is an academy, Haku. You're here to learn, to get stronger for your masters, am I wrong?" A grin spread across his face, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"I will do it." I stared back into glittering green eyes, amusement flickering in its swirling colour. "I will protect them."

"Your determination is always refreshing to see." Mephisto clapped once, and Behemoth vanished with a puff of smoke. "I wonder…you should know best. Your masters are not weak. If you don't work hard, it might be that soon the one being protected is not them, but you."
My tail bristled, swinging stiffly in the indignation that ran through my body. Mephisto shrugged and tapped his cane on the ground cheerfully.

"In any case, I hope to see the rest of the Trio soon. You should be getting to class now." Mephisto waved dismissively. I nodded slowly and stopped at the door.

"Um…why did you want me to summon Carreau?" I asked tentatively.

"Haven't you learnt in class?" He grinned and adjusted his purple hat. "Carreau is the demon said capable of breaking even the most determined souls."

The moon was a small, silver crescent, and I sniffed the air, smelling the various plants of the academy, dust and odd smelling fumes.
"…it might be soon that the one being protected is not them, but you."

I growled, pawing the ground in agitation and finally rising to all fours to begin an annoyed fast run around the school grounds. Yuki and Rin had always been strong in differing ways, I knew this first hand. Yuki practised his shooting deep into the night, Rin rarely had a day where he wasn't fighting a bunch of hooligans. Despite this, I had always had a power advantage over them – I had the brute strength of a beast, and jaws, claws sharper than steel to employ them. Biology alone dictated that I was stronger than them. But it was true, Rin and Yuki were both learning things, training hard, unleashing more and more of their terrifying potential, and if I couldn't keep up, one day, I might be the reason they get hurt. And that was unacceptable.
I dug my claws into the dust, leaving deep marks into the ground as I skidded to a stop. I sat back on my haunches and let out a loud, deep howl, the wind carrying the sound through the empty school yard.

"Rin…" I tugged at his sleeve.

"I know."

"Rin…" I tugged again and he bonked me on the head with his fist, glaring at me.

"I know!" he sighed, turning back to glare at the ground. "Shiemi's totally turning into her slave."

"It's not fair to Shiemi." My ears twitched in my hat and I had to make sure my tail didn't flounder too much.

"Huh?" Yuki raised an eyebrow and Rin sighed, shaking his head.

"Anyway, why's the training camp in our dorm?" he asked as my nose caught several familiar scents floating on the wind towards us. I was exempt from guard duty for a while because of the training camp, and being much more well rested meant my body was far more alert than usual in human form, even with my less powerful sense of smell.

"Because it's no problem if we get a bit loud since we're the only ones that live here. It's just practical," Yuki explained as he watched the rest of the class approach the building.

"Good morning!" Shima said cheerfully, waving as he did so.

"What's this? It looks like a haunted hotel!" Suguro gave the building a once over, staring at the worn down walls and dark windows.

"I don't like this place, it feels creepy. Can't we go somewhere nicer?" Kamiki complained, looking at the run down building. She handed her bag to Shiemi.
"Take this."
My canines dug into my bottom lip and I adjusted my cap restlessly as I watched Paku lean towards Shiemi.

"Rin…" I whined and earned a sharp flick to the forehead. "Ouch."

"I know already." He frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets.

The written exam was 2 hours long, and it was already night when the class finally completed the test.

"Paku, let's take a bath." Kamiki smiled at her friend.

"Me too!" Shiemi sat up brightly, placing down her test papers.

"I hope it's big…"

"I don't care, as long as we get there quickly."

I looked after them, trying not to feel jealous. I couldn't exactly walk in there, ears and tail flapping, and take a nice, warm bath with them. Yuki gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and took my test paper.

"Girls' bath time…" Shima grinned and stared after them. "I get the feeling we'll have to go and sneak a peek."

"I-Is that really allowed?" I asked nervously.

"Ah," Shima looked up sheepishly. "I thought you left with them…"

"Shima, you're a monk!" Suguro scolded, hands in fists on the table.

"Really, your bad habits…" Konekomaru sighed.

"Look who's talking, admit that you're just as interested."

"Try not to forget that there's a teacher in here," Yuki spoke up monotonously as he flipped through the tests he had collected.

