Author's Note: Hi everyone! Welcome to the update! Thank all so much for reading and reviewing. I am grateful for the favorites and follows too. They are definitely inspiring me to keep going. I will do my best not to disappoint, fair readers!

Vain-gl0ry, thank you so much for your review that helped me correctly understand a part of Mahito's technique that I totally misunderstood. As you can see, I have added a rewritten version of part of that scene from the chapter I cut out. I kept in mind that he's basically a baby Cursed Spirit, a child, when I did this rewrite.

So with all of that being said, please enjoy the update. Reviews are not required but appreciated! :)

Lily stubbornly returned home as she said she would. As much as she enjoyed her proximity to Megumi and being with all of them, she knew she had to go. Besides, she would eventually have to go home anyway. The longer she stayed at the school, the more difficult it would be to leave.

There were preparations to be made. The house still required cleaning and organizing. Lots of supplies needed to be bought including medical supplies for basic first aid and wound care plus extra canned food and bottled water for those times when she could not make a quick trip to the grocery store. It reminded her of preparing for hurricane season every year back at home.

Lily sighed as she stacked the cans on the pantry shelves. Home had taken on a new meaning along with a new location. Thinking of Gojō and his vivacious goofiness made her smile. Yūji is so sweet; brawny and tough on the outside with a soft, mushy center - Sukuna notwithstanding. As far as she was concerned, the King of Curses was a completely different entity existing separate from him despite sharing the same body. Nobara is outspoken and determined not to be seen as a weak girl but does not allow that to keep her from focusing on beauty and femininity.

Then there is Megumi. The gorgeous, sensitive young man who had already claimed her heart. Strong and willful yet thoughtful and giving.

A delightful shiver ran through her body thinking of him. She had never been a believer in love at first sight. He changed her mind about that. Her thinking about a lot of things had changed since meeting him. Predestination had always been a useless concept she hated because she believed it circumvented one's free will. However, it seemed sometimes a person could be meant to follow a specific path so the universe and powers that be find a way to constantly put them back on that course no matter how many detours they take.

"Maybe it's not so bad," Lily said aloud to herself when she felt the familiar resentment rising inside of her.

The rebellious spirit within her is so deep set. Shirking authority and refusing to what she was told was almost a bad habit. She blamed her father. If such a trait could be inherited, she got it from him. He had definitely instilled it in her with his own actions taken against her and the Jujutsu Sorcerer's he was meant to protect. He even abandoned his own mother.

The anger came next making her ball her fists and want to punch something. The buzzer on the washing machine sounded like an alarm warning her to stop it before she stirred up trouble for herself.

As she walked to the louvered doors behind which the machine stood, she stumbled like something had pushed her. Her belly quivered uncertainly as if warning her trouble was near. A crawling sensation rushed up her arms like a spider skittering across her skin. She felt a shift in the protective barrier, a wobble as if something had pushed through without breaking it.

"Huh...that's odd," Lily murmured. "I've never felt anything like that before."

Standing still, her senses on high alert, she listened and waited. All she could hear is the constant droning of electricity running through the house that one usually never notices. She shrugged, chalking up her paranoia to being alone and trying to get accustomed to her new found existence as a guardian.

Pulling the sheets out of the machine and tossing them into the plastic laundry basket, she grabbed the cloth bag of clothespins. Nostalgia, sad and sweet, crept up on her bringing tears to her eyes.

As a child she had helped her grandmother with the laundry when staying with her. The sheets were her absolute favorite. They would hang them out in the morning to dry in the warm summer sun. By noon, she had a unique play scape to run through. She could be a plane soaring through the clouds or a mermaid bobbing among the white foam of the surf when running between the sheets rippling in the breeze. In the afternoon they would take in the sheets and make the beds. At night, exhausted from a day of play and full of her grandmother's delicious food, she would settle into the cool sheets smelling of sunshine and happy thoughts.

The first tear slid from her eye as she snapped the damp sheet to straighten out the wrinkles. Flinging it over the line, she stood on her tiptoes to place the clips on it to keep the wind from blowing it off. The tear dripped from her chin and another quickly followed. She told herself it was simply drops from the wet sheet she had flung onto herself.

When all of the bedding was hung, Lily stood in the middle of the sheets forming white walls on either side of her. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel her melancholy, her regret...her fear. She was not alone.

