As they were just near Shiemi's house, some boys around his age caught his attention, and he stopped in his track.

J, who was in a near-sleep state, looked up at him wearily before following his piercing gaze to some teenagers pelting a dog with a sling-shot. Her eyes widened. "No, Rin, don't you dare."

With a determined look on his face, he set J down carefully on the sidewalk, leaning against a building. "Stay here, J. I'll be right back."

J grabbed his leg. "Don't, Rin."

Rin turned to her. "I can't do nothing!"

"I know, sweet boy," J smiled, standing up not without struggle. "But... Let me handle it, okay?"

Rin shook his head. "J, you can't even stand straight! I got this!" He tore his leg from J's grasp and ran off as J fiercely shouted his name.

"Hey, asshole!" Rin pulled the boy with the sling shot by the shirt and forced him to face him. "Who gave you the right to hurt a puppy? What did she ever do to you?"

The boy pushed Rin back and grinned. "Aw, we were just having a little fun. Hitting cans ain't half as good as a moving target. But if it means that much to you, we'll let the bitch go."

The boy gestured for his friends to let the dog go. She ran like hell when they did. The sling shot was now aimed at Rin, although, he wasn't paying attention because he wanted to make sure the dog got away, so his back was turned. The small pebbles the boy had been using was now replaced with an arrowhead, aimed at Rin's neck. This boy seemed to be out for blood.

"I've got a new target now." The boy whispered and his friends snickered.

J's eyes widened as the scene unfolded. She gathered all her strength, and with godlike speed, pulls Rin by the tail, yanking him out of the way before the arrow could hit him. It had hit a wooden pole instead. Rin screamed and whimpered, holding his tail before collapsing on the ground.

J, filled with fury, spread wings and flew to the boy, her face red as Tinker Bell, and threw an uppercut into his jaw, throwing him back a few feet. "If any of you tries to hurt Rin, I will murder your asses, you hear me?"

They boys said nothing. They only ran off, absolutely terrified.

Her angered look faded as her feet touched the ground and once again felt weak due to her injuries. She wearily walked back to Rin, who was currently on his hands and knees. He was tucking his tail back in his shirt when she approached him.

"God, Rin, are you alright-"

Rin looked up at her with blue flames in his eyes before he lunged at her. "I told you that if you ever pulled my tail that I'd pull your wings!"

J had no time to get away, given her weakened state, and Rin didn't just pull her wing, he tore a piece off. J fell to the ground, sobbing in pain, unable to get up. Rin was shocked by the sight, unsure of what to do. Apologize? Cry? Help her? He wanted to do them all, but he just stood there, staring back and forth between the weeping fairy, and the torn piece of her wing in his hand. He had no idea she'd be in this much pain. He never meant to hurt her so badly.

"M-My wings, dammit! What did you do?" J then looked up at his hand, covered in sparkles. "What is that? D-Did you...?" She slowly brought her aching wing into her sight and gasped. "You tore it?"

"I didn't mean t-"

"Miss J?" Bon gasped as he and the majority of the other cram students joined her side. "What happened?"

J couched and continued crying. "Rin happened. He pulled by freaking wing, dammit!"

"He what?" they all stared at him with anger in their eyes.

"W-Why would you do that, Rin?" Shima asked.

Rin's eyes averted. "She pulled my... hit me! She hit me..."

"You probably deserved it then!" Kamiki retorted.

"I didn't think it'd hurt her this badly!" Rin defended.

"Why would you want to hurt her at all?" Konekomaru gritted his teeth.

"I don't!" Rin shouted. "I thought she was bluffing!"

"Well... I wasn't, Rin!" she sobbed. "Now my injuries will take longer to heal. A-And I won't be able to fly or protect you."

Rin tilted his head. "Protect me?"

"I had one job! Protect you and keep you safe for Yukio. I made a promise to him!" J looked up at him, now raising her voice. "Yes, I... hit you. But It was only to push you out of the way for the arrow!" Everyone's attention was brought the arrowhead in the pole, followed by J's weak hand pointing to it. Her voice softened again. "I just want to protect you because I love you."

