Edited: October 27, 2014

Rin sank in his seat, lower and lower until he hopefully disappeared into absolute oblivion. Or at least until it didn't feel like everyone was boring holes into his back. He hadn't been able to move freely ever since the class started thirty minutes ago—someone was always pegging him with a stare.

He gritted his teeth and concentrated harder on the text that Shiemi read aloud surprisingly well next to him. Rin didn't know whether to be more impressed by the nerves of her or the guts of her to even sit next to him. After ignoring him for the past two weeks outside of cram school she just sat next to him like everything was normal? Not only that, but sneak glances at him? Any other time Rin would've celebrated that triumph, but now… now he just felt condemned by it all.

The tentative glances, the eyes on his back, the avoidance beside when they all studied together and even that was minimal now… it felt similar to when they all first found out about his heritage. He thought after that, that was all behind him. That everything would get better. But apparently not. His shoulders slumped and Shiemi faltered before continuing on in more uncertainty than before.

Rin sighed, a long uneven breath escaped from him and he enjoyed the feeling of his chest falling. He closed his eyes and leaned into the table.

He thought he heard sudden movement back somewhere to his right where Izumo sat but he couldn't be sure for Shiemi's just as sudden butchering of the verse was louder. Her words gasped and garbled before dying completely in what he could only assume was the end. He looked up at her, curious as to what happened to all that bravado. She ducked her head and sat down in an attention-grabbing clatter that only made her face grow redder.

"Uh yes, that was good Ms. Moriyama, but I suggest the utmost clarity and finishing the verse if you wish to actually rid yourself of a demon," their instructor said in what was obvious fake pleasantries. Her eyes shifted around the room looking for her next victim and that was the signal for Rin to plant his gaze back onto the open book in front of him. With all of the other shit going on the last thing he wanted to do was definitely butcher a verse out loud. He wasn't like the Old Man or Yukio or as much as it grudged him to admit, the Kyoto gang. He wasn't made to be an Aria—though it might help if he had actually sat down to study the passages assigned for today or have someone to study with, but that was beside the point.

And so he stuck his nose in his book to avoid eye contact with the instructor. If he couldn't see her then he hoped she didn't see him. The trick worked all throughout normal school growing up and so cram school should be no different—nevermind the pointed ears and teeth and his tail was tucked away, wrapped around his torso. His secret may be out but the instructors were all still Exorcists who more likely than not wanted him dead.

"Mr. Suguro, since Ms. Moriyama did not finish would you like to recite starting from the top?"

There was the definite sound of scrambling behind Rin, who felt confident enough to raise his head up now that he knew he would not be called on and looked behind him. Bon was needlessly flipping pages and his brows furrowed further with each flip. Wasn't it only months ago that the jerk claimed he had a photo-memory or whatever? "Uh, where are we?"

Rin blinked. Bon never lost composure.

Their instructor straightened up and disappointment spread across her face the more she frowned. "I said to recite Ms. Moriyama's passage. Maybe if you focused like… well, for once like Mr. Okumura here, and not space out, then you would have heard me."

Rin's ears twitched at his name being called out and his jaw dropped, exposing his sharp teeth, when he realized his name was announced in a positive light. On instincts he shot a grin back at Bon just like they usually did to annoy each other before realizing that they might not be on that level of friendship anymore.

"Uh, right. Sorry," Bon said flustered in a way that Rin would have teased him on a better day. Instead Rin zoned out as the Aria-in-training droned on and on. This was why he didn't bother to study it. It was so long he'd never remember it. And so his thoughts fell to more important things such as Shiemi unabashedly staring at him and how they barely hung out with him outside of class.

His grip on the edge of the table tightened at that very thought of losing his friends for a second time. The bones of his knuckles became defined, the skin taut and white against them.

Bon stammered once he reached the part Shiemi stopped at. His tongue and teeth caught over a string of words he just could not get out. Rin looked back in confusion only to see Bon quickly look away and stare at the front of the classroom instead.

Bon had been staring at him, but why. If they didn't want to associate with him then why bother staring? Were they waiting for him to lash out? Rin laid across the tabletop and glared at the nothing in front of him. His tail that coiled around his torso loosened enough for it to visibly twitch and shift in agitation.