Hatred. Animosity. Envy. Those strong feelings were so palpable it made her shake. Lily opened her eyes to see a man standing in front of her. Frozen with shock and terror she could only stare at the stranger. Deep inside of her she recognized this person, or perhaps this thing, to be malicious intent incarnate.

His long bluish gray hair streamed down his chest and was tied on the ends. Lines bisected his face, one across his nose and cheeks, the other off center and vertical down the right side of his face. They weren't just lines but scars as if he had been stitched together. There was another one across his neck as if he had been beheaded and his head reattached. There were lines resembling scars from stitches on his arms as well. She couldn't help but think of a famous literary creature, a monster of a man's making.

"Frankenstein's monster I presume?" Lily questioned him flippantly despite the fear trickling down her back like ice water and making her shiver.

"Something like that," he agreed, smiling at her.

The bizarre stranger took a step toward her, and Lily took a step back to maintain the distance between them. Holding the gaze of heterochromic eyes, one a dull gray and the other an intense dark blue that made her think of Megumi. She put a secondary barrier around her body. She had the distinct feeling she should not allow this man to get close to her.

"Who are you?" Her eyes ran down his body taking in all the scars as if he had been sewn together like a ragdoll. "What are you?"

"Ah, and that is the proper question," he said, raising his finger into the air before pointing it at his own chest. "I am indeed a monster. And just like the monster made by the Dr. Frankenstein, I'm a monster of mankind's making. I was conceived by their arrogance and envy. Formed by their collective fear. I was born from the culmination of their hatred."

"Why...why are you here?"

"Your cursed energy brought me to you. You are absolutely full of it. All those lovely negative emotions swirling around inside of you are positively delectable." He licked his lips as if he meant to eat her. "I need them to grow big and strong."

Shit, shit, shit!, her inner voice shouted in her head. She took a step back and almost fell as her knees weakened causing her to stumble back another step. Willing herself to stand on her feet, she squared her shoulders and met his gaze.

He smiled at her. Escape from him would be impossible even if she could run, and Lily knew it.

Megumi, I need you, Lily thought wishing her powers included telepathy.

All of the negative emotions common to humans oozed from him and seethed in her gut causing bile to rise in her throat from the subsequent nausea as he approached her. He moved slowly like a predator. Confident, unhurried.

"Do you have a name?" she asked, her voice quavering.

"Mahito," he replied, putting out his hand for a handshake if they were casually meeting at a party.

Lily did not move outwardly but every muscle in her body tensed when he dropped his hand and took another step to close the distance between them. Heat radiated from his body toward her which surprised her. For some reason she expected him to be cold like a dead man. Actually he put off an excessive amount of heat that made her begin to sweat - or perhaps it was the sun beating down on them. Sheer terror was taking hold of her, making her tremble from head to toe.

"Do you have a name?" Mahito inquired almost playfully.

"Lily," she answered breathily. "What do you want? Do you want to kill me?"

"Hmmm," he sighed pensively, propping his chin on his hand as he studied her. "I could kill you. Splatter your blood all over these nice clean sheets. You are quite helpless."

I'm not! I'm not weak!, she yelled at herself. I am stronger than I think! I can do this!

"Then do it already," Lily enticed him.

Mahito extended his hand toward her face but stopped short of touching her.

"No. I don't think I will. It will be over too quickly, and where is the fun in that? I think keeping you alive would be much entertaining." He leaned toward her, placing his mouth close to her ear. "You're going to be a fun little doll to play with. I hope you last longer than my toy before you."

Lily flinched when he placed his hand on her chest over her heart. She could immediately feel the barrier pulling inward, shielding her heart and soul from him. Her shaky knees could no longer support her and folded, lowering her straight to the ground into a kneeling position. At least he was no longer touching her.

"You have a beautiful ugly soul. Filled with so much fear and anger...and hate. The wonderful things that made me become me," he stated with an arrogant smirk tilting his lips. "I want to see what kind of monster I can turn you into."

Mahito squatted down in front of her preparing to touch her again, to break the barrier she used to deflect his touch before.

"Lily! Lily, where are you?" Megumi called.

"Oh, thank god," she sighed, crumpling with relief as Mahito stood up and backed away.

"I'll be back to play sometime soon, Lily," Mahito promised her before walking away from her.