"Teacher or whatever, you're still a freshman! You don't have to act." Shima patted him on the shoulder.

"I prefer not to embark on reckless adventures."

I sighed in relief, glancing back down the hallway forlornly. It would be nice to be able to enjoy the bath with other people. I caught sight of Rin's back, and dashed after him.

"Rin!" I smiled brightly as I pulled up beside him.

"Oh, Haku. You aren't gonna take a bath with the others?" He gestured to Shiemi, who stood outside the bathroom. "In fact, why are you out here, Shiemi?"

"…No reason. I'm just going to buy some fruit milk." Her voice struggled to be her usual cheery tone, even though her face was downcast. Rin frowned and grabbed her arm.

"Stop that."

"That?"

"You're not her servant, it's weird!"

I fidgeted with the edge of my shirt jacket, wanting to speak but afraid of sabotaging what little contact I had with another human being other than Rin and Yuki. My ears twitched, goosebumps rising on my arms. It usually wasn't this bad when I was nervous.
Shiemi whirled around, bright green eyes indignant. "I'm not her servant! She's my friend and I'm helping her!"

"You're not helping her, is that really what you think you're doing? It's not right." Rin shook his head, expression serious. Her hair fell over her face as she looked down.

"I don't want to stay behind other's backs and depend on their help all the time. I want to…" She looked up, eyes determined. "…become strong enough to help others. She's my first friend! But you're strong and you have friends, you wouldn't understand!"
With that, Shiemi ripped her hand from Rin's and turned, running down the hallway.

"Ah!" I called helplessly, glancing at Rin for guidance. I was not disappointed as he grabbed my jacket and began to run after her. He snagged the back of Shiemi's kimono and a victorious grin spread over his face just as a scream came from the bathrooms. My entire body stiffened and my tail stood on end as I finally picked up a foul scent from the bathroom. My ears hadn't been flinching because of nervousness before, my body had been reacting to the demon in the building. I hadn't picked up on it because I was so distracted.

"It's Kamiki and Paku!" Shiemi cried, worriedly looking down the hall. Rin didn't hesitate as he whirled around, dropping the handful of jacket he had.

"Go get Yukio!" he ordered over his shoulder as he ran, and I followed after immediately. I knew it would be a bad idea to have me off duty, the school's safety was my responsibility at night, and now people could get hurt. My loyalties did lie with Rin and Yuki, but that didn't mean I didn't care about the safety of my classmates. I couldn't transform here, there wasn't enough time –
What can I do?
I tried not to panic and remembered with a start, a triumphant cry on my lips as I whipped out my summoning slip. I scratched myself, wiping the blood onto the slip.

"Earth of the trio, bow before me, Behemoth!"

Be puffed into existence with an explosion of dirt, his scaly legs scraping the floor as he roared a fierce breath of flame. Smaller than his original form, but still formidable. Rin kicked down the door and burst through and I followed closely behind. I took in the scene quickly, the two headed ghoul crouched over the fallen body of Paku, the smell of metal and raw flesh in the air. Kamiki stood only in her undergarments, her two wolf familiars snarling in her direction, and I didn't need to say anything before Behemoth gave another roar, drawing the attention of the stinking, brown ghoul. One of its head was just a patchwork of stitches, while the other had a gaping maw. Rin leapt out in front of Kamiki, punching down the two familiars. Kamiki's legs gave out with a soft whimper, and she sank to the ground.

"Tear the paper!" He urged, standing between Kamiki and the ghoul, and she obeyed in a daze, eyes following the puff of white smoke as they disappeared. I
sniffed the air and pushed down a growl, disobeying all the senses in my body ordering me to transform. I turned my head as a familiar smell came closer, and Shiemi burst into the room.

"Shiemi!" Rin frowned, his eyes darting between the stagnant ghoul and her.

"She needs treatment. The wounds are festering." I brushed the back of my hand across my nose, grimacing at the smell. Shiemi glanced over, resolve settling on her face.

"Rin, you distract the demon while I treat Paku," Shiemi said and immediately ran over to the fallen girl.

"Huh? You make it sound easy!" Rin said incredulously, grabbing his sheathed katana and running towards the ghoul. Behemoth snarled and lunged forward with him, fastening his jaws around a fleshy brown arm as Rin smacked it across the face.