The harsh sound of wood scraping against the floor came from right behind him as both Izumo and Shima stood up and Bon's verse stopped immediately. Rin's face was blank at the odd reactions from everyone and glad when the instructor relieved the attention from him. "That's enough. I don't know what has gotten into you all but if you keep this up I'll find a way to send you back to Page level classes. Now I think that's enough class time for today but to make up for all the disruptions I'll be assigning you double the homework."

Rin was glad one thing hadn't changed yet and it was their collective hatred of extra work. He joined the rest of the class in a chorus of groans.

"Rin, are you okay?" Shiemi said as soon as the door closed and they were left alone in silence. Nee crept off her shoulder, readying itself if it should be needed. Rin hugged his arms tighter around him and ignored them.

"What's the matter with you, Okumura," Bon demanded from the back of the class.

Rin shook his head, his fingers dug into the sleeves of his jacket. Even with the layers of fabric, he could feel the faint biting of nails in skin. "Me? What's the matter with me?" His smile was hollow like the coughing sound of his laugh. "What about all of you? You've been staring at me but you won't even hang out with me."

There was a loud sigh from Izumo, an apology from Shiemi, and a nervous "I told you all he'd take it the wrong way" from Konekomaru.

Shiemi nodded and went to grab his hand but didn't. "We've been studying."

"No. You're not."

Izumo rolled her eyes and crossed her arms on the desk before leaning forward. "Yes. We are. Last I remember you aren't there to tell us that we are and aren't doing, now are you?" She sent a smug grin at him telling him to even try to challenge her.

"Kamiki," Bon growled from across the room.

"What? What is going on then?" Rin argued through clenched teeth. They were lying. They were covering something up and not telling him what they really thought. That he was a demon and they once again couldn't be friends. If they were even friends in the first place.

"You weren't there during the Exwire exam when Konekomaru and Bon recited 21 chapters because they didn't know what was the fatal verse for ghouls were," Shima said leaning forward on his desk behind Rin himself .

"What?"

"We've been studying our verses and sutras; trying to memorize what goes with what demons," Konekomaru said. "If you had been there and your verse could have been somewhere in there… in any of the times we take guesses."

Shima nodded lazily and reached forward so his hand ruffled Rin's already messy hair. "It's absolute terrible work, but we don't want to take our chances. Gotta make sure we aren't saying the wrong thing around our little Son of Satan."

Rin's own mind was trying to wrap around the bigger idea. He thought he knew what they were saying but… but that couldn't be it. "So…?" He drawled and tried not to sound too hopeful for his own good. His tail slipped out from under his shirt.

When Bon opened his mouth, it wasn't an insult but rather a gruff agreement. "We can't accidentally kill you because we haven't been taking our studies as serious as we should. I figure we can't pass and be Exorcists if we managed to unwittingly kill a comrade," the taller boy said with all facts and logistics, swatting away at any emotional ties to the issue.

It didn't fool Rin. Rin, who instead of feeling the stinging reminder that the Vatican wanted him dead and would congratulate his—well, his friends—for their accomplishment felt instead the stinging at the corner of his eyes. They weren't condemning him, they were watching out for him. Literally and figuratively watching his back and… and…

"You guys don't have to… I'm fine… I mean…" The words failed to even reach the tip of Rin's tongue. He didn't know what to say, what to even do. Here he was… well here he had been assuming the worst out of his friends, thinking they hated him for whatever reason. And they were only showing how much they cared. They cared.

The others shared a look and a few nodded. "Of course we do," Shiemi said and finally grabbed one of his hands with both of hers. They were soft despite all her gardening.

"We wouldn't be that great of friends if we let something happen to you, now would we?" Konekomaru said.

Rin swallowed the lump of unsaid words down his throat and turned around in his seat before the tears actually got past his eyes and slid down his cheek. "Thank you," he whispered so that Shiemi could barely hear, let alone the rest of them. "Thank you," he repeated and swiped at a runaway tear. Blinking several times he looked up and around at all his friends, a teary smile on his face. His tail swished behind him, too happy to stay still. They all returned their own various smiles—or what passed as smiles in some cases.

"Next time, just don't be jerks about it," Rin said with a laugh because the only other option would be to cry.

"Jerks?" Bon's seat was thrown back and his fists slammed the table. "All that and we get called jerks? Oh, I'll show you a real…"

Yeah, things were already better, Rin thought and stood up himself.

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I really just like the concept of their friendship and how they all fit together in each other's lives. How unfamiliar it can be for Rin to have people protecting him instead of him solely protecting others.

What you just read and everything else you may read is not my intellectual property.