"Where are you?" Megumi called out again. He sounded much closer this time as if he was at the back door.

"I'm, I'm h-here!" she stuttered.

Megumi appeared at the end of the clothesline. As he walked toward her, the sheets blew around him like billowing clouds. In her muddled mind it was if he was coming to her in a dream. Thankfully this was no dream. Kneeling down in front of her, he pulled her limp body into his arms.

"What the hell happened? Are you okay?" he asked, leaning her head back to look at her face. "You're so pale. Are you sick? Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm not injured. I am absolutely terrified," she confessed, pressing her face into the front of his school uniform. Her fingers clutched onto the back of his jacket as she squeezed him tightly to make sure he was real.

"Tell me what happened," Megumi implored her in his soft voice, stroking her hair to comfort her.

Lily sighed, leaning into him. "There was some weirdo named Mahito here. He - "

"Mahito?" he interrupted her.

Lily let Megumi go to sit back so she could see his face. Her eyes met his, shifting anxiously from one eye to the other. Her heart quivered fearfully in her chest. Now he looked ghostly white and frightened.

"Are you sure he said his name was Mahito?"

"Y-yeah," she stammered. "He really is a manifestation of cursed energy?"

"He is," Megumi confirmed, cradling her head with his hand and pulling it back into his chest.

"Oh, god," she gasped, closing her eyes.

"He can manipulate people's souls and turn them into hideous creatures. He did that to a friend of Yūji's...killed Junpei right in front of him," he explained to her.

I hope you last longer than my toy before you, his words echoed in her head. Mahito had smiled when he said it, thinking the boy's death was funny. He was so childlike yet so terrifying and dangerous.

"Oh, my god...poor Yūji," Lily whispered, clinging to Megumi who held her securely in his arms.

"Did Mahito touch you?" he asked, his arms tightening around her with almost crushing strength.

"Yeah but I had already put a barrier around myself so I'm okay," she assured him. Other than being scared witless and unable to stop trembling, she really is okay.

"I'm calling Gojō to tell him what happened," he said, reaching into his pants pocket to retrieve his phone.

"Hey, Megumi, why did you come?" Lily inquired, curious as to why he randomly showed up at her house.

"I had a feeling I needed to come see you. Classes were over so I acted on that gut feeling that you needed me. I'm glad I didn't ignore it," he mumbled.

"Me too," she sighed, pressing her face into the material of his uniform that was surprisingly soft and smelled like pine and lemon.

"Hey, Gojō," he said after his teacher picked up.

"What's up?" Gojō asked.

"Mahito was here," he informed his teacher, stroking her back as she trembled violently in his arms.

"Are you serious?"

"When am I not?"

Lily could hear both sides of the conversation since he was so close to her. Megumi's chin rested on the top of her head. Although he nudged her skull with each word he spoke, she refused to move, preferring to stay in his arms.

"Stay with her tonight. Just in case he decides to make another visit," Gojō said.

"Okay," Megumi agreed, hanging up the phone without a good-bye. Embracing her, he asked, "Can you stand?"

"Uhm, I think I still need a little help," Lily admitted reluctantly, grasping his arms.

"Hold on to me," he said, putting his arms around her waist.

"Way ahead of you, hon," she murmured, her fingers digging into his biceps through his coat.

Megumi held her close to his body with his strong arms as he lifted her to a standing position. When he did not immediately let her go, Lily leaned heavily into his body laying her head on his chest over his heart.

"I'm okay you know. A little shaken up and frightened still. But I think that's to be expected. You don't have to stay," she said, not releasing her grip on him.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"No," she admitted.

A cool wind whipped the sheets around them. It was like being lost in the clouds with him. Lily closed her eyes when his arms tightened around her. His heart beat steadily under her ear. She liked his calm demeanor. His inner stillness comforted her.

A distant rumble disturbed their perfect peace. The clouds started to gather overhead blocking out the sun that had been beaming down on them just five minutes ago.

"A thunderstorm is coming," Megumi murmured, his arms dropping from around her body.

Lily reluctantly opened her eyes and withdrew her arms from around him. She turned to begin taking off the clothespins from the sheets. A smile curled her lips as Megumi pulled the sheet from the line behind her without even being asked to do so.

"We make a good team," she commented. "Domestically speaking."

"Domestically speaking," he repeated, the hint of grin perking up the corners of his mouth. His cheeks turned pink.