"It looks like a burn," Shiemi murmured.

"It's a spirit wound from a ghoul! She'll die soon!" Kamiki cried, panic in her voice for the first time.

"Then I have to hurry!" Shiemi leaned forward and inspected the wound closely. The ghoul groaned and swung Behemoth to the side, crawling towards Rin.

"Young master…" it moaned, voice hoarse and almost unintelligible, grabbing Rin by the shoulder and flinging him through the glass. My vision turned red and everything stopped, the shattering echoing in my ears. Briefly registering the growl ripping from my throat, Behemoth breathed flames into the room, his jaw snapping into the meaty side of the demon. Dust still rose from the room and I coughed, the overwhelming smell choking my senses.

"Rin!" I rubbed my eyes and caught sight of the ghoul, bent over…Rin, his throat in its large, grotesque hand. Behemoth ripped a chunk out of its side as my claws elongated, fangs digging into my lower lip as I snarled and grabbed the swishing black tail of the demon, hurling it across the room into the wall, muscles screaming at the unwelcome exertion. My breaths came quick and shallow, my heart thumping erratically as I suppressed the urge to transform with all my might – Rin's right there, Shiemi, Kamiki, Paku! – and I dug my claws into my chest as the ghoul let out a deep moan and pushed itself off the wall, debris and broken pieces of wall tumbling and breaking onto the floor. Shots suddenly rang out, sharp and loud in the echoing change room. They pierced the leathery flesh of the ghoul with sickening splats, and it screeched as it jumped lithely up to the vent and scampered away. A hand rested on my cap, jolting me a little. I almost slashed back, but the familiar smell of Yuki calmed my senses and I felt my canines shrink, claws retracting slowly.

"Are you okay, nii-san?" Yuki waited for a nod before turning. "Haku?" His tone was worried. I breathed and nodded, smiling feebly and running towards Rin.

"You're late!" Rin yelled hoarsely at Yuki, clearing his throat as he caught his breath.

"I'm so sorry, Rin!" I looked him up and down, not smelling any blood on him but still worried.

"Why are you sorry for? Your little mutt kept him all occupied." Rin grinned at Behemoth, who burped a small burst of flame that almost seared his hand when he poked me on the forehead. "And you did a wicked throw! You pack a lot for someone so small."

"But I…"

Rin lightly bumped his fist against my shoulder to interrupt my words. "Thanks for having my back, Haku."
I felt my cheeks grow warm and nodded, adjusting my cap awkwardly.

"I'll be better next time."

"Shiemi, how's Paku?" Yuki asked worriedly, glancing over at Shiemi and the fallen Paku, covered in sweet smelling aloe.

"Yuki-chan…" Shiemi looked bewildered.

"You did the right thing, who knows what we would have done without you." Yuki smiled and Shiemi's eyes brightened. She looked back as Paku woke slowly, voice soft and raspy.

"Thank you for saving me, Moriyama-san."

Why is Rin shirtless?

Tai tilted her head, watching him head to his room. After talking a bit with Yuki about the ghoul, she wanted to go sniff out where it went and find out some more information, but Yuki forbade her from going on her own. With no guard duty, despite being particularly worried about it now, there was nothing for Tai to do but stay in the room and keep them safe.

"Oh, Tai!" Rin bounced over, giving me a quick pat. Tai shook her tail, running around him excitedly as he hung up his weapon and sat on the bed. "Today was crazy, you know? Eyebrows and her friend got attacked by a demon, and Shiemi saved her with some weird plant thing and Haku actually threw the demon by its tail!" He gestured enthusiastically, and Tai barked in response.

"I'm gonna get stronger, Tai." Rin placed a hand on her head and his eyes glowed with a determination Tai was almost surprised by. "I'll be able to take all these guys."

Tai licked his wrist, tail thumping against the ground.
I'll be right here with you.

AN: Hey, thank you guys so much again for reading and for giving so much support, so much more than I deserve! I really appreciate your reviews, and thank you to ELOSHAZZY for reinspiring me to write! You guys are awesome, thanks for dropping reviews and every follow and fav is really the greatest thing! See you next chapter! Lots of love and smiles from Chip : 3