Rin frowned. "I'm sorry, maybe I can fix it."

He tried to place the torn piece back on her wing but it only caused her more pain before it disintegrated into fairy dust.

"No!" the girl screamed, crawling away from him. "Don't touch me, you effing demon child!"

"Get away from her, you idiot!" Bon shouted. "We'll take care of her."

Rin gasped that J would ever call him that. She must truly be angry with him. He felt his lip quiver as he backed up, shaking. He sat against a wall and buried his face in his hands.

"We should take her pack to my place." said Shiemi.

J looked up at her. "We were heading to you anyway. For my other injuries."

"How did you get them?" Shiemi asked.

"Don't tell me that Okumura caused them too." Bon huffed.

"I crashed into a building... to stop Rin from flying into it."

"So it is his fault!" Bon folded his arms and Rin winced at their words.

"Does it really matter?" J asked. "He's alive, right? I'd do it again for him in a second."

Rin eyes became red from holding back tears, but he was happy that J cared about him so much.

Shiemi smiled, definitely agreeing with her. "Okay, Miss J, let's go to my place."

Rin jumped up. "I-I'll carry her!"

Kamiki pushed him back by the chest. "Hold it! You can't touch her until she puts her wings away!"

J sat up and put her wings away, before laying up against Bon's knee.

"You think he'd learn eventually." Bon put his hand on her head in a protective manner. "I'll carry her. If that's alright with you, Miss J."

J nodded and allowed Bon to carry her. She put her arms around his neck and rested on his shoulder, making him blush slightly. "Just... make sure Rin stays with us."

"Why would you want that?" Bon asked. "He's caused you so much pain."

J smiled wearily, speaking in a whisper in hopes that Rin, who was moping behind, would not hear. "I have a promise to keep, that's all. But don't worry, I'm not babysitting that demon again anytime soon."

Rin, of course, did hear that, and chocked over unfallen tears. Shiemi noticed this and fell behind to walk beside him.

"Don't cry, Rin."

Rin rubbed his eyes and blinked away tears. "I-I'm not. I'm fine."

Shiemi sighed. "You have to be more careful with J. Her wings aren't just sensitive, Rin. They're delicate. You wouldn't go out of your way to touch a butterfly's wings, because she'd die. So you shouldn't do that to J. To someone who loves you so much she'd risk her life for you a thousand times over."

"We're here!" Konekomaru announced.

Shiemi went up ahead and left Rin behind, leaving him to dwell in his thoughts, her words replaying in his head.

When J was brought inside, Bon carefully laid her down before Kamiki pushed the boys out of the room. "Get out, boys, come on!"

"Why do we have to leave?" Bon asked.

"Yeah, why?" Shima added.

Kamiki shook her head. "We'll have to undress her to tend to her injuries and she doesn't need you four perverts in here when she's naked!"

The boys' faces turned bright red.

"R-Right." Shima scratched his neck.

"We'll wait outside." said Konekomaru.

"I love you, J..." Rin whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Alright, shut up and get out!" Kamiki pushed Rin out the door.

"Feel better, Miss J." Bon says.

"Wait..." J says before he left. "Bon, will you keep an eye on Rin until I'm up and about again?"

"But..."

"Please," J pleaded. "Just for a little while? I trust you."

Bon smiled, unable to say no to her imploring eyes. "Sure thing."

J nodded and laid down, too weak to hold her head up any longer. Bon left the room and closed the door behind him.

Kamiki undressed J and held her up while Shiemi tended to the gash in her back. She cleaned the blood before applying a homemade ointment and wrapping her upper body in bandages.

"You already have so many scars!" said Shiemi.

J laughed. "Yeah, I'm a superhero, remember? This is a gunshot wound from when I was maybe a bit younger than you. These are frost burns from not too long ago. The rest of them I can't remember or they're from sex with my boyfriend, hehe."

Kamiki giggled. "Nice."