"You know, with the cooking and cleaning and...well, all that stuff." Lily giggled self-consciously having embarrassed herself.

A raindrop smacked Lily in the forehead as she took the last pillowcase from the line.

"Whew! Just in time," she said as they ran for the house.

"I'll help you make the beds," Megumi offered as he followed her upstairs with the bundle of sheets in his arms.

Lily almost refused his offer. Chewing her lower lip, she tried to prevent herself from grinning like an idiot as they walked into the second bedroom where he would be staying tonight.

Her heart beat wildly as he flung the fitted sheet over the bed. They would be alone in the same house together for hours on end - in separate rooms but still...

She glimpsed over at him as they both hooked the gathered corners of the sheet over the mattress. Her belly tightened upon seeing his long eyelashes laying against his flawless cheek.

God, he's so damn pretty. I really am jealous, she mused, warmth blooming across her face.

His lengthy eyelashes lifted to reveal his deep blue irises which immediately connected with hers. Her face felt as if it caught fire. Just a glance from him made her feel like a bashful kid with her first crush. Maybe because she had never actually been in love before. She never allowed herself to experience, what she felt at the time, to be pointless emotions. She found the fluttery tummy and racing heart a bit disconcerting.

"Are you okay? Do you need something to drink?" Megumi asked her. Thoughtful and caring as always. "I can go get you some water."

"I'm fine," she assured him, picking up the top sheet from the chair to throw it over the bed.

Raindrops tapped on the tile roof above them. In the distance, the thunder rolled; the sound like a bowling ball rolling down the wooden lane of the alley.

As he straightened the coverlet over the bed, Lily went to her room to begin making her bed. As soon as he entered her room, her blush returned, creeping down her neck to her chest. They were in her room together without Gojō being around to show up at an inopportune time.

You're being stupid and immature, her inner voice of reason chastised her as her emotions ran amok again eliciting yet another annoying physical reaction of sweating and shaking hands. You're not a damn child. You're a grown ass woman, and he's...a child. Dammit!

"I was wondering, since spring is almost over, when will all of you become second years?" Lily asked. What better way to remind herself of his age than to talk about school? She had no clue if the Jujutsu Sorcerer school operated like regular high schools.

"It shouldn't be much longer. I'm sure Principal Yaga is preparing the promotion test," Megumi said, stuffing the pillow into its case.

"What will that be?"

She tossed the quilt into the middle of the bed and began unfolding it.

"I'm not sure."

He leaned forward to take hold of the fabric. His fingers brushed hers as she extended the corner of the handmade quilt to him. His heart galloped away when his eyes flew to hers to see they were already looking at him. Perhaps he should stay for dinner then go back to the dorm.

"Do you think it's a good idea that we're here together like this?" Lily asked, her fingers stroking the back of his hand.

"I'm not sure." He inclined his face downward a little bringing it closer to hers. "Depends on what kind of ideas you have."

Oh, shit, I'm in big trouble, she thought, quickly standing up straight to distance herself from him and avoid stealing a kiss.

"Megumi," she giggled. She pulled her side of the quilt to the corners, smoothing out the wrinkles. "What do you want for dinner?"

Lily hurried past him out of the door to make a fast exit before she did something she should not.

"Do you have the ingredients for ginger pork?" he inquired, finishing off his side of the bed to follow her downstairs.

"I do. Come help me, and I'll show you how to make it."

Domestically speaking indeed. While she prepared the pork in the pan, Megumi sliced the vegetables she had washed and set out on the cutting board.

"I'm ready for those veggies," Lily declared, stepping to the side to allow him to move in beside her to push them off the board into the pan. "Can you hand me that soy sauce?"

Megumi extended his arm behind him without moving from her side to pick up the bottle from the counter. The tips of their fingers touched when passing the bottle. She was too busy to notice the slight touch, but his heart leapt in his chest.

She's right about me. I am just a stupid kid, he thought because of his reaction to meaningless contact.

But it wasn't meaningless to her at all. Every touch, every word, and just being so close to him, meant everything to her. As silly as it seemed even to her, she cherished every little commonplace interaction between them. Just standing beside him held significance for her. His presence alone soothed her soul - which she really needed after her run in with Mahito.

Megumi leaned against her inhaling the somewhat sweet yet savory and spicy scent of the fresh ginger she grated right over the pan into the food.

Lightning flashed filling up the little house with blue light. Startled by the dazzling light then the subsequent clap of thunder, Lily jumped, pressing her side along his. Megumi put his arm around her waist. He could feel her shaking.

The storm was right on top of them. Rain pelted the windows like tiny rocks.

"I've always been afraid of thunderstorms," she said, stirring the food. "It's pretty silly I'm still afraid of them at my age, huh?"

"Does age really matter that much?" he asked, his fingers clutching her waist.

Lily could not help but think he referred to something else rather than her childish fear of storms. Every nerve under her skin seemed to stand on end, crackling with an electrical like charge. Perhaps it was just the storm outside, not the one inside.

Mother Nature quickly confirmed her suspicions by unleashing another thunderbolt and cracking the sky with thunder. She winced, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. His arm constricted around her pulling her closer.

"When I was a kid, my grandmother would tell me the lightning was a camera flash. Smile, Lily, God's taking your picture, she would say."

Lily's imitation of her grandmother's voice was eerily spot on. Megumi chuckled at her. She really did remind him so much of Grandma Hiroko.

"What was the thunder?" he asked, intrigued by her story. Her grandmother had never mentioned anything like that to him. Of course storms never bothered him so why would she?

"The angels were bowling. It was the ball rolling," she replied, smiling broadly. "Will you wash the rice, please? The main dish will be ready soon and we haven't even started on everything else."

"That's cute. I always did like her stories. She had quite the imagination," he said, peeling himself away from her to go to the sink.

"I'm still scared, but her silly explanation makes me smile despite the fear."

Lily turned down the heat under the stir fry and went to the refrigerator to retrieve the pickled vegetables including the fresh supply of pickled ginger she had made earlier. It had been a long eventful day. Glancing at the carton of heavy whipping cream, she decided she would whip that up later to have for dessert with the fresh strawberries. A fresh and light dessert.

"Lily?"

"Hmmm?"

Megumi dumped the rice into the cooker and closed the lid. Pressing the button, he turned to face her as she poured cream into a mixing bowl.

"What else frightens you?" he asked.

Lily plugged in the electric hand mixer as if he had not spoken a word to her much less asked a question that begged for an answer. Going to the pantry, she pulled out a bottle of vanilla and icing sugar. After spooning a little of these ingredients, she placed the beaters into the bowl.

His belly twinged nervously. The apprehension and regret was sickening. She had every right to ignore the selfish, intrusive question because she was smart enough to know what he was hinting at. He wanted to know if she was feeling the same things he felt in this moment; if she would allow their age to stand in the way of much more intimate contact.

Megumi wished she would at least look at him so he would know what she was thinking rather than standing there like a statue, not moving and not speaking.

"How I feel about you scares the hell out of me," she confessed, flipping the switch on the mixer before he could say anything in return.

He waited patiently for her to finish so he could speak to her. His pulse pounding in his ears blocked out the high pitched whir of the mixer. At last she shut it off, but he found it difficult to form words with his clumsy tongue.

"What are you so afraid?" he asked her.

Lily dipped her finger in the whipped cream. His eyes followed her finger to her mouth where she slipped it between her lovely pink lips. Heat spread throughout his thighs and a pulse started below his waist as his heart diverted the blood there.

Damn, he cursed internally, looking away from her as he blushed violently from his quite normal reaction as a male.

"Open you're mouth, Megumi," Lily said, stepping in front of him.

Without questioning her, he opened his mouth. She dipped her finger into the bowl, then raised the dollop of whipped cream to his mouth to give him a taste. Megumi's eyes drifted closed as she placed her finger against his tongue.

Her eyes could not look away from his handsome and placid face bearing a dark pink blush. She chewed her lower lip to keep from groaning when he sucked her finger. A heaviness formed deep inside of her. Tendrils of heated stimulation undulated through her belly and thighs.

"Mmmm," he hummed in approval. "That's good."

"Do you know what I'd like to do to you right now?" she asked, her voice hoarse with desire.

He could see the answer in her half closed eyes. His eyes dropped to her mouth. Her pouty lips beckoned him to kiss them.

Without waiting for him to answer in words or by kissing her, she backed away. "I want it...and so do you. That's what frightens me most."

Megumi could not be sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing finally having the previously unspoken secret desire shared between them out in the open.