Shiemi blinked. "Okay, so because you heal quickly, I'd say you'd be completely healed in a few hours. However since your wing is torn, and you're a bit weak, I would think it would take until tonight at least. I don't know how to repair your wings, though."

"Well, I never tore it before, I'm hoping they'll just regenerate the same way they do when they're crumpled." J says, sitting up straight, putting on her shirt. "Thank you so much, girls."

"No problem." Kamiki returned.

"It was our pleasure." Shiemi smiled.

"Well," J stood up carefully. "I should go find Rin."

"Aren't you upset with him?" Kamiki asked, holding J's arm to help keep her balance.

J's eyes narrowed. "I'm absolutely livid... but I can't just leave him. He'd get himself killed."

Bon sat beside Rin, who had his knees to his chest, looking as if he were about to cry his eyes out. He looked up at Bon, confused to why he would sit with him instead of his friends.

As if to answer his thoughts, Bon huffed and said. "I'm only making sure you don't do anything stupid or make any more trouble than you already have. And only because J told me to. She cares about you way more than she should. And I'm pissed that this is the thanks you give her."

Rin couldn't respond. He only nodded before hiding his face in his knees. It shocked Bon to see Rin so close to tears, but he thought he deserved to feel the guilt. They all sat in utter silence for the remainder of the wait.

When J walked out, they boys seemed for than happy to see her. Rin got up and ran to hug her, but she dodged him and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

"God dammit, Rin!" she spat. "I'm still healing and it hurts like hell! You can't just jump on me like that!"

"Yeah, come on!" Bon hit him over the head. "Can we still hug you, though?"

J smiled and nodded, holding her arms out. "Sure. Gently, okay?"

Bon cautiously put his arms around her. "I'm glad you're okay."

J pecked his temple and he blushed. "Hey now, you can't kill me off that easily. This girls been through shit."

"Yeah, I guess so."

J pulled from him to give Shima and Konekomaru a hug as well. She rubbed their heads. "Shima, Kone, I hope I didn't worry you too much."

"Not at all." Konekomaru says.

"Yeah, we knew you'd be just fine." Shima added. "You're a very strong woman."

"J?" Rin said softly with his saddened red eyes. "I... I thought of something we could do next."

J folded her arms. "And what might that be?"

"The movies." Rin says. "Your choice, I'll pay, and I'll be quiet the whole time so you can rest and heal. I promise."

"You better be, Rin." J grumbled. "Because one more incident, accident, or mishap, and I'm gone."

Rin's eyes widened. "G-Gone?"

"I'll leave Blue Exorcist." J said bluntly, shocking everyone. "As much as I love you all dearly, I can't keep risking my life for Rin. If it was on a mission, I'd understand. But you just keep doing dumb shit to get yourself killed. Chocking on a grape, flying into a building, getting into fights and arrows shot at your neck. I mean, do you want to die? Or me to die trying to prevent that from happening?"

"No, of course not!" Rin's body started to shake.

"I've left shows that were too dangerous for my physical or mental health before, and I'll do it now. Because there's a time where enough is enough."

Rin fell to his knees, put his hands together and begged. "Please, J. I'll behave. I won't disobey you. Please, don't leave me."

It was then that J realized the words coming out of her mouth. In truth, she knew she could never leave Blue Exorcist. She loved them all way too much, and was way too attached to Rin himself. Tears filled her eyes at the thought of never seeing them again. Everyone seemed relieved at this, as if they could read her mind.

"I'm not leaving, Rin!" she cried. "I can't believe you brought me to say something like that! Just... Just get up."

Rin stood up, red from holding back tears. "Okay," he then looked timid. "S-Should I carry you?"

"No." J folded her arms. "I'll be just fine. Let's go."

"Bye, Miss J!" Shiemi says, followed by many other farewells.

"Bye, my loves!" J says, walking out with Rin. "And please, it's J, all of you. This Japanese formality thing makes me feel old."

"Right." Shiemi scratched her neck.


Damn, Rin is just an idiot, isn't he?