Lily opened the refrigerator to place the bowl of whipped cream inside. She continued to stand with the door open, allowing the cold air to flow over her in hopes of cooling down.

He wanted to stick his head in the freezer to cool off.

The rice pot beeped making both of them jump as if a bomb was about to go off. Actually the sound diffused one by startling them.

Lily grabbed two bottles of water and closed the refrigerator door. Handing one to him, she opened hers. Before he had gotten the lid off of his bottle, she had drank all of the water from hers.

"Shall we eat?" she asked, pretending nothing out of the ordinary or horribly awkward had happened.

Megumi nodded while gulping down his water.

Not a word passed between as they ate dinner. The storm carried on outside mirroring the one inside of them. They struggled with their physical urges which were in direct opposition with their logical knowledge. The more they tried to convince themselves, and each other, to 'just be friends' the more difficult it was becoming to remain platonic.

"Dessert?" Lily asked when their plates were empty.

"Nah. I think I'm going to skip it," he replied, picking the last piece of pickled ginger out of the dish with his chopsticks.

"Me too. I'm going to take a shower after washing the dishes. You're welcome go take one now," she said, standing up from her cushion.

"I'll wash the dishes," Megumi offered, stacking up the dishes to take them to the kitchen. He needed to keep himself busy. "You should take your shower first. You've had a busy day. And a stressful one thanks to Mahito."

Mentioning the Cursed Spirit who had taken a human form was like throwing cold water on both of them. It certainly killed the mood which is a step in the right direction to averting disaster.

"Thank you, Megumi," Lily said, affectionately squeezing his forearm when he reached for her glass.

They both sighed internally that the heated moment had passed, and they could still interact with each other without things being weird.

Megumi took his time washing the dishes. He wanted to give her plenty of time to get showered and dressed so there would not be any accidental half naked encounters. The idea of meeting her in the hallway with nothing but a towel around her dripping wet body made him blush.

"I'm being an idiot," he muttered to himself.

When he placed the last glass in the cabinet after drying it off, he slowly climbed the stairs. Stopping half way up the staircase, only the top half of his head even with the second floor landing, he listened for sounds of running water or movement. All he could hear was the pitter patter of the rain on the roof.

When he rounded the end of the staircase, Megumi saw her bedroom was open so he took a chance and peeked inside to check on her. She lay across the middle of the bed, her feet still on the floor and a towel in her hand. To his great relief, she was dressed, wearing a sky blue t-shirt with a white lamb on it and white pajama shorts. She appeared to have fallen asleep while sitting on the bed to dry her hair.

Megumi lifted her legs to place them on the bed. Unfortunately, this put her at a painful looking right angle so he quickly placed a hand under her neck and shoulders to lift her upper body and turned her torso to lay in a straight line with her head on the pillow. He flinched when she sighed and rolled onto her side.

Damn...she is completely exhausted, he thought, gazing down at her.

Stray strands of her wet hair had plastered themselves to her cheek. Without considering his actions, he reached down to pull the hair away from her face. When his fingertips brushed her cheek, her eyes opened. His heart skipped at least one beat, maybe two, when she gazed up him with bleary, sleepy eyes.

"Hey," she said groggily.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in a whisper. "I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

As he tried to turn, her fingers enclosed his wrist. Glancing back at her, he saw her eyes were closed, but she held onto him tightly.

"Sleep with me," she implored him.

Every muscle in his body contracted at once. Invisible pins and needles poked at every inch of his skin. Considering her half asleep state, he knew she meant literal sleep. But still...being so close to her could lead to trouble they barely avoided earlier.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" he asked her in return.

"Megumi, I'm out of good ideas. I'm too tired. Besides," she mumbled, releasing his wrist. She pointed to the chair in the corner. "We're not actually alone."

Pinky bared his shark teeth and extended his nails that were more suited to a bear. As of yet, no one had suffered a bite from the pink bunny's vicious teeth or a scratch from his terrible claws. Megumi did not want to be the first. He shuddered. Principal Yaga's corpse dolls, apart from Panda, creeped him the hell out.

"Right," he said. "I'll be across the hall if you need me."

The rabbit closed his mouth and retracted his claws. Megumi exhaled in relief.

"Good night, Megumi," Lily yawned, rolling onto her other side to face away from him as he backed toward the door.

"Good night, Lily."